Freestone · Limestone · Navarra, ES

Río Areta

La garganta del Areta

A compact limestone Irati tributary in easternmost Navarra's trout zone.

Today · Closed season
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Estimate
Level
Moderate rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp9.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather9°C
WindN 17 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent17.3 mm
Rain · ahead7.5 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Autumn Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 26%
Also:Autumn Needle Fly21%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Autumn Olive (Autumn Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Gobierno de Navarra fishing licence required
  • Check the exact tramo and any daily-permit or coto-pass requirement for the named stretch before travel.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Río Salazar
14 km
0
Brown trout
Río Aragón
20 km
0
Brown trout
Río Erro
23 km
0
Brown trout
Río Urrobi
15 km
Brown trout
Río Irati
16 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. La garganta del Areta
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Areta drains from karst plateaux and flows through narrow alpine valleys with significant drop. Clear, alkaline freestone with pocket-water runs and short pools holding wild browns with good size distribution. Technical short-line nymphing and dry fly. Rapid limestone spate response moderated by karst storage. Access from Aoiz or Orbaieta.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · ES091MSPF537

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature94 × 28%26.3
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity47 × 12%5.6
Conditions total= 77
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 May → 30 June

    RSS Irati–Erro basin (2,728 permits in 2026). All catch-and-release. Extendable to 15 Jul by resolution. Daily basin permit required.

Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Río Areta is a freestone river in Navarra, Spain. The catchment geology is recorded as limestone, and the water sits at about 976 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 25 km long. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 May to 30 June. Best window recorded for anglers: Spring into early summer within the current Navarra tramo calendar. Core methods listed: dry fly; euro nymphing; small wet fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include Río Salazar at 14 km, Río Urrobi at 15 km and Río Irati at 16 km.