Spate · Limestone · Cantabria, ES

Nansa

Nansa venue image

A serious western Cantabrian salmonid basin whose salmon status is now more historical and regulatory than practically useful for most anglers.

Poor · Sea Trout
Black & Silver Tube · 1-2 inch
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.97 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp16.9°C
  • ClarityVery colouredClearing
Today's fly
BS
Black & Silver Tube1-2 inch
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.97 m
lowspate
Water temp16.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather18°C
WindSE 4 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent4.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.6 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Sea Trout
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Sea Trout
When
From dusk into the first half of the night.
Where
Deeper pools and slower glides · hold water and current seams.
Method
Fish dark patterns on a sink-tip or lightly sunk line, especially near structure.
Kit
10 ft #6/7 rod, floating line with a sink-tip option, 8–10 lb fluoro tippet for the swing.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Sea Trout fly box
BS
Black & Silver TubeTop
1-2 inch · Tube
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
SF
Snake Fly (Black)
2-4 inch · Streamer
A mobile eel-like profile that undulates through deep pools — effective when sea trout are lying deep and not responding to conventional wets.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Cantabrian fishing licence required
  • The Nansa's annex-driven rules and protected-zone structure matter more than old salmon prestige, so check the exact stretch before travel.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Río Deva
15 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Saja
14 km
Brown trout · Sea trout
Saja
14 km
Brown trout · Sea trout
Bullón
16 km
Brown trout
Río Escudo
16 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A serious western Cantabrian salmonid basin whose salmon status is now more historical and regulatory than practically useful for most anglers. Rugged limestone character with 5-hour spate response. Rocky tumbling sections alternate with deeper pools. Management and conservation rules are central to the fishing story. Wild brown trout in upper sections and sea trout later in the season are the real practical draw.

Hatches & food

In Cantabria's shorter mountain and foothill trout rivers, fish make the most of spring olives and stoneflies in clear windows between freshets, then switch to evening caddis and small buzzers through the warmer months, with terrestrials becoming a key option in sheltered glides and under tree cover once summer settles in.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · ES018MSPFES118MAR000480

Why this score · for Sea Trout
  • Temperature3828% weight
  • Flow6022% weight
  • Clarity4518% weight
  • Feeding Time9513% weight
  • Pressure857% weight
  • Insect activity3412% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout third Sunday of March → 31 July

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts