Spate · Limestone · Asturias/Cantabria, Spain

Río Cares

Río Cares fishing venue photo
Today · Closed season
Black Gnat
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
70% projected
Today's fly
Black Gnat
Black Gnat
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.97 m
lowspate
Water temp17.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent3.1 mm
Rain · ahead3.6 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
April to mid-July within the salmon season, but treat the Cares as a secondary salmon prospect. The lower river around Panes is where the chance sits, not the gorge above.
Where
Lower Cares–Deva water around the Panes confluence and below. Salmon legally reach to coto Piedragonero, but the lower joined river holds the better lies.
Method
Swung fly through the lower-river holding water; tubes scaling to colour and water height. Don't fish the gorge for salmon — the Cares-Deva system caps at thirty fish a year. Single barbless from 16 June; cupo one per day, one per season as kill.
Kit
10 to 13 ft #7/8 depending on which beat you draw. Sink-tip plus floater. 12 lb fluoro. Boots for steep banks.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 95%
Also:Reed Smut75%Cinnamon Sedge58%Autumn Dun37%
Peak emergence window11 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Heather Fly (Heather Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Salmon run timing
2025 season

7 salmon declared to 15 July · 5.4% of regional total · trend: weak

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Late March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Large Brook DunHatch
2
3
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Beats · 6
Bártalo · 1.1 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — Cabecera del pozo Nicolás to Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo Nicolás
Downstream: Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa
Bártalo beat map
Miñances · 1.1 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa to 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa
Downstream: 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances
Miñances beat map
Mildón · 1.0 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances to Cola del pozo El Callejón.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances
Downstream: Cola del pozo El Callejón
Mildón beat map
Pared Del Agua · 0.8 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — Cola del pozo El Callejón to Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: Cola del pozo El Callejón
Downstream: Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela
Pared Del Agua beat map
Arrudo · 1.0 kmSorteo
Sorteo stretch — Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela to Cabecera del pozo Caldabones.
Beat detail
Sorteo (lottery) permit required
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela
Downstream: Cabecera del pozo Caldabones
Arrudo beat map
Puente Caldabones · 0.8 kmSorteo
Sorteo stretch — Cabecera del pozo Caldabones to Cola del pozo El Avellán.
Beat detail
Sorteo (lottery) permit required
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo Caldabones
Downstream: Cola del pozo El Avellán
Puente Caldabones beat map
Beat map
Illustration · Studio Daisy
Beat map — illustrated schematic
Cares + Deva system. Beat numbering follows the BeatsListBlock above. Verify against current coto details before fishing.
Permits & access
Day permit · price varies by zone
Sorteo
Allocated by annual lottery — visiting anglers should target free-day cotos (Tue/Wed/Sat) or club permits.
  • Asignación de tramos por sorteo a través de la Federación Asturiana de Pesca
  • Se requiere licencia de pesca más permiso de coto
  • Para 2026, el cupo de salmón es de 1 pieza por día y 1 por temporada, de la cual solo se puede sacrificar 1
  • Verifica las normas específicas del coto, los vedados y las restricciones de aparejos antes de pescar.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Río Casaño
4.0 km
Brown trout
Río Purón
18 km
Brown trout · Sea trout
Río Dobra
19 km
Brown trout
Río Deva
20 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Río Bedón
20 km
Brown trout · Sea trout
Gallery · 8
  1. Cares
    Cares
  2. Cares
    Cares
  3. Crystal-clear turquoise water of the Río Cares threading between white limestone boulders in the gorge.
    Río Cares gorge pool
  4. The Río Cares running over boulders and shingle in a wide open valley below Caín de Valdeón.
    Río Cares below Caín de Valdeón
  5. Poncebos at the foot of limestone pinnacles, the Río Cares a turquoise ribbon on the valley floor.
    Río Cares at Poncebos
  6. A deep turquoise pool on the Río Cares flanked by towering limestone walls below Puente de la Jaya.
    Río Cares below Puente de la Jaya
  7. The Río Cares rushing over mossy boulders through autumnal woodland at the mouth of the gorge.
    Garganta del Cares
  8. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · ES018MSPFES132MAR000620

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
TodayTue/Wed/Sat: free accessFree accessFree
  • Salmon Third Saturday of April → 15 July

    2026 season: opens 18 April. Bag limit reduced to 1 fish per angler per year (was 2 per season). 60 minutes less daily fishing time. Cupo: 1 salmon per day, 1 per season (kill limit). Check river-specific coto rules, vedados, and tackle restrictions before fishing. Cares-Deva basin quota for 2026: 30 salmon total (max 12 in zona libre).

  • Trout Third Sunday of March → 15 August
3 zones — different rules apply
  • Coto salmonero

    Cares salmon cotos: gorge and lower sections to Piedragonero (Arrudo, Puente Caldabones, Puente la Vidre, La Higar, Niserias, Jaces, Puente Viejo)

    • Salmon: Third Saturday of April → 15 July · 1 per day, 2 per year (only 1 killable)
    • Sea trout: follows Trout
    • Trout: Third Sunday of May → 15 August
  • Coto parcial

    Mixed-access Cares cotos (Bártalo, Miñances, Mildón, Pared del Agua, Trescares, El Seu)

    • Salmon: Third Saturday of April → 15 July
    • Sea trout: follows Trout
    • Trout: Third Sunday of May → 15 August
    TodayTue/Wed/Sat: free accessFree accessFree
  • Zona libre sin muerte

    Cares no-kill stretch: Rubena (848m)

    • Sea trout: follows Trout
    • Trout: Third Sunday of March → 15 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Cares — one of Asturias's most dramatic canyon rivers in the Picos de Europa. Reo and salmon run from the coast into the gorge. Access is restricted (coto system). Fast spate response; tight windows after rain. Night fishing restricted per Asturian regional schedule.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsPyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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