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.

Good · Grayling
Pink Grayling Bug · Hook 16
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River steady at a fishable height. A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.55 mLast reading 30 min ago
  • Water temp5.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pink Grayling Bug
Pink Grayling BugHook 16
in season · all-rounder
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.55 m
Last reading 30 min ago
Water temp5.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather-1°C
WindN 4 km/h
Pressure1024 hPa
Rain · recent24.1 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
5.9°Cideal 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
Good — water temperature is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today. Grayling feeds actively in cold water — peak winter sport.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 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
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
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

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 75%
How the 79 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity37 × 12%4.4
Conditions total= 79
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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
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
At a glance

Drava (Drau) is a freestone river in Carinthia / East Tyrol, Austria. It sits at about 534 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 260 km long. Our data lists brown trout, rainbow trout and grayling here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 30 September. The grayling season is recorded as running from 1 June to 28 February. Best window recorded for anglers: April–September. Core methods listed: nymph; dry fly; streamer. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Upper Lieser (Pöllatal) at 31 km, Gail at 32 km and Möll at 37 km.