Stillwater · Mixed · Extremadura / Badajoz

Embalse de La Serena

The dam face of La Serena reservoir with the broad reservoir behind it, Badajoz, Extremadura.
Contributor photo

La Serena dam and reservoir

kallerna - CC BY-SA 4.0

Flagship European barbel-on-the-fly destination.

Prime · Carp
Foam beetle · 10–12
Primelive now
Summer carp — prime fly-fishing conditions
Good wave on — drift country. Drift the windward shore. Wet flies on the wave.
83% confidence
What moved it
  • WindW 11 km/hLight breeze
Today’s fly
Foam beetle
Foam beetle10–12
Fish it tight to the bank on warm, breezy days.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
W 11 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp27°C
CloudClear
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

Reservoir levelas of 29 Jun
┄ 37% 10-yr norm
▬ Steady
91% full
High & steady
▲+53 ptsvs seasonal norm
▲+26 ptsvs last year
▼-1 ptsthis week
Reservoir near full — settled fish across plenty of holding water.
How to fish it · for carp
When
Carp are highly active in warm water, feeding confidently on the surface and in the shallows. This is the golden window for fly fishing — visible fish, aggressive feeding, surface takes. Dawn and dusk are magic.
Where
Peak season for carp on the fly. Early mornings and evenings are best — carp cruise the margins, surface-feed, and tail in shallows. This is pure sight-fishing: walk, spot, stalk, cast. Keep low, tread softly, wear drab clothing. 5-6wt rod, 15ft fluorocarbon leader for sub-surface; floating line for surface. Have both a bread fly and a nymph rigged and ready.
The plan
Plan A

Peak season for carp on the fly. Early mornings and evenings are best — carp cruise the margins, surface-feed, and tail in shallows. This is pure sight-fishing: walk, spot, stalk, cast. Keep low, tread softly, wear drab clothing. 5-6wt rod, 15ft fluorocarbon leader for sub-surface; floating line for surface. Have both a bread fly and a nymph rigged and ready.

Plan B

Fish early and late, try deeper during the heat of the day with a fast-sinking line.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
HV
Hi-viz beetle
10–12 · Terrestrial
Fish it tight to the bank on warm, breezy days.
WA
Winged ant
10–12 · Terrestrial
Fish it tight to the bank on warm, breezy days.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Extremadura fishing licence required
  • Check current regulations for reservoir-specific rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
79%
Cloud70%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A good match for this venue — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 3
Embalse de Orellana
19 km
Barbel · Carp · Pike
Gredos foothills / Villanueva de la Serena area
50 km
79
Barbel · Carp
Embalse de Cíjara
51 km
Barbel · Carp
Gallery · 6
  1. The dam face of La Serena reservoir with the broad reservoir behind it, Badajoz, Extremadura.
    La Serena dam and reservoir
  2. Wide panoramic view across the open water of La Serena reservoir with dehesa shoreline.
    Embalse de La Serena
  3. Aerial photograph across La Serena reservoir, the broad open water and surrounding low hills.
    La Serena from the air
  4. La Serena reservoir seen from the Sierra de Lares ridge, wide open water and dehesa landscape.
    La Serena from the Sierra de Lares
  5. Aerial photograph of the joined expanse of La Serena and Orellana reservoirs, Badajoz.
    La Serena and Orellana from the air
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Flagship European barbel-on-the-fly destination. Vast Extremadura reservoir — Spain's second largest — with clear, warm water and huge populations of Iberian barbel cruising the shallows. Sight-fishing with foam beetles, ants, and hoppers on the flats is one of fly fishing's most exciting emerging scenes. Carp also present and targetable when temperatures climb into the twenties. Peak sport from late spring into early autumn when the water warms through the mid-teens and barbel feed confidently on the surface.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
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