Freestone · Granite · Vosges / Vosges (88) (Plaine valley), FR

Plaine

Plaine terrain map

The Plaine flows through Vosges foothills where strict regulation protects wild trout and grayling.

Today · Closed season
Coch-y-bonddu
New ruleReported 12 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

VigiEau lists this venue's surface-water zone (Moselle amont et Meurthe - eaux superficielles, dépt 54) 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°37680 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Coch-y-bonddu
Coch-y-bonddu
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.57 m
Lifting fast
Water temp17.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather20°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead9.4 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
18°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives April through May; sedges through summer evenings.
Where
Pool tails and pocket water through the Vosges valley. Small intimate freestone water.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; dry-dropper through the riffles. The water reads clear — long leader, fine tippet. Move slowly, cast accurately.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French freestone default. Floating line, 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
Water at 18°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Likely species
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 33%
Also:Reed Smut25%Cinnamon Sedge23%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost7 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Evening Sedge (Evening Sedge, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 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
Grayling seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1
Autumn OliveHatch
1
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

More balanced than the mountain-river pack. French nymphing still matters, but there is more room for dries, spiders and general searching flies.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 18°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Domaine de Champs sur l'Eau
46 km
~17°C
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Char
About this water

The Plaine flows through Vosges foothills where strict regulation protects wild trout and grayling. Fly-only beats with no-kill and barbless-hook requirements on designated sections. Granitic freestone with responsive Baetis and caddis. Local-strain wild trout are the prize and responsibility. Spring through early autumn. Verify Vosges AAPPMA rules before visiting.

Hatches & food

In Vosges granite catchments, trout in cool freestone streams feed on early and spring olives once levels settle after winter, daytime stoneflies over clean, stony runs, a broad band of evening caddis supported by rich bug life in the region, steady small buzzer activity on mild days, and terrestrials strongest where the river is hemmed in by forest.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Moderate → Good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRCR295 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRCR295

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature42 × 28%11.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity71 × 12%8.5
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
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling 3rd Saturday of May → 3rd Sunday of September

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 1st category (salmonid) rivers, grayling closes with the trout season on the 3rd Sunday of September. Departmental regulations may impose additional restrictions. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsPyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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