Why write about the title of this post? I have thought about it a lot and the truth is that I would have loved to read something like this before coming to Extremadura for the first time. I think it can be extremely useful for you, whether you have never come to Extremadura to fish, or if you fish occasionally. 20 years ago, I had the great fortune to meet the great Manute, who helped me a lot, both in fishing in Extremadura and in black bass fishing in general. But if you don’t have someone like him in your life, I hope this will at least serve you as a start.
Why fishing in Extremadura?
Extremadura is one of the richest communities in Europe in terms of biodiversity and of course also in terms of fishing for predators. In a community not too rainy, in its day it was decided to make a large number of artificial lakes, several of them really extensive. It is currently the region with the with the largest reservoir capacity in the country. If we put in the shaker these reservoirs with a fairly warm climate, with mild winters and generally high quality water …. The result cannot be other than what it is: top lakes where you can spend the day of your life.
For me there is a really important part that not everyone values and that is being able to fish in really privileged environments. Areas with a fairly low human density, a high degree of conservation and a large number of endangered species. Not everyone can fish while the Spanish Imperial eagle or the Black stork flies over them and for me this gives fishing another dimension. A day spent fishing in Extremadura can be a success even without catching a single fish.
And for wildlife lovers, birds are not the only animals with which we can enjoy. If you come during the rutting season you can enjoy it from a boat, something that very few have had the privilege of enjoying. If you want to do it, I recommend you to consult TopBirding. The deer, fallow deer and other ungulates are used to the fishing boats and are hardly bothered when they appear. And finally, if you are very lucky you might even see the rare Iberian Lynx, especially in the reservoirs of Hornachos and Valdecañas.
Top lakes
But besides all this, there is a very good fishing density, both in quality and quantity. It may not be at its best right now, there are other destinations with a higher density of fish… But in the end these destinations do not have the conditions that Extremadura has to have been, to be right now and to be in the future a paradisiacal environment for sport fishing lovers.
In its day were Cíjara, Alange or La Serena. Alqueva also had its moments of glory and is resurging… In Horno Tejero real records were and are still being caught, Sierra Brava will always be one of the reference reservoirs in predator fishing… Orellana and García Sola do not need a letter of introduction. Alcántara is a spectacle for fishing all types of predators… In my humble opinion it is perhaps right now the best reservoir in Spain for predator fishing in general. Not to mention small reservoirs and countless ponds that I don’t want to reveal here. If you really feel like fishing in Extremadura, keep reading because from now on the heavy artillery is coming.
What do I need for fishing in Extremadura?
First of all, the fishing license. A license really economical that will allow you to enjoy fishing an infinity of species. Here we are strong advocates of catch and release, so I am not going to talk about quotas or minimum sizes… Extremadura is also included among the communities in which you will be able to fish with the inter-regional license.
Secondly, if you want to fish by float tube, kayak or pontoon you have to take into account the following:
- In the Guadiana basin you do not need a navigation license, as long as your boat measures less than 2.50 m. (unless you want to do it with a motor).
- In the waters of the Tagus basin you do need a navigation permit, which must be requested more than 2 months in advance.
- On this website you will find everything related to navigation limits: both for Tajo and Guadiana, times when it is restricted in certain stretches for breeding birds, etc.
Thirdly, the desire to come. Here you will be able to enjoy an infinity of species and modalities. You can fly fish for trout or spinning in the rivers of the north of Cáceres. Also you can do fly fishing for cyprinids in almost any body of water. You can fish coup, feeder, match… practically in any body of water. You have what are probably the best destinations for carpfishing in the whole Peninsula. Here youy have dozens of reservoirs where you can fish for predators such as black bass or pike. Several species of barbel can be tempted: Common, Iberian, Andalusian, Small-headed… practically with any modality…
Where to fish in Extremadura?
The first thing we have to take into account is to decide which species we want to fish and with which modality. Extremadura is the community with the largest number of kilometers of “sweet coast”, that is to say, of shores of bodies of water. Fishing in Extremadura offers many possibilities, but for this reason we must also choose our destination carefully.
Sometimes in the same reservoir we can practice multiple modalities… For example in Alcántara we can fish practically any predator with lures, we can do carpfishing to look for carp and catfish, carp and barbel with fly, we can fish carp and barbel with feeder, carp with coup… However, other reservoirs offer us much less options. Although we can practice multiple modalities, from now on I will mention the best scenarios, always in my humble opinion for each species.
Black bass
There are many interesting fish species in the community, but black bass are probably the most sought after. If we want our Personal Best, Orellana, García Sola or Sierra Brava will be our best options. If we want quantity (and lately also quality) Alcántara, some ponds of Guadiana river, Proserpina at certain times and especially small reservoirs not so well known that have less fishing pressure as Zújar or La Serena. Whatever your choice is, Extremadura is the region that receives more European anglers every year in search of black bass, why is that?
PIKE
As before, if we want a really big pike, the Serena is probably the best scenario…. However, although it is recovering, it is not at its best, so there are a lot of blank days waiting for us if we want to try it. Cíjara, Orellana, Zújar, Sierra Brava, Valdeobispo or García Sola have a good population and in them we can also catch pike of a considerable size, with specimens over one meter not being rare. The Tiétar river also stands out for having interesting populations of this esocid.
BARBEL, FISHING In extremadura
In Extremadura we are fortunate to have several species of barbel: Common, Iberian, Andalusian and Small-headed. Common barbel can be found mainly in the rivers and reservoirs of the north of Cáceres, Iberian practically all over the community, Andalusian in Matachel basin and the Small-headed in Zújar basin.
As in the previous species, there are several lakes where we can catch really big barbel: Zújar, Orellana, Cíjara, Alange, or Alqueva. If we go for quantity, in most of the reservoirs of Cáceres there are interesting populations. Alcántara, Gabriel y Galán… and La Serena in the summer months is a spectacle. Although there are also other smaller reservoirs to fish in Extremadura such as Villar del Rey, with really good populations.
carp
The carp is one of the most abundant cyprinids in the Iberian Peninsula. Introduced in Roman times, it is rare to find a body of water without them, except in high mountain rivers. Fishing for carp in Extremadura will always be an excellent option, as its climatic and habitat conditions are truly exceptional. In few places in Spain we can catch carp over 30 kg and Extremadura is one of them.
Orellana, El Boqueron and Horno Tejero are 3 of the lakes where every year we can catch carp over 30 kg. There are other reservoirs with a very interesting population of medium size carp (we are talking about carpfishing). Alange, Sierra Brava or Alcántara can offer us very interesting days in terms of quality/quantity. And finally, if we want to catch smaller carp, either by coup, English or feeder, almost any body of water in the region will be interesting.
OtHER SPECIES
Finally, although these species are currently considered unfishable in Extremadura, it is absurd to ignore them, as they continue to attract thousands of anglers every year. Catfish, channel catfish and pike-perch nowadays have densities high enough to make their eradication totally utopian. I am the first to wish they had never entered these waters, but the damage has already been done and there is not much we can do about it.
Enjoy fishing for them or ignore them? It’s everyone’s choice but the most important thing is not to introduce them into new scenarios. Here I am going to be totally intransigent and if I discover that someone decides to introduce them into other bodies of water I will be the first to denounce it.
I hope you find this post interesting, if you have any doubt you can write me here, on facebook, on instagram… And if you decide to hire a guide, here I am. You only have to choose the date, species and modality and I will try to offer you the best possible experience.
