Spate · Granite · South Bohemia / Šumava

Upper Vltava (Šumava)

Upper Vltava (Šumava) terrain map
Terrain map

The Vltava rising in the Šumava holds wild brown trout in peaty mountain water.

Fair · Brown Trout
Czech Nymph · 10-14
Fairlive now
A side-water session, not the main event
Low and clear — careful approach country. Long leader, small flies, slower casts.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.44 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp16.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph10-14
Euro-nymph
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.44 m
lowspate
Water temp16.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindNE 3 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent7.3 mm
Rain · ahead23.4 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for brown trout
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for brown 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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • State licence + local permit
  • Fly-only on many beats
  • Brown trout protected Sep 1–Apr 15.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
Teplá Vltava (Upper Vltava / Warm Vltava)
9.0 km
68
Brown trout · Grayling
Vydra / Křemelná
22 km
37
Brown trout
Otava 6 (Private Trophy Section)
27 km
30
Brown trout
Otava
22 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Lipno Reservoir
48 km
Rainbow trout · Pike · Perch
About this water

The Vltava rising in the Šumava holds wild brown trout in peaty mountain water. More intimate than the lower regulated sections, quick to respond to rain with good stonefly and caddis hatches. Note: the Teplá Vltava (Warm Vltava) is the separate upper branch famous for autumn grayling — see that entry for the grayling story.

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

WFD classification · CZHVL_0010

The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 75%
How the 64 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature86 × 28%24.1
Flow40 × 22%8.8
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity26 × 12%3.1
Conditions total= 64
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout16 April → 31 August
  • Grayling16 June → 30 November
Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts