Stillwater · Granite · Comunidad de Madrid / west (Río Alberche), ES

Embalse de Picadas

Embalse de Picadas — Cola del embalse de Picadas 001

Reservoir on the lower Río Alberche, downstream of San Juan, 65–90 minutes west of Madrid.

Good · Pike
Foam Popper · 12–16
Goodlive now
Autumn pike — big fish, big flies
Good wave on — drift country. Drift fishing weather — three flies on a long leader.
75% confidence

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

What moved it
  • WindNW 12 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Foam Popper
Foam Popper12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze
NW 12 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp10.2°C
Air temp11°C
CloudClear
Pressure1026 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Reservoir levelas of 5 Oct
┄ 94% 10-yr norm
▼ Dropping
73% full
Low & dropping
▼-21 ptsvs seasonal norm
▼-20 ptsvs last year
▼-20 ptsthis week
Drawdown in progress. Margins exposing — fish moving deeper. Try the dam end on the drop.
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

A general southern European warmwater fly pack for barbel, carp and mixed exploratory venues built around slower rivers, canals, backwaters and marginal sight-fishing opportunities. Weighted nymphs, buggy worm patterns, crayfish flies and compact baitfish or leech-style flies matter more than surface trout logic.

WB
White baitfish streamer
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
CP
Crayfish pattern
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
SC
Small carp bug
14–16 · Nymph
Search the runs and pockets, dead-drift near the bottom.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Comunidad de Madrid licence required
  • Check current bank access points, no-fishing buffer zones, and any seasonal closures for the spawning period.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
78%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp100%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Embalse de San Juan
7.0 km
Black bass · Carp · Pike
Embalse de El Burguillo
28 km
Carp · Barbel
Embalse de Valmayor
28 km
Carp · Pike · Barbel
Río Alberche
33 km
Brown trout
Río Guadarrama
37 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Embalse de Picadas — Cola del embalse de Picadas 001
    Cola del embalse de Picadas 001
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Reservoir on the lower Río Alberche, downstream of San Juan, 65–90 minutes west of Madrid. A genuine multi-species water listed with barbel, boga, carp, pike, black bass, and zander. For the fly angler the headline is black bass: the pre-spawn window (roughly April to early June) is when the bass push aggressive and visible in the warming margins. Through summer, dawn and dusk poppers and gurglers over rocky shorelines are the most reliable approach. Carp and barbel reward sight-fishing in the upper arms; pike take big streamers along the deeper edges in the cooler months.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for autumn fishing.
  • Drawdown in progress. Margins exposing — fish moving deeper. Try the dam end on the drop.
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts