Chalk · Normandy / Seine-Maritime (Coastal chalk stream), FR

Saâne

SaâneBivilleLaRivière

Normandy chalk stream with rich character — clear, spring-fed, home to wild brown trout and grayling that have had generations to become sophisticated.

Today · A side-water session, not the main event
Pink Shrimp
Forecast · Today
A side-water session, not the main event
A patient day. Fish the cover and stay with it.
55% projected
Today's fly
Pink Shrimp
Pink Shrimp
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.09 m
Water temp15.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindN 19 km/h
Pressure1025 hPa
Rain · recent7.4 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Grayling
Warm — slow
15°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Autumn through November prime.
Where
Faster runs in the middle and lower stretches.
Method
Euro-nymphing through the deeper pockets is the daily default; switch to dries on autumn afternoons when sedges and small olives come off. Long fine tippet for the clear water.
Kit
10 ft #3 nymphing rod for the deep pockets; 9 ft #4 for dries. 4 to 5 lb fluoro tippet, 12 ft leader.
Why this works
Water at 17.6°C — above the grayling caution line (17°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 3pm

12pm(now) — Black Gnat

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 46%
Also:Small Dark Olive30%
Peak emergence window7 food groups active

Peak activity at 3pm — Small Dark Olive (Small Dark Olive, 12 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

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

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
1
Grayling seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small SpurwingHatch
2
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Grayling 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.

Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season · matches water height
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 Grayling . These are likely cooler.
Arques
24 km
~15°C
Brown trout · Grayling · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. SaâneBivilleLaRivière
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Normandy chalk stream with rich character — clear, spring-fed, home to wild brown trout and grayling that have had generations to become sophisticated. Selective water demanding small, precise presentations. Classic mayfly, olive, and sedge hatches (April–June best). Grayling winter fishing effective. Stable temperature from chalk geology. Some beats private; public access available. Check AAPPMA.

Hatches & food

In chalk-spring and karst trout systems, generally stable temperatures broaden olive and other mayfly activity from early spring into autumn, with strong evening caddis, steady subsurface scuds and buzzers where clear groundwater and weedbeds develop, and terrestrials from meadow and woodland banks rounding out the food calendar, depending on how fast each river drops and clears after rain.

  • Chalk
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · FRHR169

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 80%
How the 12 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature6 × 28%1.7
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time90 × 13%11.7
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity69 × 12%8.3
Limiting factor: Water temperature (17.6°C) is outside Grayling's preferred range (4–14°C)= 60
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 4–14 °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 → 31 December

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 2nd category waters, grayling remains open until 31 December. Departmental regulations may impose earlier closing dates. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

Related guides
Chalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsGrayling Playbookgrayling tacticsPyrenees PlaybookFrench rivers
Booking & contacts