Catalonia  is noted nbr # 1 on our map. We are handling different valleys of the region like the Vall de Boï & Vall Fosca , the upper Noguera Palleresa, and the upper Segre at the French border in Cerdanya. A rental car is required to reach these remote valleys. From Barcelona the ride is around 2h30. Roughly, if you leave early in the morning, you will be there for the Spanish lunch time. Fishing season During the early season -before the runoff period- it is always possible to find fishable stretches but it is unpredictable. After mid-May, some lakes - not all- are defrosted, and the high mountain streams legally open. The best fishing period is from early June, to the end of September. Brown trout & lake brook trout Brown trout is fished on dry fly and nymphs in the rivers and torrents. Lake brook trout on dry flies or light spinning.

Examples of packages in 2006 Quaint Hostal For 1 angler alone and his non fishing wife - 667 euros - Featuring 2 nights "half board" at our recommended Hostal de Montaña & 2 days guided fishing with mountain transportation by 4x4 vehicle, 1 Catalan fishing license & 2 day permits for the local "Cotos". Luxury Hotel For 2 anglers (flyfisherman & fishing wife), 972 euros - Featuring, 3 nights at our recommended outstanding Luxury Hotel, & 2 days guided fishing, 2 Catalan fishing licenses & 2 day permits for 2 anglers for the local "Cotos".

Accommodation Our recommended package features a quaint mountain hotel, Hostal de Montaña or an inexpensive but charming Mountain Refuge You will find there, nice people, nice setting and great food. The menus including wine and coñac hardly excess 20 euros. We can design a similar proposal with a "luxury hotel" offering also a swimming pool. This place has a terrific gourmet restaurant. Trip schedule over 2 days The typical fishing break consists in leaving Barcelona to reach the valley as soon as possible on day 1, check in at your hotel and meet the guide to fish until the evening. The next day the guide will pick you up in the morning and will take you in the mountain for the full day. You will fish again or leave on the 3rd morning. Important Do not choose a Monday, or use this day to travel as fishing is traditionally closed on Mondays in Catalonia. Rivers & lakes There is a stunning network of mountain rivers and torrents but the quantity of lakes is absolutely outstanding. Some are of easy reach with a 4x4 vehicle, and some others will be restricted to good walkers. These lakes are hosting brown trout and brook trout. Brook trout have been introduced long ago but are totally wild now. In Europe rivers are usually not cold enough for brook trout. Only these high lakes provide the proper habitat. Typical "estany" (altitude lake), Courtesy, Per B. from Sweden Guide Our guide is a Catalan mountain man montaner native of the valley. He is a keen fly fisherman and he knows a lot about the mountain fauna. He will take you in his 4x4 and maybe show you with binocular the local chamois named either rebecos, sarrios or isards. He speaks enough English for guiding purpose -and he is improving every day-. Local chamois "rebeco" or "sarrio" Equipment Visiting anglers must bring their own travel rod, footwear and waders. Our guide has light spinning tackle for visitors. Note also: These mountain torrents are perfect waters for an introduction to the Pyrenean bait fishing said au toc. Our guide has also all the equipment for this. Images of High Catalonia Courtesy of Tammy & Graeme Shaw from Missoula Montana Their trip included a visit of Barcelona, a fishing foray in the Pyrenees, fishing on the Andelle and a château night in Normandy plus a couple of nights in Paris with a live concert of the Rolling Stones... Some people know how to travel and enjoy life ! Bravo Tammy & Greame.

SPAIN OTHER REGIONS

-1- Catalonia The upper valleys of Cataluña, for a perfect break from Barcelona. -2- Aragon Impressive high valleys in the National Park of Ordesa in the Pyrenees. -3- Navarra The famous rivers fished by Hemingway when he was attending los Sanfermines bullfight fiestas in the 20's and again in the late 50's. -4- La Rioja La Rioja is best kown for the wonderful wines, but Spanish anglers grant an equally good reputation to its waters. -5- Cantabria Excellent rivers and unspoiled charming valleys of easy reach from Santander and the elegant seashore of the mar cantabrico. Likely to be awarded 1st Spanish wife endorsed destination. -6- Asturias Famous coastal rivers Carès, Deva, Sella (and others) for the amazing trilogy: Salmon, Sea run trout, and Brown trout.

- Readings -

Fishing with Xavier in the Vall' Fosca... - By Matt Dickerson - Published in the Addison Independent (Vermont) on June 27, 2002 * I rolled over once again, trying to get comfortable on a thin squishy mattress two inches too short for me, wishing my body were on Spanish time instead of Eastern Daylight Savings. After a hot August day in Vermont, the steady pounding of rain outside my window might have lulled me to sleep, but under the present circumstances it was not a comforting sound. In the morning, our fishing guide Xavier was to meet us at 9:00am for a traditional Catalonian breakfast, after which we were to head out fishing in the mountains that encompassed the valley. And so I lay awake much of the night, listening to the rain, imagining the river outside my window growing too high and muddy to fish. We had been planning this trip for several months. My brother Thanh and I were sharing a room in a small hostel part way up a 20-mile-long dead-end valley in the Spanish Pyrenees. The trip had been set up for us by a man named Nick, who runs a small outfit in France called Gourmet Fly. An avid angler, Nick certainly wasn't in it for the money. The modest fee he charged could hardly pay for the expenses of running his web site and making international telephone calls. He clearly did it for the love of it. He'd done a great job arranging for our guide, getting us directions, finding an inexpensive hostel that fit my budget, telling us what flies to bring, and having our fishing licenses waiting for us when we arrived. When I got there and realized how complex the fishing regulations could be, I was very glad I had opted for his help. Unfortunately, Nick had no say when it came to the weather, and the forecast for the morrow was snow. At 8:30am Spanish time--2:30am by my internal clock--we dragged ourselves out of bed, dressed for fishing, and went downstairs. Our breakfast and guide were waiting for us. But for all the weeks of anticipation, I was not eager to start fishing. The hard rain had diminished to a steady drizzle, but the temperature had dropped below forty degrees. Nonetheless, after sampling several types of traditional Catalonian sausages, we donned our rain coats, grabbed our gear, and headed out in Xavier's 4WD. For forty minutes, we wound up the west side of the valley along a steep mountain road, often with a sheer precipice on one side or the other. As we drove, Xavier shared a little of the valley's history, a little of his own history, and a few stories of other anglers he'd taken that way including the African he'd taken out the week before who'd caught about twenty trout in that very stream. Eventually, we passed the timberline, and the road leveled out along a high alpine meadow. No longer was rain falling on the windshield. Instead, wet white flakes were spitting down. It was not weather we'd expected for the second week of June. At that moment, however, Thanh and I didn't care. The scenery was breathtaking. We were at about 8000 feet, with rocky snow-covered peaks around us rising to over 10000 feet. The meadows were covered with a mosaic of wildflowers of every description. In the distance we could see old stone shepherds huts and small stone enclosures that had stood for centuries. Tumbling through it all was a crystal clear stream, about six feet wide and a foot or two deep--a perfect mix of pools, cascades, and riffles. We could have turned around and headed home without catching a single fish and it would have been worthwhile. Which is a good thing, because several hours later, when we finally climbed back into Xavier's car and headed back down into the valley for a late afternoon lunch, we had seen not a single fish between us. Thanh and I tried the entire assortment of wet and dry flies that had been recommended to us. Xavier even took some casts with his spinning rod. Nothing. The fish were not biting. We went out to three more stretches of lake and river that afternoon and evening, all lower down in the valley. At the very end of the day, as dusk was settling and Xavier was notifying us that dinner was awaiting us at the hostel, I managed to hook a single European brown trout. It was only about 4" long, but at least we had not been skunked. Even if the story had ended there, I would have considered it a success. Despite the lack of fish, the scenery and culture we experienced had made the day worthwhile. But the following day dawned clear and bright. By mid-morning, the temperatures had rising into the fifties and the sky was a brilliant azure. When Xavier heard that Thanh and I were planning on a hike, he invited himself to join us (making it clear that he didn't expect to be paid again). Whether it was his friendly good nature, or his pride as a guide, or some combination of the two, he didn't want us to leave without some good fishing. Thanh and I were happy for his company and readily accepted. We forsook the vehicle and hiked up the steep northeast corner of the valley where there were no roads. Our climb brought us to over 9000 feet, across patches of the previous day's snow, and through old tunnels from abandoned rails that been used to build the dams on the high lakes. On Xavier's suggestion, we bypassed the high lakes and fished a stream so small that my four-eight-year old son could have leapt it in places. Amazingly, it was loaded with hungry trout: a mix of browns and (ironically) brook trout imported from the U.S., ranging from 4" to 8". In the shallow, crystal clear water, the fish were very easily spooked. But fishing with stealth, and casting a small black ant on 7x tippet with my 3wt rod, I managed to land what would have made a nice meal for us all had we kept them. (Thanh caught some too.) By the end of the day, we had hiked (by Xavier's estimation) close to ten miles. More importantly to our guide, he had redeemed himself and the rivers he was so proud of. Driving out of the valley at the end of the day, on my way back to the Barcelona airport, I could see why Xavier had never left his little valley, and I was eager to return there myself. Matt Dickerson - June 2002 - Click to visit Matt's website