Freestone · Mixed · Carinthia / East Tyrol, AT

Drava (Drau)

The turquoise Drau river flowing through a wide Alpine valley near Lienz, East Tyrol, with forested slopes and mountain peaks behind.

A major Alpine river flowing through Carinthia and East Tyrol, mixing character: some sections regulated by hydro dams, others running wild.

Today · A proper day on the water
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.70 m
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1026 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 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
12°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 2pm

12pm(now) — Daddy Long Legs

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 58%
Also:Autumn Olive54%Cinnamon Sedge30%
11 food groups active

Peak activity at 2pm — Autumn Dun (Autumn Dun, 12 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Alpine RhithrogenaHatch
1
2
2
1
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Grayling fly box

A classic alpine trout and grayling box. Nymphs, dry flies and streamers all belong, with the season often starting later in alpine regions.

Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season · matches water height
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Carinthian border river
  • Fischerkarte + specific water permits required
  • Some sections highly regulated.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. The turquoise Drau river flowing through a wide Alpine valley near Lienz, East Tyrol, with forested slopes and mountain peaks behind.
    The Drau (Drava) river near Lienz, East Tyrol
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A major Alpine river flowing through Carinthia and East Tyrol, mixing character: some sections regulated by hydro dams, others running wild. Brown trout, rainbow, and grayling inhabit the clearer stretches. The upper reaches offer the best fly fishing—the sort of water where you can still find productive pools between the power stations.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Failing to achieve good
What this classification means

WFD re-coded 2026-09-14 after the pin audit: matched by point query against EEA WISE WFD2022_SurfaceWaterBody (the river water body whose line lies 9 m from the venue pin). Status: WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) ecological class 3 = Moderate potential (heavily modified water body), chemical 'failing to achieve good' (Austria-wide in the 2022 cycle). Prior id ATOK901450009 (Good) described a different reach.

WFD classification · ATOK900470022

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time95 × 13%12.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity71 × 12%8.5
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September
  • Grayling 1 June → 28 February

    Austrian grayling (Äsche) rules are state and fishery specific. Common pattern: closed 1 January – 31 May (spawning protection); open from June. Individual fishery seasons often end October/November. Always check the local Fischereikarte and specific water permit. Salzburg-area waters commonly show 1 June or 16 May opener.

    Season dates are set at state or regional level — confirm the local rules.

    Prime sport 1 August → 31 October

Related guides
Booking & contacts