Freestone · Mixed · Northern California

Middle Fork American River

Middle Fork American River venue image

A steep, gorgeous canyon freestone that drops toward Auburn, with hydro plumbing up top that nudges the flows around — so it's worth a look before you commit to the long walk in.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp22.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp22.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather26°C
WindSW 9 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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.
Why this works
Water at 22.6°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

See the full hour-by-hour hatch timeline with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 23°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A steep, gorgeous canyon freestone that drops toward Auburn, with hydro plumbing up top that nudges the flows around — so it's worth a look before you commit to the long walk in. The wild rainbows hold in the pocket water and the green tailouts, and once the spring melt clears out the river fishes beautifully to a dry-dropper. This is rugged, scrambling country, the kind of place where you earn your trout with your legs as much as your casting. Go in the cool seasons and after the runoff has settled.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'American River, Middle Fork' (CAR5144201020020610125450), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5144201020020610125450

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 10 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature5 × 28%1.4
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.6°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 53
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • TroutLast Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts