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.
Prime · Brown Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14-16
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: Usses (dépt 74).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37745

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Ain
  • Water temp11.6°C
  • ClarityClearingClearing
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 temp11.6°C
ClarityClearing
Weather11°C
WindW 5 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent35.8 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 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
12°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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 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)

Hatch predictions

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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
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
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
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
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyModerate
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR541A

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity75 × 18%13.5
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 80
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
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September
Related guides
Booking & contacts