Spate · Limestone · Asturias/Cantabria, Spain

Río Cares

Río Cares fishing venue photo
Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Frances · small to medium single
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.77 m
  • Water temp18.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Frances
Francessmall to medium single
From the river-specific Asturian salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.77 m
Water temp18.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather21°C
WindN 6 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead2.7 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
April to mid-July within the salmon season, but treat the Cares as a secondary salmon prospect. The lower river around Panes is where the chance sits, not the gorge above.
Where
Lower Cares–Deva water around the Panes confluence and below. Salmon legally reach to coto Piedragonero, but the lower joined river holds the better lies.
Method
Swung fly through the lower-river holding water; tubes scaling to colour and water height. Don't fish the gorge for salmon — the Cares-Deva system caps at thirty fish a year. Single barbless from 16 June; cupo one per day, one per season as kill.
Kit
10 to 13 ft #7/8 depending on which beat you draw. Sink-tip plus floater. 12 lb fluoro. Boots for steep banks.
Why this works
Water at 18.4°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Salmon run timing
2025 season

7 salmon declared to 15 July · 5.4% of regional total · trend: weak

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Beats · 6
Bártalo · 1.1 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — Cabecera del pozo Nicolás to Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo Nicolás
Downstream: Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa
Bártalo beat map
Miñances · 1.1 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa to 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo la Llorosa
Downstream: 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances
Miñances beat map
Mildón · 1.0 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances to Cola del pozo El Callejón.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: 250 m aguas abajo del puente Miñances
Downstream: Cola del pozo El Callejón
Mildón beat map
Pared Del Agua · 0.8 kmFree Tue/Wed/Sat
Free Tue/Wed/Sat stretch — Cola del pozo El Callejón to Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela.
Beat detail
Free on Tue/Wed/Sat, sorteo on other days
Upstream: Cola del pozo El Callejón
Downstream: Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela
Pared Del Agua beat map
Arrudo · 1.0 kmSorteo
Sorteo stretch — Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela to Cabecera del pozo Caldabones.
Beat detail
Sorteo (lottery) permit required
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo El Arrudo, 50 m aguas arriba de la pasarela
Downstream: Cabecera del pozo Caldabones
Arrudo beat map
Puente Caldabones · 0.8 kmSorteo
Sorteo stretch — Cabecera del pozo Caldabones to Cola del pozo El Avellán.
Beat detail
Sorteo (lottery) permit required
Upstream: Cabecera del pozo Caldabones
Downstream: Cola del pozo El Avellán
Puente Caldabones beat map
Beat map
Illustration · Studio Daisy
Beat map — illustrated schematic
Cares + Deva system. Beat numbering follows the BeatsListBlock above. Verify against current coto details before fishing.
Permits & access
Day permit · price varies by zone
Sorteo
Allocated by annual lottery — visiting anglers should target free-day cotos (Tue/Wed/Sat) or club permits.
  • Asignación de tramos por sorteo a través de la Federación Asturiana de Pesca
  • Se requiere licencia de pesca más permiso de coto
  • Para 2026, el cupo de salmón es de 1 pieza por día y 1 por temporada, de la cual solo se puede sacrificar 1
  • Verifica las normas específicas del coto, los vedados y las restricciones de aparejos antes de pescar.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 18°C — probably warm enough to stress Atlantic Salmon . These are likely cooler.
Río Dobra
19 km
~18°C
Brown trout
Gallery · 8
  1. Cares
    Cares
  2. Cares
    Cares
  3. Crystal-clear turquoise water of the Río Cares threading between white limestone boulders in the gorge.
    Río Cares gorge pool
  4. The Río Cares running over boulders and shingle in a wide open valley below Caín de Valdeón.
    Río Cares below Caín de Valdeón
  5. Poncebos at the foot of limestone pinnacles, the Río Cares a turquoise ribbon on the valley floor.
    Río Cares at Poncebos
  6. A deep turquoise pool on the Río Cares flanked by towering limestone walls below Puente de la Jaya.
    Río Cares below Puente de la Jaya
  7. The Río Cares rushing over mossy boulders through autumnal woodland at the mouth of the gorge.
    Garganta del Cares
  8. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · ES018MSPFES132MAR000620

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature2030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure9010% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon Third Saturday of April → 15 July

    2026 season: opens 18 April. Bag limit reduced to 1 fish per angler per year (was 2 per season). 60 minutes less daily fishing time. Cupo: 1 salmon per day, 1 per season (kill limit). Check river-specific coto rules, vedados, and tackle restrictions before fishing. Cares-Deva basin quota for 2026: 30 salmon total (max 12 in zona libre).

  • Trout Third Sunday of March → 15 August
3 zones — different rules apply
  • Coto salmonero

    Cares salmon cotos: gorge and lower sections to Piedragonero (Arrudo, Puente Caldabones, Puente la Vidre, La Higar, Niserias, Jaces, Puente Viejo)

    • Salmon: Third Saturday of April → 15 July · 1 per day, 2 per year (only 1 killable)
    • Sea trout: follows Trout
    • Trout: Third Sunday of May → 15 August
  • Coto parcial

    Mixed-access Cares cotos (Bártalo, Miñances, Mildón, Pared del Agua, Trescares, El Seu)

    • Salmon: Third Saturday of April → 15 July
    • Sea trout: follows Trout
    • Trout: Third Sunday of May → 15 August
  • Zona libre sin muerte

    Cares no-kill stretch: Rubena (848m)

    • Sea trout: follows Trout
    • Trout: Third Sunday of March → 15 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Cares — one of Asturias's most dramatic canyon rivers in the Picos de Europa. Reo and salmon run from the coast into the gorge. Access is restricted (coto system). Fast spate response; tight windows after rain. Night fishing restricted per Asturian regional schedule.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsPyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts