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.

Good · Pike
Large pike streamer / baitfish (2/0–4) · 8–10
Goodlive now
Autumn pike — big fish, big flies
Good wave on — drift country. Drift fishing weather — three flies on a long leader.
66% confidence

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

What moved it
  • WindE 7 km/hLight breeze
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
Light breeze
E 7 km/h
N
E
from the east
WaveRipple
Water temp13.3°C
Air temp15°C
CloudClear
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Reservoir levelas of 31 Aug
┄ 97% 10-yr norm
▬ Steady
97% full
High & steady
▬0 ptsvs seasonal norm
▲+1 ptsvs last year
▼0 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 4 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · September 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
66%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

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
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • 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