Freestone · Mixed · Catalonia, ES

Cardener

FONTS DEL CARDENER - IB-313

The upper Cardener runs through the pre-Pyrenean ranges north of Solsona — limestone and conglomerate country, alkaline water, productive in hatches when the temperature is right, and technically demanding in the hard Mediterranean summer light when the fish have seen everything.

Today · Not the day for it
Elk Hair Caddis
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Noguera Pallaresa
Water temp13.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather15°C
WindN 9 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent14.4 mm
Rain · ahead12.2 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Noguera Pallaresa. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
14°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.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Reed Smut

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 43%
Also:Cinnamon Sedge30%Pale Watery26%
Peak emergence window9 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Evening Sedge (Evening Sedge, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 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 · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
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.
  • Catalan fishing licence required
  • Controlled trout waters may require a ZPC permit, and legal dates differ between low-mountain, high-mountain, with-kill, and no-kill sectors, so check the current Generalitat rules for the exact zone.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. FONTS DEL CARDENER - IB-313
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The upper Cardener runs through the pre-Pyrenean ranges north of Solsona — limestone and conglomerate country, alkaline water, productive in hatches when the temperature is right, and technically demanding in the hard Mediterranean summer light when the fish have seen everything. The trout reach is concentrated above the Llosa del Cavall reservoir, where the river runs freestone through scrubby oak. Wild brown trout in the managed sections, selective as any limestone-water fish tends to be in low clear water. Fish it in the morning or evening and give the midday hours to something else.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Moderate → Good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody ES100MSPF1000560 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · ES100MSPF1000560

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity76 × 12%9.1
Conditions total= 86
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Noguera Pallaresaproxy
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 21 March → 12 October
Related guides
Booking & contacts