Stillwater · Granite · Galicia / Lugo (Ribeira Sacra, río Miño), ES

Embalse de Belesar

Encoro de Belesar, 2017

Belesar is the great impoundment of the middle Miño — fifty kilometres of flooded river winding through the terraced vineyards of the Ribeira Sacra, the largest reservoir on the river.

Fair · Carp
Ant pattern (12–14) · 10–12
Fairlive now
Autumn carp — feeding hard before winter
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Worth a session if the wind holds.
55% confidence

Seasonally this is the right time to be here, but today's conditions are not doing Embalse de Belesar many favours. It can still fish, but temper expectations.

What moved it
  • WindNE 26 km/hModerate breeze · Gusts to 48 km/h
Today's fly
Ant pattern (12–14)
Ant pattern (12–14)10–12
Fish it tight to the bank on warm, breezy days.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze · Gusts to 48 km/h
NE 26 km/h
N
NE
from the north-east
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp11.0°C
Air temp18°C
CloudClear
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Reservoir levelas of 12 Oct
┄ 35% 10-yr norm
▬ Steady
27% full
About normal
▼-8 ptsvs seasonal norm
▼-11 ptsvs last year
▼-1 ptsthis week
How to fish it · for Carp
When
Carp are building reserves for winter, feeding aggressively in shorter windows. Warm calm afternoons produce visible fish in the shallows. The season is closing but there are still good days to be had.
Where
Autumn carp on the fly. The window narrows but carp feed hard before winter. Warm, calm afternoons are best — look for tailing fish and cruisers in the shallows. Water clarity often improves in autumn which helps spotting. Be prepared for shorter feeding windows as temperatures drop.
The plan
Plan A

Autumn carp on the fly. The window narrows but carp feed hard before winter. Warm, calm afternoons are best — look for tailing fish and cruisers in the shallows. Water clarity often improves in autumn which helps spotting. Be prepared for shorter feeding windows as temperatures drop.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank, sheltered shores

In wind, bank fish the lee shore — boats can anchor in productive areas if conditions allow.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
Carp fly box
BD
Bread / dough fly (8–10)
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
SC
Small crayfish pattern (8–10)
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Galicia licence required; the Belesar special-regime reservoir sections are fishable year-round — check the annual Xunta de Galicia pesca order for sections and limits
  • Pike is an introduced predator with its own rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
27%
Cloud25%
Wind30%
Temp25%

Tough conditions for Embalse de Belesar — expect slower sport and consider adapting your approach.

Other water nearby · 5
Río Cabe
23 km
Brown trout
Neira
28 km
Brown trout
Río Sarria
29 km
Brown trout
Río Furelos
40 km
Brown trout
Río Lor
41 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Encoro de Belesar, 2017
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Belesar is the great impoundment of the middle Miño — fifty kilometres of flooded river winding through the terraced vineyards of the Ribeira Sacra, the largest reservoir on the river. It is calm, deep, green water, the kind the tourist catamarans glide along beneath the canyon walls. The fly fishing is a warm-water affair: carp and barbel in the shallower arms and the side-stream mouths, taking a nymph or a beetle when the day is warm and the light is good. Boats run freely here, which suits a water of this scale. Pike are present and introduced, as they are across so much of Iberia now. Come for the setting as much as the fishing — there are few more beautiful places in Spain to put a fly on still water.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Terrestrials are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
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