The gorge section between Tuttlingen and Sigmaringen is genuinely spectacular. Dry fly and nymphing on classic European limestone water—one of southern Germany's finest grayling rivers.
- Limestone
Rules at a glance
- Licence required
Water temperature for Grayling
Cool — slow4°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today. Grayling feeds actively in cold water — peak winter sport.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day
Hatch predictions
Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.
Start free trial14-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
2
2
2
1
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Ranked for today
Grayling fly box
Southern Germany only. Trout and grayling in Bavarian meadow streams, alpine creeks and famous upper-river systems.
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
- Upper Danube source
- Fischereischein + Erlaubnisschein required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Gallery · 2
Terrain map
About this water
Water quality (WFD)
- Ecology: Moderate
- Chemical: Unknown
WFD classification · DERW_DEBW_6-02
The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 70%
How the 76 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature89 × 28%24.9
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity23 × 12%2.8
Conditions total= 74
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
Seasons & zones
- Trout 1 March → 30 September
- Grayling 1 May → 31 December
Upper Danube access spans Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, with much of the classic gorge context (Tuttlingen–Sigmaringen) in Baden-Württemberg. Grayling rules must be checked against the exact Bundesland and fishery permit; do not apply the Bavaria default blindly. Individual fishery/Hegering or club rules may impose stricter limits or shorter access.
Season dates are set at state or regional level — confirm the local rules.
Prime sport 1 August → 30 November
Related guides
Booking & contacts
Upper Danube (Obere Donau)
The young Danube flows through the Swabian Jura limestone gorge—excellent grayling and brown trout in clear, alkaline water.
Water temperature for Grayling
Cool — slow4°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today. Grayling feeds actively in cold water — peak winter sport.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day
Hatch predictions
Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.
Start free trial14-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
2
2
2
1
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Ranked for today
Grayling fly box
Southern Germany only. Trout and grayling in Bavarian meadow streams, alpine creeks and famous upper-river systems.
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
- Upper Danube source
- Fischereischein + Erlaubnisschein required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Gallery · 2
Terrain map
About this water
The gorge section between Tuttlingen and Sigmaringen is genuinely spectacular. Dry fly and nymphing on classic European limestone water—one of southern Germany's finest grayling rivers.
- Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
- Ecology: Moderate
- Chemical: Unknown
WFD classification · DERW_DEBW_6-02
The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 70%
How the 76 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature89 × 28%24.9
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity23 × 12%2.8
Conditions total= 74
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
Seasons & zones
- Trout 1 March → 30 September
- Grayling 1 May → 31 December
Upper Danube access spans Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, with much of the classic gorge context (Tuttlingen–Sigmaringen) in Baden-Württemberg. Grayling rules must be checked against the exact Bundesland and fishery permit; do not apply the Bavaria default blindly. Individual fishery/Hegering or club rules may impose stricter limits or shorter access.
Season dates are set at state or regional level — confirm the local rules.
Prime sport 1 August → 30 November
Related guides
Booking & contacts
At a glance
Upper Danube (Obere Donau) is a limestone river in Baden-Württemberg / Bavaria, Germany. Its recorded elevation is about 847 m above sea level and the catchment geology is limestone. The river is described as roughly 120 km long. Our data lists brown trout and grayling here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 September. The grayling season is recorded as running from 1 May to 31 December. Best window recorded for anglers: April–September. Core methods listed: nymph; dry fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Wutach at 48 km, Gutach at 55 km and Nagold at 55 km.