Freestone · Mixed · Northern California, US

South Fork American River

South Fork American River venue image

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
Zebra Midge
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
Zebra Midge
Zebra Midge
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp15.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1015 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
16°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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Reed Smut

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 85%
Also:Trico52%Flying Ants40%
Peak emergence window7 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Reed Smut (Reed Smut, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

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

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
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
Rainbow trout
North Fork American River
29 km
79
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower American River
33 km
Rainbow trout
Rubicon River
36 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower Yuba River
57 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 1
  1. 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 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 83
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