Spate · Granite · Galicia, ES

Tambre

Tambre — File:Rio Tambre.Portor.Ponte Maceira.jpg

The Tambre is a heritage salmon river flowing to the Noia ría, but salmon are now depleted and out of bounds.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.03 m
Lifting fast
Water temp6.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather13°C
WindN 18 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent41.8 mm
Rain · ahead4.1 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Trout season opens 1 May and closes 31 July — short Galician window. Spring olives and sedges through May; summer sedges in June and July evenings; small dark flies as the close approaches.
Where
Steeper upper water above the Noia ría tideline. Pool tails, riffle heads, and the seams behind boulders through the granite gorges.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; dry-dropper through the riffles. The Tambre's granite water reads clear — long leader, fine tippet, careful approach.
Kit
9 ft #4 — Galician spate default. Floating line, 12 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Studded boots — granite cobble runs slick.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 35%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost4 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea trout runRun
1
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Late March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Large Brook DunHatch
2
3
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Galician fishing licence required
  • Additional coto or tramo permit may be needed depending on the beat
  • Check current Xunta rules before travel; salmon heritage does not make salmon a legal target.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Río Dubra
20 km
0
Brown trout
Río Deza
22 km
0
Brown trout · Sea trout
Río Sar
27 km
0
Brown trout · Sea trout
Río Furelos
33 km
0
Brown trout
Ulla
34 km
0
Brown trout · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Tambre — File:Rio Tambre.Portor.Ponte Maceira.jpg
    File:Rio Tambre.Portor.Ponte Maceira.jpg
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Its present practical value is as a granite spate river with brown trout in the steeper upper water and sea trout in the lower river and estuarine reaches. The 8-hour response time makes it attractive after rainfall, and the river still carries real migratory-fish atmosphere even though active salmon fishing should not be part of trip planning.

Hatches & food

In Galicia's Atlantic trout rivers, resident browns feed through a spring build-up of olives and other up-wings into a long summer of caddis and small buzzers, with frequent spates and cool water keeping fish active; terrestrials from lush banks and meadows become important once levels settle and the banks green up.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Poor → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody ES014MSPFES-014-NR-244-100-01-01 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · ES014MSPFES-014-NR-244-100-01-01

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature48 × 28%13.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity44 × 12%5.3
Conditions total= 66
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Sea trout 1 May → 31 July
  • Trout 1 May → 31 July

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Reo (Galician sea trout) present in lower Tambre reaches. Salmon banned 2026. Sea trout are a secondary quarry on this heritage salmon river — present and occasionally taken but not a reliable primary target. Local knowledge essential.

Salmon: Heritage only (2026) — Salmon fishing banned in Galicia by 2026 Xunta decree. Heritage salmon river — not a salmon fishing destination.

Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Tambre is a spate river in Galicia, Spain. The catchment geology is recorded as granite, and the water sits at about 231 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 134 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout and sea trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 May to 31 July. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 1 May to 31 July. Best window recorded for anglers: May–July for trout and sea trout; salmon are out of bounds. Core methods listed: upstream nymph; wet fly; dry fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 2 gauges. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Río Dubra at 20 km, Río Deza at 22 km and Río Sar at 27 km.