Traditionally, the summer-months are silent ones for those bloggers who travel riverbanks with fly-rods in their hands. That because of 2 reasons: don't have time for blogging, and don't have time for blogging.Anyway, this year I had 2 weeks of holidays planned in Spain with the in-laws. Seaside appartment, overcrowed piers and beaches, late night walks by the local markets... you name it, it's all there. Luckely it was my 5th time to Roses (Emporda-Catalunya) and I already start te feel like home overhere.
Like some other of you BFF's do, I start to plan my fishing trips early, let's say from the moment the decission is made for the trip. Gratest tool on the planet: Google Maps and Streetview. But than again, it's not alway the most accurate way to check local fishing grounds.
Because of the coastal character of this region (southern Catalunya) most attention in shops is going to coastal and boat fishing. Never the less it is home to some of the most beautifull rivers in Europe.
Due to the mountain-like shape of the region (let's says that it is home to some very high Pyrenee-mountain-tops with +2800m atltitudes), there is a certain guarantee of melting- and source-water.
This year I checked out 2 of those rivers: Muga and El Ter.
Muga
The muga River had is mostly know for it's canyoning It's running trough some very nice pitoresque villages before being grouped with some other small streams into the Darnius Lake, an artificial lake with a tremendous populations of perch, pike and sander. Because of the very clear water you can even fish them om sight. Schools of +1000 pcs are no exception. I didn't get to explore it at it's full posibillities. Best of all would be to get over here with a small boat of belly boat. Because of it's direct connection to the mountainstreams sourcing it, it also could be home to a lot of very large trout, but no catches have been recorded with pictures online, so I can't confirm it eventhough the local guides say so.. But 80+ Sanders and 100+ Pike are not unusual
The greatness of the Muga (upstream of the lake) is also responsible for it's hard-to-catch-fish charachter: It's so clear (it gives a new dimension to Gin-clear) that fish can spot you from 100 meters away, when you park your car in the next village. Mostly Chub, small Brownies, and a lot of other coarse fish are to be taken. Small dry's and micronymps get the job done. From time to time you can catch a nice chubb (+30 cm) depending on the stealth you can use approaching the pool, but most of the time it will be in the 10-20cm-range.
It's fun, you get to meet some local reptiles and rodents (minks, no rats) and running trough the narrow canyon is very humblifying. One downside on this river is that from time to time you come in pools that are to deep to walk trough. It's a question of getting some experience where you can pass.
For the stay to at Muga and Darnius-lake there are different posibillities. We where staying at the coast (Roses) and it takes a 40 minute drive to get there. But there is a Holiday-parc next to the upper-Muga just above the Darnius lake: Bassegoda Parc. The rent challets or you can camp with your own tent.
Fishing in the river is free if you have a regional license (aprox. 10€/15days). The lake takes another license. All can be ordered online at the local fishing-government. (links beneath)
If you want an organised trip to this lake, Darnius Sportshotel can provide evrything you need.
El Ter
El Ter is a whole other story than La Muga. It also has it's source in the Pyrenees at an altitude of 2480 m and has a trajectory of 208 km before filling up the Mediterranean Sea. In my report I would like to focus on one specific part of the river. It starts a little north from the village of Anglès (20 km upstream for the city of Girona) and ends up in Girona. Why? Because it's the only part where i fished, so I can only give personal suggestions on that part. It's also ideal for trips (by plain) because of the proximity of the Girona Airport. A 10 minute drive brings you to some great spots.
The success of this river has to be found in the very good way the fishing is managed. Al public parts are No-Kill. This means, for brownies, that the population is always-growing in an almost natural way. For those who like to eat some fish, special trajectories are made, and you have to pay an extra fee to fish there. They are restocked from time to time, but I heard that most of the fisherman don't take the fish. Light-years ahead I would say.The river has 4 mayor artificial lakes. The trajectory we look to is from the Panta del Pasteral until the northern city-limit of Girona. It's still rich of brownies to the south of it, but I didn't get to fish there as well.
