Freestone · Granite · Massif Central / Puy-de-Dôme, FR

Dordogne (upper)

A rocky, boulder-strewn mountain stream flowing through autumn woodland on the upper Dordogne near La Bourboule, France.

The upper Dordogne flows from Puy-de-Dôme mountains through classic Massif Central terrain — granite and volcanic rock creating cold, clear freestone.

Today · Closed season
Hare's Ear Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.16 m
Lifting fast
Water temp7.7°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather6°C
WindN 16 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent26.4 mm
Rain · ahead9.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
8°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Autumn through November prime.
Where
Faster runs in the middle and lower upper-Dordogne reaches.
Method
Euro-nymphing through the deeper pockets; switch to dries when sedges or olives come off in autumn afternoons.
Kit
10 ft #3 nymphing rod for the deep pockets; 9 ft #4 for dries. 4 to 5 lb fluoro tippet, 12 ft leader.
Likely species
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 17%

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · November 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
1
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1
Autumn OliveHatch
1
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Grayling fly box

French nymph-first water. Fast current, technical presentation, weighted nymphs and emergers, with dry flies when fish rise.

Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Fontsalade
12 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling
Lac Guéry
11 km
Brown trout
Miouze
12 km
Brown trout
Lac Servières
14 km
Brown trout
Petit Sioulet
16 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A rocky, boulder-strewn mountain stream flowing through autumn woodland on the upper Dordogne near La Bourboule, France.
    The upper Dordogne near La Bourboule, Puy-de-Dôme
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Wild brown trout and grayling. Strong mayfly, caddis, and stonefly populations. Designated no-kill parcours on some sections. Upper reaches more technical, lower more accessible. Check local regulations for restrictions.

Hatches & food

In freestone rivers of the Massif Central, resident brown trout feed through a spring build-up of olives and stoneflies into a long summer of caddis and small buzzers, with terrestrials becoming important from early summer; higher volcanic plateaux and colder headwaters tend to run later than the lower freestones.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Good → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRFRR105_1 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRFRR105_1

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 55%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time10 × 13%1.3
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity36 × 12%4.3
Conditions total= 72
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling 3rd Saturday of May → 3rd Sunday of September

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 1st category (salmonid) rivers, grayling closes with the trout season on the 3rd Sunday of September. Departmental regulations may impose additional restrictions. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsPyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Dordogne (upper) is a freestone river in Massif Central / Puy-de-Dôme, France. The catchment geology is recorded as granite, and the water sits at about 780 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 30 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout and grayling. The trout season is recorded as running from 2nd Saturday of March to 3rd Sunday of September. The grayling season is recorded as running from 3rd Saturday of May to 3rd Sunday of September. Best window recorded for anglers: March–September. Core methods listed: Euro nymphing; dry fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Access is recorded as day tickets through the local AAPPMA (angling association). Nearby waters in our listings include Lac Guéry at 11 km, Fontsalade at 12 km and Miouze at 12 km.