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.

Today · Closed season
Coch-y-bonddu
New ruleReported 19 Sept 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

VigiEau lists this venue's surface-water zone (Le Célé, dépt 46) at crise, under an official préfectoral drought arrêté. Fishing is not itself banned by it, but water levels are low — go gently on stressed fish.

Arrêté préfectoral n°38124 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
80% projected
Today's fly
Coch-y-bonddu
Coch-y-bonddu
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.06 m
Lifting fast
Water temp18.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather21°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead1.3 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 39%
Also:Daddy Long Legs23%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost6 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Heather Fly (Heather Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 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 · September 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
Brown Trout 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.

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 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. 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 Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature54 × 28%15.1
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 69
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
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
Booking & contacts