Stillwater · Granite · Castilla y León / Salamanca (Arribes del Duero)

Embalse de Saucelle

Embalse de Saucelle — Embalse de Saucelle
Contributor photo

Embalse de Saucelle

Pedro Nuno Caetano (https://www.flickr.com/photos/12962905@N05) - CC BY

The next great step down the Duero from Aldeadávila, still inside the Arribes del Duero gorge on the international border.

Good · Pike
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4) · 8–10
Goodlive now
Summer pike — dawn and dusk topwater
Glassy and bright — hard work without a breeze. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
65% confidence
What moved it
  • WindS 4 km/hCalm
Today’s fly
LP
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4)8–10
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Calm
S 4 km/h
N
S
from the south
WaveFlat calm
Water temp
Air temp18°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

Reservoir levelas of 13 Jul
97% 10-yr norm
Steady
99% full
High & steady
+2 ptsvs seasonal norm
+1 ptsvs last year
0 ptsthis week
Reservoir near full — settled fish across plenty of holding water.
How to fish it · for pike
When
Pike are ambush-feeding from weed cover. Fry and small perch concentrate in the warm shallows, drawing pike in during low-light periods. Mid-day pike retreat to deeper weed channels.
Where
Summer pike on the fly. Fish early (first light) and late (last hour) when pike push shallow to feed. Topwater is king — poppers and gurglers over weed beds. Mid-day fish hold deep in weed channels. Take a break during the heat of the day. Use a 9-10wt rod with a stiff butt for turning big fish away from weed.
The plan
Plan A

Summer pike on the fly. Fish early (first light) and late (last hour) when pike push shallow to feed. Topwater is king — poppers and gurglers over weed beds. Mid-day fish hold deep in weed channels. Take a break during the heat of the day. Use a 9-10wt rod with a stiff butt for turning big fish away from weed.

Plan B

Fish early and late, try deeper during the heat of the day with a fast-sinking line.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Bank

Flat calm suits bank fishing near features — points, weed beds, and inflows where fish patrol.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Pike fly box
LP
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4)Top
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
WB
Weighted baitfish / Clouser (1/0–6)
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
BO
Brown/olive woolly bugger (6–10)
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Castilla y León licence (Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero); Spanish/Portuguese border water — fish the Spanish bank under Spanish rules
  • Barbel protected during spawning
  • Zander and wels catfish are invasive with specific handling rules — check current Duero-basin regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
86%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp100%

Conditions are ideal for Embalse de Saucelle — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 2
Gallery · 2
  1. Embalse de Saucelle — Embalse de Saucelle
    Embalse de Saucelle
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The next great step down the Duero from Aldeadávila, still inside the Arribes del Duero gorge on the international border. Like its upstream neighbour it is a deep hydroelectric canyon reservoir rather than a gentle stillwater — granite walls, cold clear depths, and a fish community led by zander, wels catfish and pike, with barbel on the shallower margins and around the Águeda and other tributary mouths. It is slightly less sheer than Aldeadávila in places, which opens up a little more fishable bank, but the character is the same: a predator water best approached with a boat, big flies, and modest expectations of numbers in exchange for the chance of a serious fish.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Reservoir near full — settled fish across plenty of holding water.
Related guides
Booking & contacts