One of the mayor features of this river is due to the artificial lake just before it. Because of that, the water is gin clear, as we say. All sediment coming from rainfall is settling in the lake, so only the clear topwater is being let into the river. That makes it as fabulous as it is difficult to fish here. You can spot fish from 30 m's away, but so can they. Second point: because of the very clear water, vegetation is doing very well. So to all those who like to Czech-style of French-style: Good luck cleaning your hooks after every run. Luckely only 2 are allowed, so there's a little less cleaning work there. Even though I love to fish this way, it's not really the most recomended way, because of the very shy fish. If you get into 10 m's of one, better wave him goodbye, because he's gone for a while.That takes us to the dry flies (including terrestrials), emergers and unweighted nymphs. If I have to recommend 1 colour that does trigger a lot of the trout: Orange: Orange hotspotted brass PT's, Orange and Partridge spider, Orange Biostrike (yes I got some strikes on the indicator aswell)... It just got me the most fish. Probably to do with the very clear water, but so it was. I tried a lot of dries to, even-though there was no real hatch going on, but the Greyflagg Emerger (Wonderflies by Leon Janssen) brought me my 2 50+ strikes. Why? I just don't know. It's what they took.
My timing was not so good when I arrived at Bonmatì for my final and most important session, due to the fact I had an hour of driving and had some early morning activities at our apartment at the Mediterranean coast. It was about 11 a.m. when I hit the water. Way to late for having the most of the morning-activity, but hey, so it was, nothing to do about it. I already fished this area for an evening-rise 2 days earlier, but fishing was so hard. A lot of rises, but no reaction to flies, event with a 2 meter .10mm tipet. One strike on the indicator. I made my homework tot get here. The mercury hit 35° C and there I was. The question was: Do I fish the riffles or is the flat where I need to be? 20 minutes of riffle later, I saw a few rises in the flat just after the riffle where I was standing. I made up my mind quickly and headed for that big pool. A big adventurous walk trough the bush on the bank later, a came back to a place where I could wade into the water without making a lot of mayhem. And just before putting my foot into the water, I see this massive brownie pulling away in front of me. It was clear where they were hiding: In the shadows on the banks. Equipped for nymphing with an 11ft #3 combo I needed all of my casting-skills to get that really long tippet to the other side of the river, even with a hard side-wind. My second cast with the emerger and.... bang! A hit. I pull my line to set the hook, and I brake the hookknot off. As well as deceiving, it confirmed my combo was the right one. Again I knotted on a Greyflagg emerger, casted on the exact same place, but the big boy was gone... damn! A little disappointed I retrieved my line and waited for a few minutes, waiting for some big brownies to rise. No rises to see anymore... did I just miss my biggest chance on catching the fish of the trip because of a broken knot. Suddenly I remark some movement under some grass just hanging over the bank. It's not really a rise. It's more like a coarse fish feeding on floating pellets. But, because of the fact, it's the only movement to see, I have to take this cast...
Posting my fly on a meter from where I saw the fish feed... 1,2,3,4,5, Wham! Hooked! And then I see al half meter of speckled brown and gold, jumping out of the water. The fish that made my vacation, was pulling my .12 nylon. An easy and short drill later, I netted this beauty. 52 cm, my biggest trout in Spain until now.
Trips:
If you'd like to go yourself there here are some tips!
-Fishing license for Catalunya + tickets for private parts: License Catalunya English
-If you like to buy on site: Bike and fishing shop Anglès Plaça de Ruttla (Speaks a little French)
-Taking the plane + Car: Landing on Girona Airport + Car rent on location (Flying from monday till thursday is mostly cheaper)
-Sleeping: Airbnb has a lot to offer in the region of Angles till Bonmati, but plenty of hotels are available too
Guide: If you look for a guide, only one name comes to mind: Marc Van De Vliet
Tight Lines, and release your dreams: Catch and Release!
