Freestone · Limestone · Haute-Savoie, FR

Usses

A clear forest stream, the Usses river, flowing over rocks between snow-covered trees near Cruseilles, Haute-Savoie, France.

The Usses runs in limestone gorges through the Albanais country south of Annecy — one of those rivers that belongs to its landscape so completely you can't imagine it anywhere else.

Poor · Brown Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14–16
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Ain
  • Water temp10.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph14–16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Ain
Water temp10.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather1°C
WindNE 6 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent27.1 mm
Rain · ahead13.9 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Ain. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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
Alpine RhithrogenaHatch
2
3
3
2
Sculpin / Baitfish (Rivers)Hatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Late March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

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

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Fier
15 km
0
Brown trout
Fillière
16 km
0
Brown trout
Valserine
25 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling
Lac d'Annecy
23 km
Brown trout · Char
Lac du Bourget
31 km
Brown trout · Char
Gallery · 2
  1. A clear forest stream, the Usses river, flowing over rocks between snow-covered trees near Cruseilles, Haute-Savoie, France.
    Les Usses @ Champ Beau Fond @ Cruseilles
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

It fishes as varied as it looks: short pools, pocket water, gravel runs, the occasional slow glide under overhanging oak. Wild brown trout throughout, reasonable hatches of olives and caddis, and pocket water that rewards a nymph bounced through the seams. The gorges make some sections a commitment — you'll be scrambling in and scrambling out — but that's what keeps them quiet. Spring and early summer are the prime window. By August you'll be fishing the faster pockets where the oxygen holds up and the fish are willing to work for the food.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · FRDR541A

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Ainproxy
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
Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Annecyfeatured in this guidePyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Usses is a freestone river in Haute-Savoie, France. The catchment geology is recorded as limestone, and the water sits at about 343 m above sea level. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 2nd Saturday of March to 3rd Sunday of September. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Fier at 15 km, Fillière at 16 km and Lac d'Annecy at 23 km.