Freestone · Limestone · Andalucía / Jaén (Sierra de Cazorla–Las Villas)

Guadalquivir (upper / Cazorla headwaters)

Clear spring water cascading over moss-covered rock at the source of the Guadalquivir river in the Sierra de Cazorla natural park

This is the Cazorla headwater stretch of the Guadalquivir, rising in the Sierra de Cazorla y Las Villas.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.09 m
  • Water temp23.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.09 m
Water temp23.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather35°C
WindW 14 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.3 mm
Rain · ahead1.5 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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 23°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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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
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Junta de Andalucía licence plus trout surcharge required
  • Upper Guadalquivir cotos and managed beats can carry their own allocation and method rules, so confirm the current BOJA order and local permit conditions before travel.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 2
Probably above the Rainbow Trout safety line — these are likely cooler, but carry a thermometer.
Río Madera (Bajo)
31 km
~21°C
Brown trout
Río Borosa
7.0 km
~22°C
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Clear spring water cascading over moss-covered rock at the source of the Guadalquivir river in the Sierra de Cazorla natural park
    The source of the Guadalquivir, Sierra de Cazorla
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

This is the Cazorla headwater stretch of the Guadalquivir, rising in the Sierra de Cazorla y Las Villas. Here the river is still a limestone mountain trout stream: native brown trout of the distinct Mediterranean lineage (trucha común andaluza), protected under catch-and-release rules since 2005, share the water with some managed rainbow beats further through the wider upper system. Clear, quick-clearing limestone flows reward a careful, low-water approach and technical presentation.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Poor → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody ES050MSPF011009044 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · ES050MSPF011009044

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 6 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature3 × 28%0.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity49 × 12%5.9
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 52
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 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout durante los periodos hábiles (check current BOJA) → during the designated open period
Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookSpanish riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts