Stillwater · Granite · Castilla y León / Salamanca (Arribes del Duero), ES

Embalse de Saucelle

Embalse de Saucelle — Embalse de Saucelle

The next great step down the Duero from Aldeadávila, still inside the Arribes del Duero gorge on the international border.

Prime · Pike
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4) · 8–10
Primelive now
Autumn pike — big fish, big flies
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Lovely fishing wave. Three flies and a long leader.
86% confidence

This is peak season for Embalse de Saucelle, though today's conditions aren't quite ideal. Worth fishing — the timing is right even if the weather isn't perfect.

What moved it
  • WindNE 17 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 44 km/h
Today's fly
LP
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4)8–10
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 44 km/h
NE 17 km/h
N
NE
from the north-east
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp10.5°C
Air temp15°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftNE wind
South-western end

A northeasterly has held for 9 hours, running warmer than the water (19°C air against 11°C water). Expect fish at the south-western end — the bank it is blowing into — where the drift piles food, colour and warmth together. This reads the upper water, though — a bottom bait at range feels it far less than a floater or a fish in the margins. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

Reservoir levelas of 12 Oct
┄ 97% 10-yr norm
▬ Steady
98% full
High & steady
▲+1 ptsvs seasonal norm
▬0 ptsvs last year
▲+1 ptsthis week
Reservoir near full — settled fish across plenty of holding water.
How to fish it · for Pike
When
Pike are feeding aggressively as water cools, building reserves for winter. Weed is dying back, concentrating both pike and prey fish into predictable holding areas.
Where
Autumn/winter pike on the fly — big fish season. Pike are putting on condition and take large flies confidently. Fish dropping weed edges, deep channels, and structure. Start with a sinking line and move to faster-sinking as the water cools. Biggest pike of the year come in this window.
The plan
Plan A

Autumn/winter pike on the fly — big fish season. Pike are putting on condition and take large flies confidently. Fish dropping weed edges, deep channels, and structure. Start with a sinking line and move to faster-sinking as the water cools. Biggest pike of the year come in this window.

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.

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

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 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
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
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
LP
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4)Top
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
WB
Weighted baitfish / Clouser (1/0–6)
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
BO
Brown/olive woolly bugger (6–10)
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Castilla y León licence (Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero); Spanish/Portuguese border water — fish the Spanish bank under Spanish rules
  • Barbel protected during spawning
  • Zander and wels catfish are invasive with specific handling rules — check current Duero-basin regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
74%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A good match for Embalse de Saucelle — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 2
Embalse de Aldeadávila
17 km
Barbel · Carp · Pike
Embalse de Almendra
50 km
Barbel · Carp · Pike
Gallery · 2
  1. Embalse de Saucelle — Embalse de Saucelle
    Embalse de Saucelle
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The next great step down the Duero from Aldeadávila, still inside the Arribes del Duero gorge on the international border. Like its upstream neighbour it is a deep hydroelectric canyon reservoir rather than a gentle stillwater — granite walls, cold clear depths, and a fish community led by zander, wels catfish and pike, with barbel on the shallower margins and around the Águeda and other tributary mouths. It is slightly less sheer than Aldeadávila in places, which opens up a little more fishable bank, but the character is the same: a predator water best approached with a boat, big flies, and modest expectations of numbers in exchange for the chance of a serious fish.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Reservoir near full — settled fish across plenty of holding water.
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts