Fly Fishing Spain – Pyrenees Mountains
Fly fishing in the Pyrenees is for those who are looking for something different. Surrounded by wild, unspoilt countryside, the whole day can be spent without even seeing another angler. Rather than fishing for enormous fish with a sinking line; you will experience the heady sensation of actively and continuously sight-fishing for wild brown, rainbow and brook trout.
Fly fishing on these waters in the right season and at the right spot, is one of the most exciting, challenging and enjoyable experiences for the subtle fisherman. The rivers and the habits of the trout in them are perfect for dry-fly lovers: each beat, pool or lake provides a different challenge for this style of fishing which offers the best results over other techniques.
In these superb surroundings we invite you to discover one of the most exclusive dry-fly fishing destinations for salmonids in Europe due to the excellent quality of the waters and the elusive character of the trout they hold.
Aragonese Pyrenees
The word “Aragon” comes from a language older than Celtic (13th Century B.C.) meaning “region of water courses”. This gives the visitor an idea of the region’s ancient, close ties with the waters of the Pyrenees. Thousand-year old traditions, a product of this region’s long history, have created a rich cultural heritage set in an extraordinary variety of landscapes. The total population of the region is around 1 million inhabitants, some 650,000 of which live in the capital city, Zaragoza (which holds the 2008 Expo) This means that the overall density of population in Aragon is very low. In the mountainous northern province of the region, Huesca there are only some 20 inhabitants per square mile. This means there are extensive areas of wild, unspoilt countryside cut by rivers and streams and dotted by lakes and tarns for you to enjoy.
The River Ebro and its tributaries form the main river system of Northern Spain. The rivers of the Aragonese Pyrenees alone constitute more than 50% of this system. Additionally this region, the central section of the Pyrenees, is home to most of the sub-systems, valleys and 3000- metre peaks.
There are the famous rivers fished by Hemingway when he was attending the Sanfermines bullfighting fiestas in the 20’s and again in the late 50’s. With over 800 miles of water courses to choose from, there is every possible combination of fishing condition to experience but in general these medium-sized rivers have distinct characteristics.
Hidden in the high mountains (2000 metres and above), there are a large number of Ibons (a high-mountain lake of glacial origin) These lakes are normally only accessible by trekking on foot for between 2 and 6 hours.
Insects hatch in abundance from April to September and the variety of species is enormous due to the high quality of the water. Insects include all the regulars such as caddis, stonefly and many mayfly variations. For dry-fly fishing on rivers we suggest rods be 8 to 9 feet and of between 3 to 4 in gauge. Floating line. 8 to 10 foot trailers with a final tippet of 5X to 7X. For lake fishing we recommend a 9’ or 9’ 6” rod of between 5 to 6 in gauge, floating WF line, 10 to 12 foot trailers and
a taper of 2X to 5X.
The Aragonese Pyrenees has many protected natural areas covering approximately 8% of the region. There are also 200,000 hectares of hunting grounds. There are many species of wild animals, reptiles and birds in the Pyrenees – from brown bears to fire salamanders. Egyptian, griffon and bearded vulture, golden eagle, dipper, capercailles, wild boar, sarrio (similar to chamois), mountain goat, eagle owl and red squirrel are all frequent sights to accompany a day’s fishing. There is also the possibility of spotting the elusive Pyrenean desman in the higher mountain streams.
A lifetime experience fly fishing for native trout on rivers and lakes set amongst wild and unspoilt landscapes… defines flyfishingin the Spanish Pyrenees with your hosts SALVELINUS.
