Chalk · Normandy / Seine-Maritime (Arques headwaters)

Béthune / Eaulne

Béthune venue image
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The Béthune and the Eaulne are the two headwater rivers that join at Arques-la-Bataille to form the Arques proper, and each of them on its own is worth a day's fishing.

Species

A proper day on the water

Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for brown trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for brown trout
  • Temperature7828% weight
  • Flow6022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure807% weight
  • Prey Activity4412% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
8.8°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
10°C
Wind
SW 15 km/h
Gentle breeze
Pressure
1012 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.2 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
5.7 mm
Light rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for brown trout
When
Through the open trout season. Iron Blue and CDC grannom in April; olives through May; sedges through summer evenings.
Where
Pool tails and weeded glides through the Seine-Maritime chalk-stream stretches. Intimate water — read each lie carefully.
Method
Upstream dry to spotted rising fish; long fine leader. The water reads clear — careful approach matters more than fly choice. Move slowly upstream, cast accurately, accept the result.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French karst-stream default. Floating line, 14 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Polarising glasses non-negotiable.
Why this works
Good conditions. Clarity is favourable (95), Prey activity is weakest (44).
Through the year
0–3 scale · May highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
1
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA du Pays de Bray and local AAPPMAs share the beats on both rivers
  • Fly-only parcours on several stretches
  • Check current rules before fishing.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Béthune and the Eaulne are the two headwater rivers that join at Arques-la-Bataille to form the Arques proper, and each of them on its own is worth a day's fishing. The Béthune runs down from Neufchâtel-en-Bray through Bellencombre and Saint-Saëns, a proper chalk stream with cold stable water and a wild brown trout population throughout — nothing large, but honest and consistent. The Eaulne is shorter and quieter, rising near Londinières and running parallel to the Béthune before they meet. Both rivers get occasional sea trout running up from the Arques in autumn, and both hold grayling in the steadier pools. Olives from March, mayfly in the second half of May, summer caddis. AAPPMA beats through most of the fishable length. If you've fished the Arques itself and want to trace the river back to its sources, this is where it comes from.

  • Chalk
Seasons & zones
  • Trout2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling3rd Saturday of May → 31 December
Other water nearby · 5