Category: Other scenarios

Characteristics of Guadiana tables

In this post I’m going to refer to all the Guadiana tables (also called ponds). I’m also going to refer to those formed in its different tributaries in the province of Badajoz. The main tributaries that have interesting tables are: Zújar, Gargáligas, Ruecas, Guadámez, Matachel, Guerrero, Gévora and Zapatón. From the height of the walls of Orellana and Zújar lakes, up to the end of the Alqueva reservoir, there are hundreds of tables, some better, some worse but in all of them we will find a diversity of predators.

The Guadiana River, due to its flow regime and the abundant dams that regulate it, has numerous tables in which there is hardly any current. The scarce current present is usually found at the entrance and exit of these elongated pools.

A little over a decade ago, these scenarios were true paradises where we could obtain dozens of catches in a single day practically just by throwing a lure into the water.

The overpressure of fishing (the arrival of google maps made them much more accessible), and the arrival of the water hyacinth and the Mexican waterlily are their main threats today. However if we know the river well and invest the necessary time we can still enjoy entertaining days, not only in terms of quantity but also in quality of the catches.

Bottom composition and structures

Because the area we are talking about is more than 100 kilometers long, the geological diversity that exists is important. However, as in all river ecosystems, we will find bottoms with gravel, sediments, etc.

In some areas, the least, we will find at the bottom the mother rock forming some structures, generally rounded by erosion. There are areas of granite, areas of slate, areas of schist… but in most of the tables at the bottom we will only find sand, silt and clay among which some gravel is splashed. Occasionally we will also find bridges, mills and other interesting anthropic structures, in addition to the constructed dams themselves.

Vegetation and cover

If there is one thing that makes these ecosystems stand out, it is the abundance of coverage. A large part of these rivers are home to eucalyptus, poplars, ashes and other typical riverbank trees. In a good number of cases these trees are “thrown” in the middle of the river due to various causes. These semi-submerged trees offer excellent cover for black bass, pike and barbel…

On the other hand, the riverside vegetation right on the shore also offers extraordinary coverage. The levels of these ponds are usually quite stable (except during the winter floods), so the trees, bushes, brambles etc. will offer shadows that are excellent bets.

Finally, I would like to highlight the tables in which rushes, reeds and cattails abound… but also the areas of water lilies and other aquatic plants. All this vegetation that is partially submerged also serves as a refuge for predators and allows them to both rest and hunt. These tables will also allow us to do a “heavy cover” fishing, very technical and entertaining and that we will not have the opportunity to practice in most of the reservoirs.

Main fishing species

These river ecosystems offer an interesting biodiversity of ichthyofauna, among which I will highlight the following predators.

• Black Bass. You could say that black bass is “the king of the river”. All these rivers offer you an excellent ecosystem in which to complete all its biological stages in a favorable environment. The density is very high and the average size rather small, but in certain tables with enough food and depth we can find large specimens, some even above 3 kg.
• Pike. We can also find pike in practically all these ecosystems. However, their populations will proliferate more in those ponds with colder and oxygenated waters, in the larger ones and in those with more current.

  

• Iberian barbel. The iberian barbel is the great native predator of these waters. Despite the fact that not all specimens show a predatory behaviour and that there are times of the year when they take the lures better than others, it is a species to be taken into account. Since bleak populations are stable in most of the river sections, a higher percentage of barbels have predatory habits. We can find very good specimens, being not uncommon the catches over 5 kg.
• Carp. The carp is very abundant in the river as the ecosystem it offers is also ideal for it. The carp of medium size are very abundant but in certain ponds we can capture big specimens, even exceeding 15 kg of weight.

Prey species of Guadiana tables

The bleak and the crawfish are the main prey of the predators that inhabit these waters. Both species are truly abundant, offering a virtually unlimited food source in most cases.

On some tables we also have an abundance of carp, barbel and carp fry, and more and more channel catfish. Channel catfish in some areas reach really big sizes and we can even catch them with lures. In some sub-basins we also find some native species that are logically threatened among such a biodiversity of predators. The cacho, the pardilla, the pejerrey, the colmilleja, the calandino or the fraile are some of them…

Access and navigation

In the Guadiana River basin, the float tube is considered to be a complementary element to bathing. We can use both float tube and kayak or pontoon to navigate the different sections, all according to the current legislation. In most of the tables to have a floating vehicle is essential, since without it we will hardly be able to access most of the fishing areas. The vegetation on the banks usually forms an inaccessible tangle so we must locate the points where we can introduce our means of flotation in the water.

In some places we can fish from the shore, some gravel pits near the river or some ponds near the cities of Merida or Badajoz have better access. Nevertheless I recommend the use of the float tube in 95% of the cases since we will be able to have much better results.

Characteristics of Atazar lake

With a capacity of 426hm3 and a surface area of 1070 hectares, Atazar lake is the largest in the Community of Madrid. Located at an altitude of more than 800 metres, it is characterised by its very clear and cold waters, which are discharged directly from rivers and streams in the mountains.

The reservoir is located in a really beautiful environment, rich in fauna and vegetation and is one of the areas of the community with less human impact at the level of infrastructure, buildings, etc. Its main uses are supply, irrigation and electricity, although it also has recreational uses in terms of fishing and sailing (there is a sailing club in Cervera de Buitrago).

Bottom composition and structures

At the bottom of the reservoir there are sandy areas where the mother rock is granite or quartzite alternate with other areas where the bottom is composed of shales and schist. We find naked rock in a very important percentage of the bottom of the reservoir, which limits the accumulation of organic matter and food.

The area of Berrueco and Cervera is very sandy and there are large beaches dotted with rounded rocks and some cutting areas. Towards the dam, however, we find much more cut and boxed areas, in which we find some points and where slates and schists predominate.

In general it is a very boxed and deep reservoir so the “living” area for the fish is certainly reduced for a reservoir of its size.

Vegetation and cover

We can find several areas with submerged trees that appear according to the level of the reservoir. As the reservoir is so enclosed, the variations in height are very large, which makes the proliferation of underwater vegetation very difficult. Only at the mouth of the Riato river and in some streams can we find some underwater plants.

The submerged trees are mainly holm oaks and offer good cover for the pike and black bass that live there. However, in general it is a fairly “bare” reservoir in which there is not much cover of plant origin.

Main fish species

Atazar lake is not noted for its abundance of predators. Although the bleak has been in the reservoir for several years now and its densities are important, the configuration of its banks and the fact that the water is really cold in winter make it difficult for them to proliferate. The significant changes in level during the spawning season do not favour good results either.

However, despite its low density, it is a reservoir famous for its large Black bass and pike

• Pike. The reservoir was built in 1972 and pike have been inhabiting its waters for decades. There is not a great density of them, although a large percentage of the shores are inaccessible or impassable so it is not easy to know their true potential either. However, very large pike have been caught well beyond the meter barrier.
• Black bass. There is not a high density, although it is a relatively common fish in the reservoir and its average size is rather small,

  

  below half a kilo. The catch of fish over one kilogram is already commendable, although sometimes fish weighing well over 2 kilograms are caught.

• Trout. Its catches are occasional and it is by no means an abundant predator in the reservoir.
• Barbel. The barbel has a very low predatory behavior, despite the abundance of bleaks. However, there are large specimens and sporadically we can catch some with artificial lure.

Prey species in Atazar lake

For only a few years now, the bleak has made its presence felt and its explosion has been incredible. During the spring and summer months it is difficult to find any area of the reservoir where we do not see bleak…

We also have a very large density of barbels of all sizes. Banks of small barbels abound and are one of the main prey of the large pike that inhabit these waters. There are carps, some eels, and finally, we should also mention the sunfish and the crawfish, whose populations, although not spectacular, also complement the diet of black bass and pike.

Access and navigation

The reservoir is navigable but not motorized, according to the Tajo Hydrographic Confederation. In fact there is a sailing club in Cervera de Buitrago, however it is not entirely clear whether you can use a float tube or a pontoon for fishing, so I do not dare to say.

The accesses are the great limitation of this reservoir. We can access the shore by only 4 or 5 accesses, some of them quite far away from it so most of its banks are “virgin”. If we want to discover new areas, we will have no choice but to walk long stretches along the banks in general quite steep and sloping … It is essential to come with adequate footwear to avoid frights.