Freestone · Limestone · Hautes-Pyrénées / Gavarnie-Gèdre

Gave d'Estaubé

A mountain stream flowing through a rocky Pyrenean valley below a limestone cliff, crossed by a small footbridge

High mountain gave from source to Lac des Gloriettes, tumbling through ~5 km of protected no-kill stretch — the longest in the Hautes-Pyrénées.

Good · Brown Trout
Small Perdigón · 16-20
New ruleReported 7 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (alerte renforcée) in force

The Bassin du Gave d''Oloron zone (Dept 64) is at alerte renforcée — the second-highest French drought tier — under a préfectoral arrêté. Fishing itself is not named as prohibited, but water is severely restricted and flows are likely very low; fish with care and check locally.

Arrêté préfectoral n°37628 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp14.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón16-20
Euro-nymph
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp14.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindSE 3 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead23.6 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Late spring through early autumn — high alpine, June through September realistically. Snowmelt sets the practical opening.
Where
Pocket water through the Estaubé cirque. Pyrenean high-altitude character — fast water, tight casting.
Method
Short upstream dry-dropper to wild fish. The Estaubé is small intimate alpine water — short casts.
Kit
8 ft #3 — small alpine stream. Floating line, 9 to 12 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
  • Blue-winged oliveMost likely
    #16–18 · Dun
    Duns are up; a sherry spinner fall may follow.
  • Anglers curse mayfliesAlso possibleLower confidence
    #20–22 · Spinner
    Go tiny: 20-22 spent spinner, single fly, long tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · August 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
Alpine RhithrogenaHatch
2
3
3
2
Sculpin / Baitfish (Rivers)Hatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

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

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits
  • Many parcours are fly-only and catch-and-release.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gave d'Aspe
15 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Pyrenean Ibones (high-mountain lakes)
15 km
Brown trout
Gave d'Ossau
19 km
Brown trout
Aragón Subordán
29 km
Brown trout
Adour
30 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A mountain stream flowing through a rocky Pyrenean valley below a limestone cliff, crossed by a small footbridge
    The Gave d'Estaube below the cirque, Gedre
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

High mountain gave from source to Lac des Gloriettes, tumbling through ~5 km of protected no-kill stretch — the longest in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Fly-only, barbless regulation protects pristine conditions. Wild brown trout in alpine freestone. Spectacular granite terrain with technical pocket-water fishing. Short season driven by snowmelt. This is backcountry water for those seeking wilderness and wild fish.

Hatches & food

In the Pyrenean gaves and headwater torrents, resident brown trout move from early-season olives and March browns into strong spring and early-summer stonefly activity, then a long spell of evening caddis and small buzzers, with terrestrials most relevant on wooded lower gaves and much less important high above the tree line.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · FRFRR404_2

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 77 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Conditions total= 77
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
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