Freestone · Granite · Aveyron / Lozère, FR

Lot (Upper)

Lot (Upper) — Mende: le pont Notre-Dame sur le Lot (XIIème siècle)

The upper Lot rises on the Aubrac plateau and works its way south-west through rolling granite country before the broader river takes over below Entraygues.

Poor · Grayling
Pink Grayling Bug · Hook 16
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.18 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp8.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pink Grayling Bug
Pink Grayling BugHook 16
in season · all-rounder
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.18 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp8.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather3°C
WindE 16 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent4.3 mm
Rain · ahead15.5 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
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.
Likely species
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 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 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

More balanced than the mountain-river pack. French nymphing still matters, but there is more room for dries, spiders and general searching flies.

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
Gallery · 2
  1. Lot (Upper) — Mende: le pont Notre-Dame sur le Lot (XIIème siècle)
    Mende: le pont Notre-Dame sur le Lot (XIIème siècle)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The headwater and upper-middle sections are proper freestone trout water: wild brown trout and grayling in clear runs between riffles and pocket water, good olive and caddis hatches, and enough quiet to make the fishing feel like its own reward. The Aubrac gives it a particular character — cold water off the high ground, responsive flow after the frequent plateau storms, and a short snowmelt bump that shapes the early season. Standard upstream dry-fly work in the slower glides, tight-line nymphing in the faster runs. From about May onwards the fishing is consistent through to September, with the grayling extending the season into October in the deeper pools.

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

WFD classification · FRFR127

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 Time15 × 13%2.0
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity35 × 12%4.2
Conditions total= 73
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

Lot (Upper) is a freestone river in Aveyron / Lozère, France. Its recorded elevation is about 422 m above sea level and the catchment geology is granite. The river is described as roughly 80 km long. Our data lists brown trout and grayling here. 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: Nymphing; dry fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Access is recorded as day tickets through the local AAPPMA (angling association).