Karst · Limestone · Jura, FR

Loue

Photo of Loue
Prime · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-20
New ruleReported 10 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: Plateau calcaire (dépt 39).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37667

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River dropping into shape after a lift. The kind of afternoon you remember — a weighted nymph through the clearing seams, the dry as it settles.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.40 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp11.8°C
  • ClarityClearClearing
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-20
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.40 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp11.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindS 10 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent18.6 mm
Rain · ahead1.8 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
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season — opens 2nd Saturday of March; spring olives and grannom; March Brown into May; éphémère (Mayfly, E. danica) on warm late-May days; sedges through summer evenings; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Limestone karst water through the Loue valley below Ouhans. Pool tails, weeded glides, ranunculus runs, the cushion behind the chalk-bed boulders.
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 on heavier rigs, dropping to 5X or 6X tippet on the technical pools. Polarising glasses non-negotiable.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-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 · 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
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.
  • Cartes de pêche AAPPMA
  • Rivière française célèbre pour la pêche à la nymphe de compétition.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Loue
    Loue
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyModerate
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR1653

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 81 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 activity63 × 12%7.6
Conditions total= 81
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 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling 3rd Saturday of May3rd 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.

  • Coarse 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September

    Chub has no national closed season of its own in France — on a 1st-category (salmonid) reach like this, ALL fishing (any species, any method) is prohibited outside the water's own open season (Code de l'environnement Art. R436-6), so chub simply inherits the trout/grayling season rather than following a separate coarse-fish law.

Related guides
Booking & contacts