SPAIN

Spain is a country of wonderful contrasts that offers excellent opportunities to combine fly fishing with tourism and sight seeing. It is the combination of interesting and varied fly fishing options with stunning scenery, amazing historical sites and monuments everywhere you look, fantastic food and wine and warm and hospitable people that make Spain a very unique destination for the fly fishing traveller. After all what could be better than mixing pleasure with pleasure? As part of our booking services, PescaTravel will set you up to fly fish Spain’s best trout rivers with the finest fly fishing guides available providing gear, licenses and permits, along with taking care of any lodging and transportation or other travel needs you might have.

Our fly fishing trout outings primarily target native brown trout. Two subspecies of brown trout are native to Spain, the Atlantic strain which inhabits rivers on the northern coast of Spain, tributaries of the Duero and the Mediterranean strain.  The so called “Spanish zebra trout” are of the Mediterrranean strain. These Mediterranean brown trout were dubbed zebra trout because of the characteristic vertical dark bands that often appear on their sides as camouflage. PescaTravel arranges guided fly fishing outings to catch zebra trout in the Eastern Pyrenees from Aragon into Catalonia and Andorra. While our guided outings to rivers in León, Palencia, the northern coast and many of the rivers in central plateau will target native Atlantic strains of brown trout. Although in many of the high mountain rivers average sizes for trout will be under 10 inches, the implementation of catch and release trout fishing most rivers has had a very positive impact on the numbers and sizes of trout caught in rivers thorughout Spain. Clients  of some of our guides specialized in large trout will regularily catch fish in the 5lb plus range.

If you would like to try something a little different and exciting, Spain also offers wonderful fly fishing for barbels and carp. Because of their blazing runs and surprising strength barbels are often called fresh water bone fish. The two main species of barbel native to Spain are the common bocagei barbel and the comizo or Andalusian barbel. Both provide excellent sport for fly fishermen and depending on water conditions can be caught on dry flies, nymphs or sometimes even streamers in the rivers and lakes of Spain. Additional we will often find common carp or sometimes mirror carp in the same waters.  Either species can grow quite large, but fish in the one to two kilo range are great sport on a light fly rod.

All PescaTravel guided outings are with expert local fly fishing guides, some of whom have competed on the Spanish national fly fishing team and most of whom speak English. If you are interested in fishing with and learning from the best of the best, our Master Guide Service will pair you with fly fishing world champions, David Arcay in Galicia,  Pablo Castro or David Garcia Ferreras in León, to fish their home rivers. If you are interested in learning some of the tricks and techniques that the masters of competitive fly fishing use this is your chance.  A day on the river with one of these champions is sure to make you a better fly fisherman. Should you need help arranging flight or train reservations or other travel services, our partner agency, PressTour Viajes is a full service travel agency and will provide for all of your additional travel needs. We take the fuss and hassle out of making your fishing trip happen.

Depending on the destination, we can arrange for lodging in anything from a small rural hotel or farm lodging to a 4 or 5 star hotel in the city. One of our favorite package combinations includes stays at national Paradores, a chain of hotels usually set in iconic historic builidings and castles in spectacular sites throughout Spain. These include the Parador de San Marcos on the banks of the Bernesga River in León, the Parador de Cangás de Onis next to the Sella River in Asturias or the Parador de Gredos near the head waters of the Tormes River in Avila. Programs may include gourmet dining at the much lauded Parador restaurants.