From Friday 1st April until the 31st August fishing is permitted in the Val d’Aran, according the Fishing Specific Plan approved by the Conselh d’Aran for the 2016 season. The activity can only be performed on sections of rivers authorized for this purpose.
As exceptions to these dates, the document mentions the high mountain lakes -where the season runs from May 29 to 30 September-; the controlled fishing area of Aiguamòg reservoir -from May 1 to September 25-; and the high mountain rivers -from 1 May to August 31- (Riu Malo, Ruda, Aiguamòg, Valarties, Noguera Pallaresa and Noguera Ribagorçana).
Preserves
The sections that do not appear in the list of controlled fishing areas in the Val d’Aran are considered forbidden. In addition, since the densities of trout after the flood of 2013 are not sufficient to allow fish farming, it is forbidden the section of the Garonne River in the municipality of Naut Aran. Fishing is also forbidden in areas of lakes and high mountain ponds and on the stretches of running water between different lakes.
Hooks and baits
The Plan expressly prohibits fishing with any species of fish dead or alive. Permitted baits can be artificial (spoons, nymphs, flies, fish or imitated animals) or natural (earthworms, honey, cover, cuques de riera, dragues, grasshoppers and adult flies). Is permitted the “arponet” but only can be used a single hook whose measurements can be from 1 to 10.
Captures
In order to preserve the fractions of reproductive age in the rivers, no minimum catch size is set. The maximum sizes, from which the fish must be returned to the river are: 30 cm on the Garonne, 22 cm in mountain rivers and tributaries, and without size in the lakes and reservoirs.
The maximum number of allowable catches per fisher per day is 3 in the Garonne, 5 in the mountainside tributaries and rivers and 12 in lakes and reservoirs. Capture is unlimited for the trout “Irisada”and the “salvelino”.
Controlled fishing areas in the Val d’Aran