Freestone · Limestone · Wallonia / Luxembourg Province, BE

Ourthe

Photo of Ourthe

Major Ardennes river flowing through La Roche-en-Ardenne and picturesque Durbuy.

Today · A proper day on the water
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
40% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.19 m
Lifting fast
Water temp5.3°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather2°C
WindN 14 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead17.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
5°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today. Grayling feeds actively in cold water — peak winter sport.
Likely species
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 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
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Grayling fly box

A proper Ardennes river-trout pack for Wallonia, centred on clear to lightly coloured rivers with trout and some classic fly-fishing culture.

Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Permis de pêche (Wallonia) / Visverlof (Flanders)
  • Foreign anglers can purchase a Walloon fishing permit (permis de pêche) online or at post offices without residency requirements
  • For Flemish waters, the visverlof is similarly available
  • No prior fishing exam required in either region.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Lesse
27 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Amblève
38 km
74
Brown trout · Grayling
Semois
44 km
72
Brown trout · Grayling
Warche
49 km
67
Brown trout · Grayling
Lake Robertville
55 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Ourthe
    Ourthe
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Limestone influence gives clearer water in sections and supports brown trout and grayling. Longer drifts and pools than the small spate streams—a river with character and scale. The lower Ourthe near Durbuy runs through scenery that rewards pausing between casts.

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

WFD classification · BERW06_OU06R

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 55%
How the 71 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time15 × 13%2.0
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity25 × 12%3.0
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 3rd Saturday of March → 30 September
  • Grayling 1 June → 28 February
Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Ourthe is a freestone river in Wallonia / Luxembourg Province, Belgium. The catchment geology is recorded as limestone, and the water sits at about 412 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 175 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout and grayling. The trout season is recorded as running from 3rd Saturday of March to 30 September. The grayling season is recorded as running from 1 June to 28 February. Best window recorded for anglers: trout: 3rd Saturday of March (Wallonia) – 30 September (Wallonia); grayling: 1 June (Wallonia) – 28 February (Wallonia). Core methods listed: Nymph fishing; Dry fly; Wet fly / soft hackle. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 2 gauges. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include Lesse at 27 km, Amblève at 38 km and Semois at 44 km.