Freestone · Granite · Massif Central / Puy-de-Dôme, FR

Sioule

A wooded river gorge with a stone bridge crossing the Sioule river, Puy-de-Dôme, France.

The Sioule flows through volcanic Auvergne terrain where basalt and granite create a river of character — clear, responsive to rainfall, with strong populations of wild brown trout and grayling.

Today · Closed season
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Flow
Rising
5.3 m³/s
Lifting fast
Water temp8.6°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather8°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent1.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.7 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
9°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Autumn through November prime — the Sioule is one of France's premier grayling rivers. Cold midday days bring fish up.
Where
Faster gravel runs and the heads of riffles through the middle and lower river. Deeper glide tails as autumn cold pushes fish deeper.
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.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Autumn Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 20%

Peak activity at 12pm — Autumn Olive

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

Start free trial

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 · 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
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
Grayling fly box

French nymph-first water. Fast current, technical presentation, weighted nymphs and emergers, with dry flies when fish rise.

Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits
  • Auvergne regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Pisciculture Bône
24 km
Rainbow trout
Cher (Upper Trout Reach)
31 km
Brown trout
Miouze
39 km
Brown trout
Fontsalade
40 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Petit Sioulet
40 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A wooded river gorge with a stone bridge crossing the Sioule river, Puy-de-Dôme, France.
    Gorges de la Sioule, Puy-de-Dôme
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Excellent Baetis, caddis, and stonefly hatches. Multiple tributaries offer variety. Freestone fishing: fast water, pocket trout, responsive to insect activity. Spring through early summer best. Check AAPPMA.

Hatches & food

In freestone rivers of the Massif Central, resident brown trout feed through a spring build-up of olives and stoneflies into a long summer of caddis and small buzzers, with terrestrials becoming important from early summer; higher volcanic plateaux and colder headwaters tend to run later than the lower freestones.

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

WFD classification · FRGR1338

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 60%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity45 × 18%8.1
Feeding Time25 × 13%3.3
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Conditions total= 63
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 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
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Sioule is a freestone river in Massif Central / Puy-de-Dôme, France. The catchment geology is recorded as granite, and the water sits at about 401 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 160 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout and grayling. The trout season is recorded as running from 2nd Saturday of March to 3rd Sunday of September. The grayling season is recorded as running from 3rd Saturday of May to 3rd Sunday of September. Best window recorded for anglers: March–September. Core methods listed: Euro nymphing; dry fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Access is recorded as day tickets through the local AAPPMA (angling association). Nearby waters in our listings include Pisciculture Bône at 24 km, Cher (Upper Trout Reach) at 31 km and Miouze at 39 km.