Freestone · Granite · Normandy / Calvados (lower Normandy freestone), FR

Noireau

Noireau terrain map
Poor · Brown Trout
Spent Spinner · 16-20
Temporary closureReported 13 Aug 2026

Fishing banned on category-1 (salmonid) water — arrêté sécheresse

Préfectoral drought order n°37566 puts the Secteur Bessin - ESU (dépt 14) surface-water zone at severe (crise) and restricts angling itself — "nterdit sur les cours d’eau de première catégorie piscicole". The order runs to 2026-10-31; read it before travelling.

Arrêté préfectoral n°37566

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. This is not the day to push it. Check the thermal advice above before you head out.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.21 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp20.1°C
  • ClarityUnfishableColouring up
Today's fly
Spent Spinner
Spent Spinner16-20
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.21 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp20.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather22°C
WindW 29 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent49.7 mm
Rain · ahead9.3 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
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 1016°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
Water at 20.1°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour 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
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 20°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRHR302

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature12 × 28%3.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity0 × 18%0.0
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity53 × 12%6.4
Limiting factor: Water is unfishable — too coloured for Brown Trout= 42
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
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
Related guides
Booking & contacts