Fishing the Orbe River, Vallorbe

Trout-aplenty in this majestic and beautiful river.

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Vallorbe is nestled in a valley deep within the Jura mountain range, right along the franco-swiss border. Ever since roman times, people have inhabited the banks of Vallorbe's river - the Orbe.

The Orbe is a slow-flowing river that spews out of the mountain face at the "Grottes de Vallorbe", and runs down towards the Lac de Neuchâtel. On its path, it moulds the mountain into a spectacular gorge, and channels its way across rolling hills and through gentle forests.

But above all other interests, the Orbe is particularly attractive to those prospecting for trout. On the 11th of July, the Fishing Exploration team rode the train into Vallorbe and walked down towards the Orbe river - fishing gear ready and minds full of hope. What we saw at first stunned us. In a slow flowing pool we saw dozens of small mountain trout resting near the water surface, gobbling at anything that fell their way.

​A few casts in, and we had already caught a respectable number of fish. Alongside a wonderful hike up to the "Grottes de Vallorbe", we spent a truly enjoyable day fishing in beautiful surroundings. The number of fish sighted exceed 70+, and although we started off well, the numbers caught declined into the afternoon as the temperatures rose to unbearable levels.

Key fishing information:

• A permit is required for the day, costing 20CHF and available from the tourist office in Vallorbe.
• The river section from the Grottes to the town centre is the section with the slowest-flowing water.
• The gorges are found in the section of the river below the town centre.
• Depending on conditions, downstream wets technique with any type of gold-headed nymph works fantastically, and upstream dry-fly techniques with "parachute adams" flies can work well if there is a rise.
• Beware your approach as the fish are very easily spooked, and keep a close eye on your possessions as we had a bag stolen during our trip.
• Grayling can be caught on the river, but are found almost exclusively in the deeper pools.
• Catch and Release fishing is unauthorised in Switzerland, apart from for fish that are smaller than the minimum size limit. Enquire with the Tourist office for size limits as these change.
• See our page on the Vallorbe for more information.