Freestone · Granite · Normandy / Calvados

Orne

Orne terrain map
Terrain map

The Orne is the central Calvados river, running from its source near Sées through the Suisse Normande gorges to the sea at Ouistreham.

Species

A good day — worth the effort

Low and clear — careful approach country. Small and bright, long leader, careful approach.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for sea trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for sea trout
  • Temperature8828% weight
  • Flow6022% weight
  • Clarity8518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure857% weight
  • Prey Activity3012% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
7.6°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
11°C
Wind
SW 14 km/h
Gentle breeze
Pressure
1012 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
5.3 mm
Light rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for sea trout
When
Sea trout open in Calvados — 25 April to 25 October. Main run summer; rod catches have been miserable in recent years. Evening into night where AAPPMA night extension applies.
Where
Lower Orne pool tails through to the Caen tidal limit. Walk pools in daylight before fishing them at night.
Method
Across-and-down on a floating line with size 10 to 12 wets — Steer's Head, Stoat's Tail, soft-hackle emerger. Steady swing, never hurry. Carte de pêche with timbre migrateur required.
Kit
10 ft #6/7, floating line, 8 lb fluoro tippet. Spare leader on a wrist spool.
Why this works
Good conditions. Temperature is favourable (88), Prey activity is weakest (30). ⏰ Sea trout become most active after dark, but this stretch closes at 20:19 — before that window fully opens. Fish hard in the last legal hour: overcast skies and warm evenings can bring fish on early even in fading light.
Through the year
0–3 scale · May highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA Orne / Fédération Calvados
  • TAC quotas apply on salmon.
Directions
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About this water

The Orne is the central Calvados river, running from its source near Sées through the Suisse Normande gorges to the sea at Ouistreham. It is the classic mixed-species Normandy river: a weak but still extant Atlantic salmon run, reliable summer sea trout, and excellent wild brown trout through the middle and upper reaches. The Noireau, a major tributary, is gauged and provides a reliable proxy for conditions on the parent river. The salmon fishing is concentrated on the lower beats, particularly around Thury-Harcourt and the Suisse Normande gorges where the river slows through a series of deep, stone-walled pools. Spring fish run from March to June; fish them with floating line and long leader when the water is low, tubes when it carries colour. The sea trout fishing in the lower river is worth pursuing from late May through October, with night fishing the productive method during the summer peak. The upper trout water, above the Suisse Normande, is proper freestone fishing — granite pocket water, strong Baetis and caddis hatches, wild fish that respond to dry fly and nymph alike. Of the four Normandy salmon rivers in the Rise Daisy pack, the Orne offers the most variety across the season.

  • Granite
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon11 March → 31 July
  • Sea trout11 March → 31 October
  • Trout2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September

Salmon: Banned (2026) — Atlantic salmon fishing banned across the Seine-Normandie basin in 2026.

Sea trout: Open (2026) — Open in Calvados. Rod catches miserable (1 in 2024) but counter data (Feuguerolles-Bully: 440 sea trout 2024) shows genuine fish presence. Borderline but evidence-backed.

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