Stillwater · Mixed · Extremadura / Badajoz

Embalse de Orellana

Wide view of the Orellana La Vieja reservoir and dam, open water stretching across the Extremaduran plain.
Contributor photo

Orellana reservoir and dam

Kallerna - CC BY-SA 4.0

One of Spain's best-known big-fish reservoirs — barbel, carp, and pike all targetable on fly.

Poor · Pike
Foam beetle · 10–12
Not the day for it
Good wave on — drift country. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
5% confidence
low-confidence read — verify locally
What moved it
  • WindSW 8 km/hLight breeze
Today’s fly
Foam beetle
Foam beetle10–12
Fish it tight to the bank on warm, breezy days.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
SW 8 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
WaveRipple
Water temp—
Air temp22°C
CloudClear
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

Reservoir levelas of 13 Jul
┄ 70% 10-yr norm
▼ Dropping
74% full
About normal
▲+4 ptsvs seasonal norm
▼-6 ptsvs last year
▼-3 ptsthis week
How to fish it · for pike
When
Pike here are a non-native invasive. High summer fishes poorly, and where catch-and-release is legal warm-water release mortality is high; elsewhere the official advice is to remove any pike caught from the water rather than return it. Defer until water cools below 19°C.
Where
Water at 21.8°C — too warm to target pike today: poor sport, and where catch-and-release is legal (designated pre-2007 waters) warm water makes released fish die. Where it isn't, the official advice is to remove any fish caught from the water rather than return it. Either way, wait for cooler water.
The plan
Plan A

Water at 21.8°C — too warm to target pike today: poor sport, and where catch-and-release is legal (designated pre-2007 waters) warm water makes released fish die. Where it isn't, the official advice is to remove any fish caught from the water rather than return it. Either way, wait for cooler water.

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.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
HV
Hi-viz beetle
10–12 · Terrestrial
Fish it tight to the bank on warm, breezy days.
SC
Small crayfish
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Extremadura fishing licence required
  • Warm-water reservoir rules and species-specific restrictions should be checked in the current regional order; do not assume a simple generic predator-fishery model.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
91%
Cloud70%
Wind100%
Temp100%

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

Other water nearby · 3
Embalse de La Serena
19 km
Barbel · Carp
Gredos foothills / Villanueva de la Serena area
35 km
Barbel · Carp
Embalse de Cíjara
58 km
Barbel · Carp
Gallery · 6
  1. Wide view of the Orellana La Vieja reservoir and dam, open water stretching across the Extremaduran plain.
    Orellana reservoir and dam
  2. Ground-level view of the Orellana La Vieja dam and the broad reservoir behind it.
    Orellana dam
  3. Aerial view over the broad open surface of Embalse de Orellana, Badajoz, Extremadura.
    Embalse de Orellana from the air
  4. Shore-level view of Embalse de Orellana showing the calm reservoir surface in summer.
    Embalse de Orellana
  5. Dock and beach at Orellana reservoir with open water and moored boats, the only inland Blue Flag beach in Spain.
    Orellana reservoir beach
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

One of Spain's best-known big-fish reservoirs — barbel, carp, and pike all targetable on fly. Barbel respond to the same dry-fly techniques as La Serena; sight-fishing on the warmer flats from spring through autumn. Pike fishing is excellent and Orellana is probably the most internationally recognised Iberian pike-fly destination, with fish best targeted in the cooler months when water drops below about 18 °C. Carp cruise the margins in summer.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Temperature (moderate) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts