Freestone · Granite · Normandy / Calvados (lower Normandy freestone), FR

Noireau

FranceNormandieCahanLesPlanchesLeNoireau

Normandy stream with mixed geology — chalk influence in lower reaches, granite further up.

Poor · Brown Trout
Parachute Adams · 14-16
New ruleReported 17 Sept 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

VigiEau lists this venue's surface-water zone (ORNE MOYENNE, dépt 61) 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°38113 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.09 mLast reading 13h ago
  • Water temp16.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams14-16
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.09 m
Last reading 13h ago
Water temp16.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindSE 14 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent36.1 mm
Rain · ahead2.5 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
17°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
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 2pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

Classic French chalkstream fishing. Gin-clear, weed-rich, slow to moderate flow. Dry fly and sight nymphing dominate. Stronger sedge hatches than English equivalents. French tradition favours flush-sitting dries (comparaduns, CDC patterns) and upstream presentation.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Rouvre
18 km
Brown trout · Sea trout
Pisciculture Les Sources d'Elle
40 km
Rainbow trout
Pisciculture Chanteraine- Occagnes
42 km
Rainbow trout
Pisciculture Les étangs du Val de Sée
43 km
Rainbow trout
Orne
46 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. FranceNormandieCahanLesPlanchesLeNoireau
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Normandy stream with mixed geology — chalk influence in lower reaches, granite further up. Wild brown trout. Pastoral water, intimate in places, more open in others. Fly-fishing on accessible beats. Spring (April–May) offers good dry-fly potential when insect activity aligns. Some sections may have restrictions; check AAPPMA before visiting.

Hatches & food

On Atlantic trout rivers in Normandy and Brittany, regional studies and on-the-bank experience point to spring mayflies as the main early driver, a strong band of spring and early-summer caddis as channels warm and open, background buzzer life ticking away right through the year, and terrestrials from wooded banks adding important surface food in summer and early autumn, with autumn olives extending sport wherever trout-season rules allow.

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

WFD classification · FRHR302

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature70 × 28%19.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 72
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
Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts