SPAIN including GRAN CANARIA - definately hundreds of waters with great potentials!

There's no doubt about it -  the carp potential of the many very interesting and very rich spanish waters is immense! Carpfishing is only just up and comming in Spain these years - but the fish are definately there, and the conditions are there for the carp to have the potential to grow really big! About 80% of the spanish carp are hardfighting commons, but mirrors are also present. Many of the spanish waters are totally or next to unexplored - and the potentials are yet to be revealed on many of them. No doubt, within the next few years we are going to hear a lot more of the spanish carp - not to mention the many immaculate spanish barbel - of several different species! - And certainly not forgetting the giant wels catfish of the River Ebro system!

Recommended reading: - The Smooth Guide to angling in Spain - With Phil Pembroke 2004.

It has been described before, that even though visiting anglers thought to have all the permits needed, patroling Guardia Civil or bailifs have had another oppinion - as another piece of paper was missing! Not exactly what you'll be prepared to accept, when you finally thought to be able to fish without getting into trouble! Many anglers therefore opt for the professionel tour-operators to settle things, and make everything ready in advance. It certainly is a help to have someone who speaks spanish and know this paperwork jungle intimately enough to sort things out. The benefits of getting the logistics right also can be well worth the higher price! Unfortunately, nightfishing is generally not allowed in Spain!  In some areas you might get away with it - but you might just as well be caught and get all the gear confiscated - topped with a heavy fine!

Alarcón, Embalse de, Albaladejo del Cuende, Valverde de Júcar, Buenache de Alarcón,
This big reservoir is not easily accesible at all, but can prove worth some efford. 3 sectors are pointed out as worth a go - the northern end, where chances of 15 kg fish is certainly present, but the average carp are around 4 kg. On the eastern bank, the bigger northern bay generally sports loads of smaller fish to about 8 kg - but the majority considerably smaller. The big northern bay on the western bank is also worht a try - and both good carp and barbel are caught here. Carp record of the reservoir is 18 kg - barbel go to 6 kg. 
>Internet, Webcarp/Topcarp, 2003<

Phone-numbers indicated are for calls within Spain and the Canary Islands. From other countries, dial 0034 before the number

Arganda, Laguna, Coto de las Madres, Madrid
Carp and barbel present. Local permits and rules; phone 91-8711344. >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Ayagaures, Embalse de, Gran Canaria
This reservoir in the south of the island has a quite small carp population - but with a fine average size of the fish. Specimens of 35 lbs+ has been caught - and even bigger sighted. Fishing is by no means easy. Nightfishing is allowed, and a bivvy tollerated. Permits for fishing as well as for camping at the water has to be purchased in Las Palmas in advance. >Internet, Carp.de, 2003<

Buendia, Embalse de, Guadalajara Located about 120km North of Madrid in Guadalajara, this lake is offering quite prolific fishing, worth one-day sessions, where you can expect to catch 4 or 6 fish even in daytime in july (when it's HOT - and water levels low). Barbel of 10 lbs are also not unusual, and carp have been caught to 25 kg+. Webcarp crew members have caught a 19 kg carp here. Many of the mirrors are of a long, slim type with big heads and not too much growth potentials to arrive at real specimen weights - but well fed strains are also present - and of course also commons. I have found this map of the lake in a spanish site linked. Lake record now stands at 29,2 kg; a splendid mirror taken by a young spanish lad, fishing a region with lots of corbicula mussels. Seek out areas where thes mussels abound - and don't be affraid to put your baits in very deep water - not even at 20 meters of depth! Carp roam in numbers in this depth too. >Andy Macgregor, july 2006<, >Internet 2006<, >Média Carpe no. 73,  jan/feb 2007<

Chira, Embalse de, Gran Canaria For years this lake in the mountains of the famous spanish islands in the Atlantic Ocean has attracted the attention of carpanglers - and rightfully so. The mirrors in this lake are incredibly beautifull - and they fight like devils. More interesting though, is that you can fish them when the fishing back home can prove more than difficult in winter. Permits for fishing as well as for camping at the water has to be purchased in Las Palmas in advance. Nightfishing and 3 rods are allowed, if you specify your intent to fish for carp, and thus get the right permits, including a camping permit from Cabildo de Gran Canaria, 1-3 35002 Las Palmas, de Gran Canaria, Phone: 928 38 50 03. Fax.: 928 36 71 24

You can also permits and paperwork settled by the lake by Agustiín C.P. Cabrera, Embalse de Chira Cercados de Araña San Bartolome de Tirajana GRAN CANARIA Telephone and fax 00 34 928 12.90.60 E mail: chirafish@hotmail.com, who can also supply tigernuts, sweetcorn, maize and other baits - as well as a restaurant take-away, appartments and much more. Check out his webpage www.grancanariacarping.com.
Also look here. >Internet, Carpfishing UK, 2003<

Ebro, Rio from Tortosa to Tivenys, Catalunia
A good 30 km stretch where several good swims can be fished from the bank. The carp population is excellent, with the average fish around the 8 kg mark, and carp has been caught to 17 kg.
The majority of the anglers here on this part of the river are targeting the catfish - but the carp are definately also worth a go. You can fish with 2 rods, and boats are allowed. Permits are available by Ministierio de Caza y Pesca, 43500 Tortosa Plaza, Phillipe Pedrell 7, to 25 € / year. A camping site is found at Tivenys.
>Internet, Carp.de, 2003<

Guadalquivir, Rio, Córdoba
This river is teaming with small carp and barbel. Ideal for bagging up on match gear or the long pole.  >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Guadiana, Rio,
This immense river system, with its many lagunas in the upper stretches and reservoirs of all sizes all along its course offers a huge potential for big carp and certainly also big barbel of several different species. You can find virtually every type of fishing you'd like on this system - fishing calm bays on the river, deep pools and fast currents to try your luck with the berbel - or you can choose one of the big reservoirs or lagunas to challenge the big carp and maybe the biggest barbel in Spain!
Comizo's are said to have been caught to 18 kg in one of the lagunas - and barbel of 15 kg has been told of from several of the reservoirs and from the river itself in places. 
I have visited just two areas along this system - and I feel, that there's a hell of a lot more to go for. In my eyes, this river has an immense potential for very big fish yet to be fully revealed.
Don't misunderstand things - fishing is not nescessarily easy - some hard work are often requirred to be succesfull.

Jarosa, Embalse de la, Madrid
Carp of 21 kg reported in 2000. >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Mequinenza, Embalse de, Aragon This impressive reservoir of  110 km in length and a total 7540 ha. area, is also called Mar de Aragon and Lake Caspe.  The angling potential here is enormous. I't mostly known for the big cats here - but also very big zander and black bass are the target of many visiting anglers Then there's the carp - loads of carp! A few years back, it was thousands of small carp - actually making it difficult to fish with more than one rod at times - but as the cat population has continued to grow bigger and bigger - and the individual fish also bigger and bigger - the carp has become their main prey. This has proven to be of benefit to the average size of the carp in the water, and now carp of 15 kg+ are by no means rare anymore. Carp to 22 kg+ has been caught.  Several camping grounds are available directly at the lake - Lake Caspe Camping is one of them.

Navacerrada, Embalse de, Madrid.
Carp population present - reputedly to 20 kg. >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Orellana, Embalse del, Extremadura In Spain it's generally accepted, that once a new carp record pops up, it will be from this huge reservoir! In 2001 at least one carp topping 30 kg at the time of capture has been reported - but it wasn't weighed untill the day after - after being killed for food - when it pulled the scales to 29 kg! The immense expanse of water is not exactly crawling with carp - and as it's very rich on crayfish and other natural foods, the potential is certainly there to produce some very big fish. The fact that the water also stocks big barbus comizo will certainly not make it less interesting. These barbel has been caught to 15 kg here. Still, there's not many of these either. The reservoir offers lots of very promissing features to look for, when the carp and barbel are searched for - deep bays, points, tops and islands - some of which are only visible by low water levels. There's work to be done for years on this water. I've seen some of it from the damm end - an awesome sight  - but not fished it yet. Once a year an enduro / fish-in of 3 days offers the only legal chance for the spanish carpanglers to fish at night!

Pinilla, Embalse de, Madrid
Big carp and many small barbel are present in this reservoir on the river Lozoya. >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Pedrezuela, Embalse de, Guadalix de la Sierra, Madrid
Also called El Vellón, this reservoir perhaps boasts the biggesst average carp of the Madrid area - with many fish to around the 13 kg mark, more rarely specimens of 15 - 20 kg are caught. Lake record 22 kg. Location, however, is crucial - as is often the case on big waters. Fishing is alledgedly free. >Internet, Webcarp/Topcarp, 2003<, >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Santa Ana, Embalse de, Baldellou, Castillonroy y Estopiñán
This 760 ha. reservoir on the halfway betwen Lleida and Viella - not that far from Barcelona -  stocks both carp and the immaculate iberian 'comizo' barbel. No informations on the size of the fish so far. A very interesting looking place - as I see it on the pictures on the source page. >Internet, Todopesca, 2003<

Santillana, Embalse de, Manzanares el Real, Madrid
This reservoir in an altitude of 900 meters on the Rio Manzanares has produced a carp of 34 kg back in 1982, and very good carp are still present. A picture of the bigge has alledgedly been published in the magazines back then. Most of the carp here are commons. Two sectors are considered to be best - the big island, which is fishing well all year, and the eastern bay - Recula de la carcel - which is particularly good in spring. Water levels can vary considerably. Informations and permits at Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid. >Internet, Webcarp/Topcarp, 2003<

Have I missed out on something?  Please excuse any misunderstandings on my part  - My understanding of spanish language is very limited! Mail me on info@carphunters.com.

Segre, Rio, Mequinenza
The lower part of the river becomes part of the Embalse de Mequinenza - and it was from here, a new common carp record of 28,5 kg was caught in january '05. The angler deserves no credit of the catch what so ever - as he failed to put the fish safely back straight away, but brought it back home in the intention of selling it at a high prize. The fish were severely damaged due to bad handling - and even though it was alledged returned 2 days later, nobody really know this for sure. The least flattering side of carpfishing!

Sierra Boyera, Embalse de, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Cordoba
Small to medium sized carp and barbel present. >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Valmayor, Embalse, Madrid
This 755 ha reservoir about 45 km northeast of Madrid is reckoned to be one of the better carp waters in the country. Not because of the size of the fish - but because of their numbers!
From a power plant on the southern shore, really good opportunities of winter fishing exists, and the average size of the fish here should be a bit higher than in the rest of the lake. Carp of 15 - 17 kg are not rare in this particular part of the water, and rumours of 20 kg+ fish has been out.
Two other areas are also known to hold good fish -  at Pizarrera in west and at Puente del Escorial. Several comping sites are present, at Valdemorillo and at El Escorial. >Christer Johanson "Sportsfiske i Spanien" 2000<

Vellón, Embalse de, Pendrezuela, Madrid Carp has reputedly been caught to 22 kg in this big water close to Madrid - also known as Embalse de Pendrezuela. Several fish of 15 kg+ has been reported. Big pike also present. According to my source, fishing is free on this reservoir! >Internet, Apescar tocan, 2003<

Presa de las Niñas, San Bartolome de Tirajana, Gran Canaria
Just about in the middle of the island, this 300 ha. reservoir offers very easy fishing for smaller carp to short of  8 - 10 kg. When you want non-stop action - this could be the place to go. Permits for fishing as well as for camping at the water has to be purchased in Las Palmas in advance. >Internet, Carp.de, 2003<

Tajo, Rio This big river system is teaming with carp, and also several different species of big iberian barbel are present here. Really big fish are present, as these pictures demonstrate. However, much is yet to be discovered here - unfortunately, I've found no further detailed informations yet.

Zújar, Embalse de, Badajoz, Extremadura A magnificent new spanish record common carp of 34,9 kg was caught by two young anglers in february 2008. Informations and picture, curtesy of Andy Mcgregor of www.carpdiem.es and Paco of www.carpones.com. I have no further informations on this water of 22.000 ha. at the moment. The nearby La Serena reservoir on the same river is the second biggest reservoir in the country, and may also be worth a closer look - as is of course Embalse de Orellana close by as well. The whole area is famous amongst bird-watchers all over Europe, as there is a fantastic wildlife here.