Stillwater · Granite · Castilla y León / Salamanca (upper Tormes), ES

Embalse de Santa Teresa

Embalse de Santa Teresa venue image

A large, popular reservoir on the upper Tormes south of Salamanca, below the granite of the Sierra de Béjar.

Good · Pike
Large Baitfish Streamer · 15–25cm
Goodlive now
Autumn pike — big fish, big flies
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Fishable ripple — drift the productive shore.
71% confidence

Peak season here starts around March — worth planning ahead.

What moved it
  • WindSW 23 km/hModerate breeze · Gusts to 32 km/h
Today's fly
LB
Large Baitfish Streamer15–25cm
The workhorse of autumn pike fly fishing.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze · Gusts to 32 km/h
SW 23 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp5.1°C
Air temp9°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftSW wind
North-eastern end

A southwesterly has held for two days, running warmer than the water (12°C air against 5°C water). Expect fish at the north-eastern end — the bank it is blowing into — where the drift piles food, colour and warmth together. This reads the upper water, though — a bottom bait at range feels it far less than a floater or a fish in the margins. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

Reservoir levelas of 9 Nov
┄ 56% 10-yr norm
▬ Steady
45% full
Low & steady
▼-11 ptsvs seasonal norm
▼-5 ptsvs last year
▼-1 ptsthis week
Below seasonal norm but level steady — fish should be settled to the new shoreline.
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

Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank, sheltered shores

In wind, bank fish the lee shore — boats can anchor in productive areas if conditions allow.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · November 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

Probably the best pike fly fishing window of the year. Cooling water activates pike metabolism and baitfish shoal up before winter, concentrating the predators. Fish are aggressive feeders moving to windward banks, dropoffs, and points where baitfish are pushed. Large profile baitfish streamers on intermediate lines retrieved at medium pace, with pauses at structure edges. Count-down retrieves to find the active depth. Fish move — cover ground rather than working one spot.

LB
Large Baitfish StreamerTop
15–25cm · Fly
The workhorse of autumn pike fly fishing.
RB
Roach Baitfish
12–20cm · Fly
Roach are the primary prey of pike in most European lowland waters (Netherlands, Ireland, France, England).
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Castilla y León licence required (Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero)
  • Barbel, boga and cacho are protected during spawning — check current dates and any zero-bag rules
  • Wels catfish is invasive: there are handling/retention rules and the species should never be moved to other waters.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
45%
Cloud50%
Wind30%
Temp60%

Conditions are away from Embalse de Santa Teresa's sweet spot — it usually fishes best in ripple wind with cloud skies.

Other water nearby · 5
Río Tormes (Santa Teresa trout beats — Salamanca)
8.0 km
Brown trout · Barbel
Río Tormes — Villagonzalo II (Hucho)
17 km
Brown trout · Barbel
Reservoirs near Salamanca / lower Tormes
25 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Río Corneja system (research priority)
26 km
Brown trout
Zapardiel de la Ribera
32 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Unlike the deep Arribes canyon reservoirs downstream, Santa Teresa has broad, gently shelving margins and weedy bays that warm reliably through the summer — and that makes it the genuine warm-water sight-fishing water of the Salamanca group. In the warm months barbel and carp cruise the shallows and flats, giving classic spot-and-cast fly fishing, while pike hunt the weed edges and bays. There is an ecological shadow: wels catfish (siluro) are established here and a real conservation concern for the native fish. This is the inheritor of the old 'lower Tormes reservoirs' character — the one to fish for cruising barbel on a beetle.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Below seasonal norm but level steady — fish should be settled to the new shoreline.
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Embalse de Santa Teresa is a reservoir in Castilla y León / Salamanca (upper Tormes), Spain. Its recorded elevation is about 963 m above sea level and the catchment geology is granite. Our data lists barbel, carp and pike here. Core methods listed: Streamer fishing for pike along weed edges. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include Río Tormes (Santa Teresa trout beats — Salamanca) at 8.0 km, Río Tormes — Villagonzalo II (Hucho) at 17 km and Reservoirs near Salamanca / lower Tormes at 25 km.