The Lena runs clear through limestone gorges below the old mining country of the valley — the industry is mostly gone but the mountains are still there, and the river runs as it always has. Small wild browns in water that barely registers on a gauge, the kind of trout that take a dry fly with total conviction because they've never had reason not to.
The Lena runs from Cantabrian limestone and slate country, a responsive river arriving into the Nalón system. The upper reaches show step-pool through mixed limestone and slate; the descent is steep and response to rainfall immediate. The water carries the blended character of both limestone and slate influences. The middle Lena opens into pool-riffle sequences on mixed cobble-gravel. The pools are productive and hold generations of fishing tradition. The river's character throughout is of a responsive Cantabrian system. The wading demands attention in the upper step-pool sections.
Wading: Wet lichen covered boulders
- Mixed
- Confined
- Step pool
- Pocket water