Freestone · Mixed · Northern California, US

Middle Fork American River

Middle Fork American River at Sliger Mine

A steep, gorgeous canyon freestone that drops toward Auburn, with hydro plumbing up top that nudges the flows around — so it's worth a look before you commit to the long walk in.

Prime · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 16–20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia South Fork American River
  • Water temp13.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16–20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via South Fork American River
Water temp13.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindNW 15 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.9 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from South Fork American River. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2–6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
South Fork American River
14 km
81
Rainbow trout
North Fork American River
18 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower American River
38 km
81
Rainbow trout
Rubicon River
43 km
77
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower Yuba River
44 km
82
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Middle Fork American River at Sliger Mine
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A steep, gorgeous canyon freestone that drops toward Auburn, with hydro plumbing up top that nudges the flows around — so it's worth a look before you commit to the long walk in. The wild rainbows hold in the pocket water and the green tailouts, and once the spring melt clears out the river fishes beautifully to a dry-dropper. This is rugged, scrambling country, the kind of place where you earn your trout with your legs as much as your casting. Go in the cool seasons and after the runoff has settled.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'American River, Middle Fork' (CAR5144201020020610125450), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5144201020020610125450

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity61 × 12%7.3
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via South Fork American Riverproxy
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Last Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts