The Pyrenees offer a multitude of possibilities for fly fishing in Spain. Spain offers wild trout, remote wilderness experiences, and beautiful scenery.
Spain is one of the top European destinations for fly fishing.
The Pyrenees are often an overlooked destination as not all travelers know that the Pyrenees offer some of the most spectacular and best-preserved sceneries for fly-fishing on the European continent.
One of the first anglers to announce the destination was Nobel Ernest Hemingway who narrates in his novel “The Sun Also The Rises” the trip he made to enjoy the Festival in San Fermines and fly fishing for Zebras trouts in the Pyrenees.
A living fossil: Zebra Trout
The Iberian Peninsula was the only territory not covered by ice after the last glaciation. In its rivers survive the most ancestral brown trout of the European continent.
The rivers of the Pyrenees flow into the Mediterranean Sea and their waters are habited by a variety of brown trout unique in the world, the Zebra trout.
The Zebra trout is characterized by its lateral stripes, resistance to low water levels, great power and for being an authentic living fossil. This variety of brown trout is studied by various universities around the world.
Fly Fishing and Hiking in the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are the largest mountain range in Spain and, together with the Alps, the most spectacular on the European continent.
Their linear distribution allows the angler to enjoy a great variety of rivers, streams and lakes in a short radius of action.
In order to access a large part of its rivers, it is necessary to have authorizations to circulate on roads with restricted access and, in many other cases, it is necessary to go hiking.
These rivers and lakes located in Natural Parks or next to National Parks do not have any fishing pressure and fly fishing is totally spectacular.
In these alpine streams the angler can enjoy fishing brown trout, Zebra trout and even Brook Trout with imitations of large grasshoppers. And all surrounded by spectacular and pristine landscapes!
Fly fishing in the Pyrenees according to the months of the year
The Spanish Pyrenees have a long fishing season thanks to its friendly climate.
The variety of rivers and sceneries allow the angler to enjoy different fishing possibilities:
Personally my favorite months are September and October for the following reasons:
- Trout increase their activity. They should be fed for the spawning season.
- The rivers recover their flow after the month of August.
- The Spaniards have no holidays and the rivers and mountains are less crowded.
Fly fishing and much more
Many Americans come to Spain as a couple. And the fact is that the destination allows you to combine fly fishing with other cultural and gastronomic expectations.
Many of our clients travel to Barcelona where over two days they visit the Sagrada Familia, Parque Güell, La Rambla and even attend a flamenco tablao.
Then they travel by AVE train to Lleida (1.2 hours from Barcelona). Where are we going to pick you up in our 4×4 vehicles to start a journey that crosses the Pyrenees from East to West (using our two operations centres located in Biescas and Graus). In this trip we will get to know different types of rivers (mountain streams, valley rivers, trophy areas …) with the possibility of visits to wine cellars, hiking in National Parks or cultural visits to churches, castles and other places of interest.
This post was written by Pyrenees Fly Fishing