Fly fishing Spain in the Late Fall is One of Life’s Great Rewards
The days can still be warm though and we had days with temps up in to the mid 70’s. My group fished out of Aren the week of October 14-20 and while we were greeted by a massive thunderstorm that blew out some of the home rivers, the excellent team at Salvelinus always had a strong Plan B for the first couple of days we fished. I’ve been fishing the Pyrenees for 15 years and as Ivan Tarin, the owner of Salvelinus will tell anyone who asks, Slipstream was the first booking agency anywhere who would give Ivan and his vision a chance. A decade and a half in, that vision has evolved into one of the best run destination angling programs I have ever had the pleasure of fishing. There are so many positive attributes to trout fishing in Spain and while it certainly costs more than just about any other destination in Europe, once you have the chance to experience it, you quickly understand why.
Ivan runs his main operation out of a hotel owned and operated by one of the best men I have ever met. The amazing Juan Antonio takes such good care of his guests, from breakfast to post dinner drinks. It’s a wonder he ever sleeps. The dining and wine pairing program that accompanies the fishing program from the hotel is far and away the best I have ever seen anywhere. It’s that good. It helps that Salvelinus operates an hour north of Sommotano, one of Spain’s great wine regions. Rioja is just a 3-hour drive east and Campo de Borja, the heart of Spain’s superb Granache region, can be reached by car in an hour.
What always strikes me about fly fishing in this part of Spain is the lack of pressure that we as trout anglers get to experience. If you’ve ever fished the Madison or the MO, you will know exactly what I mean. It is very rare that you see another angler during your week, who is not with your group. Additinally, the guiding level at Salvelinus is extremely high, among the best I have ever experienced. Ivan has trained and developed a remarkable team of guides who are also good people to just hang out with. Alexi and Pierre are truly next level trout guides and Ivan rotates guides among all guests during the week, which is a terrific idea in that everyone gets to fish and spend time with each other during the week. As a dry fly die hard, the Fall time frame does offer less dry fly opportunities than at other times during the year. That said the lovely Brown in the lead picture above was taken on a dry in 18 inches of water. The mid to late Fall in the Pyrenees is the time for trophy Browns and Rainbows and at this time of year the majority of the fishing is done with a nymph and an indicator. Just about every week in the fall, a 10 pounder is landed and this in part is why the fall is so in demand.
A week in the Pyrenees in the fall for trout fishing is an absolute paradise for anglers.
