Freestone · Mixed · Northern California, US

North Fork American River

North Fork American River

A rugged Sierra foothill Wild Trout river: steep canyon water, pocket-water rainbows and browns, and a much more physical day than the easy-access tailwaters below.

Tomorrow · Not the day for it
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via South Fork American River
Water temp10.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather12°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from South Fork American River. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
11°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.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 9pm

12pm(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 43%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 9pm — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

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

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW Wild Trout designation; verify exact boundaries and rules before launch.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Middle Fork American River
18 km
Rainbow trout
South Fork American River
29 km
Rainbow trout
Lower Yuba River
37 km
Rainbow trout
Rubicon River
38 km
82
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
North Fork Yuba River
52 km
82
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. North Fork American River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A rugged Sierra foothill Wild Trout river: steep canyon water, pocket-water rainbows and browns, and a much more physical day than the easy-access tailwaters below. It carries California's official Wild Trout designation, on the same American River system as the easier tailwaters below.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'American River, North Fork' (CAR5145501020020610125753), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. 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) · CAR5145501020020610125753

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity67 × 12%8.0
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via South Fork American Riverproxy
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Last Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts