Spate · Mixed · Cantabria, ES

Besaya

Besaya — El río Besaya

The Besaya joins the Saja to form a combined estuary.

Poor · Brown Trout
Klinkhammer · 14-18
Closed season
Out of season. Plenty of other water available now.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Flow2.0 m³/sLast reading 23h ago
  • Water temp21.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Klinkhammer
Klinkhammer14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Flow
Steady
2.0 m³/s
Last reading 23h ago
Water temp21.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather21°C
WindN 6 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.2 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
21°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 21.1°C — above the brown trout 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 8 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

See the full sub-surface read 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 · regionalHigh confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
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
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Cantabrian fishing licence required
  • Managed cotos at Somahoz and Iguña should be checked by annex and named-stretch rules before travel.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 21°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Embalse de Alsa
18 km
~20°C
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Besaya — El río Besaya
    El río Besaya
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Besaya joins the Saja to form a combined estuary. Official notices reference the Besaya cotos of Somahoz and Iguña. Mixed geology with some urban influence in the lower reaches, but upper sections have genuine wild brown trout character in bouldery runs. Less glamorous than the Saja but relevant for structured trout fishing in managed cotos. SAIH gauge coverage available.

Hatches & food

In Cantabria's shorter mountain and foothill trout rivers, fish make the most of spring olives and stoneflies in clear windows between freshets, then switch to evening caddis and small buzzers through the warmer months, with terrestrials becoming a key option in sheltered glides and under tree cover once summer settles in.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · ES018MSPFES111MAR000370

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature13 × 28%3.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.1°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 31 July
Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts