Freestone · Limestone · Pyrénées-Atlantiques / Vallée d'Aspe, FR

Gave d'Aspe

Photo of Gave d'Aspe
Good · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-18
New ruleReported 7 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (alerte renforcée) in force

A préfectoral drought order places this catchment's surface water at alerte renforcée, the second-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: Bassin du Gave d'Oloron (dépt 64).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37628 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Flow1.9 m³/s
  • Water temp9.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-18
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Flow
Steady
1.9 m³/s
Water temp9.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindS 8 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Late spring through autumn — Aspe valley is high mountain water that fishes best once the snowmelt has dropped.
Where
Pool tails and pocket water through the Aspe valley. High alpine character — clear water, fast pockets, careful approach.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; nymph the deeper pockets between hatches. The Aspe is intimate — short casts and quiet wading.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French freestone default. Floating line, 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 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 4 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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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
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
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Carte de pêche AAPPMA
  • Remise à l'eau encouragée sur les parcours.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gave d'Ossau
10 km
Brown trout
Gave d'Estaubé
15 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Adour
15 km
37
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gave d'Oloron
18 km
Brown trout
Gave de Pau
24 km
Brown trout · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Gave d'Aspe
    Gave d'Aspe
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: High
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Good → High corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRFR441 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRFR441

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 78 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature82 × 28%23.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 78
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
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling 3rd Saturday of May → 3rd Sunday of September

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 1st category (salmonid) rivers, grayling closes with the trout season on the 3rd Sunday of September. Departmental regulations may impose additional restrictions. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsPyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts