Karst · Limestone · Jura-edge / Ain (Bugey), FR

Albarine

Photo of Albarine
Marginal · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-20
New ruleReported 20 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

A préfectoral drought order places this catchment's surface water at crise, the highest of France's four restriction tiers. Fishing itself is not named in the order, but flows are low and water-use restrictions are in force. Zone: Rivières du Bugey (dépt 01).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37846

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.86 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityVery colouredClearing
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-20
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.86 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather13°C
WindN 9 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent61.7 mm
Rain · ahead0.6 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
18.7°Cideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives April through May; sedges through summer; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Karst water through the Bugey hills. Pool tails and the cushion behind boulders. The Albarine is intimate — short casts pay.
Method
Upstream dry to spotted rising fish; long fine leader. The water reads clear — careful approach matters more than fly choice. Move slowly upstream, cast accurately, accept the result.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French karst-stream default. Floating line, 14 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Polarising glasses non-negotiable.
Why this works
Water at 18.7°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
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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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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 · August 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
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small SpurwingHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small Dark OliveHatch
2
3
3
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.
  • Eau non réciprocitaire — cartes journalières ou annuelles spécifiques requises
  • Non couverte par la réciprocité standard de la carte de pêche.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 2
Water here at 18.7°C — the fishing's alive, but these are cooler if you'd rather rest the warm water.
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Albarine
    Albarine — image via Wikipedia (Albarine)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR486

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 30 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature29 × 28%8.1
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity15 × 18%2.7
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity43 × 12%5.2
Limiting factor: Water is very coloured — too coloured for Brown Trout= 46
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling 3rd Saturday of May31 December

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 2nd category waters, grayling remains open until 31 December. Departmental regulations may impose earlier closing dates. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

Related guides
Booking & contacts