Freestone · Mixed · Northern California, US

South Fork American River

A view of the south fork of the American River at Coloma in El Dorado County, California LCCN2013631014

The big rafting river through the gold-country canyon at Coloma, which means summer days here belong to the boats and the fishing belongs to the early morning and the cooler edges of the year.

Tomorrow · About as good as it gets
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
75% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp15.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather22°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowQuiet day

12pm(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 16%

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

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
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW general trout season; some reaches open all year — verify
  • Summer flows are shaped by upstream releases and rafting demand.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Middle Fork American River
14 km
80
Rainbow trout
North Fork American River
29 km
79
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower American River
33 km
77
Rainbow trout
Rubicon River
41 km
79
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower Yuba River
57 km
80
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A view of the south fork of the American River at Coloma in El Dorado County, California LCCN2013631014
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The big rafting river through the gold-country canyon at Coloma, which means summer days here belong to the boats and the fishing belongs to the early morning and the cooler edges of the year. It's a freestone with some hydro influence up top, holding wild rainbows in the pocket water and tailouts. Once the runoff drops out you can fish a dry-dropper or swing soft-hackles, and the trout will look up for caddis and attractors. In high summer it warms, so do your fishing early and dodge both the heat and the flotilla.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'American River, South Fork (below Slab Creek Reservoir to Folsom Lake)' (CAR5143206020060808153403), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5143206020060808153403

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Last Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts