Carp Fishing Gran Canaria ( Canary Islands ) With the Canary Carp Crew

Carp Fishing in Gran Canaria with the Canary Carp Crew, We offer the best all year round carp fishing excursions and holidays in Spain and the canary islands. We offer carp fishing day trips, night trips and fishing holidays in one of our 6 exclusive fully licensed and insured lakeside accommodation.

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Hi Keith ...hope all is going well over there for you

here is an old article of mine on Chira

TACKLING EMBALSE DE CHIRA



This particular article looks solely at tackling one particular water, this being, lake( EMBALSE DE CHIRA ), so If you are considering a trip to the Canary Islands to fish the above lake, (one of a number that exist on Gran Canaria) then this article is aimed at assisting you in achieving success on the lake.



If you are a regular reader of Carp Fisher, you may remember my first ever article in the magazine, which was on this particular lake. Since that article, I have been continually asked by anglers for advice on how to tackle the fishing in Gran Canaria.

The obvious questions are “How to get there” and “How to fish Lake Chira?”

With this in mind I have decided to pass on some of my experience, on how to successfully organize and fish this lake . I hope it will be informative and also helpful. My decision to pass on this information was brought about while I was fishing in France, in the World Cup Classic on lake Madine, it was an event that is open to all nationalities, British, French, Dutch, German ect. One of the less well known Carping nations ( Czechoslovakia ) was represented by just one team of anglers. On the night before the match was due to take place, I was standing listening to the group playing with all the other anglers from the different countries and while eating a hot dog, the two Czechoslovakian Carp anglers came over to me, they both shook my hand and said, thank you for writing the article in Carp Fisher on Lake Chira, as we are members of the Czech Carp society, we receive Carp fisher and after reading your article on Chira, it inspired us to go and fish there, before reading your article we did not know that, that country even contained Carp. They went on to tell me that they had had a most enjoyable trip and they also must have spent at least half an hour asking me questions on certain aspects of fishing in the Canaries.



So hopefully some of the points I will now cover will not only answer their questions, but also the many other anglers that have asked me the same questions of how to tackle lake Chira.

The lake its self, is in fact, a reservoir and is used for irrigation purposes as well as supplying water to holiday resorts lower down on the island. It was formed about thirty years ago by damming a ravine in the mountains to trap the rainfall. Eventually, weed growth became a problem and carp were introduced in order to keep the weed in check. Although the Carp were introduced to control the weed, they have now given the locals a byproduct of some extra income from all the foreign anglers that visit the lake to fish there.

To have a successful trip to the lake, I believe there are several important facts to take into account when planning your venture, such as :

Tackle:

This is an area that you will definitely need to work out well in advance. The reason for this is because of the stringent baggage allowance exercised by the airlines. You must be within the 22 kilos luggage limit plus a maximum of 5 kilos for hand luggage. Certainly, the ‘Everything bar the kitchen sink’ is way out of the question. Excess baggage charges are high and it would be a costly business if you attempt to take too much. In fact, if the plane is fully loaded, the airline can and will refuse excess baggage anyway. But if approached correctly, all necessary items of tackle you require to fish the lake can be taken without a problem, I can assure you. I have been to Chira on ten occasions and have never had to pay a penny for excess baggage.

Pre-weigh all your tackle so that you don’t get caught out at the check-in desk at the airport. You will find that you will have to make some sacrifices to your normal set up, which you would use in this country, in order to obtain the correct weight. Extra protection for your rods is vital and I would strongly advise that you take them in a protective tube. I appreciate that a tube would be extra weight but it is of the utmost importance in order that your rods arrive undamaged.

I have seen anglers who have not took the correct precautions to protect their rods and have paid the price, how would you fish with the rods shown in the insert, the result of not using the correct protection.


Flight & Car Hire:

The kind of holiday you envisage will, of course, have a bearing on the way you need to arrange it. Some anglers fish during the day only, returning to pre-booked accommodation at night. Obviously, if you follow this course then a package (with or without car hire) can be arranged through your local travel agent. But if you decide to book your car hire on arrival at the island, it is usually cheaper, you just need to shop around a bit for the best price.

The second option is for anglers who wish to stay at the lake day and night, which is my own choice. In this respect you only have to book a flight only (no accommodation is required). My own personal choice regarding car hire is to book through the travel agent as I book my flight, I personally find it is essential to ask for a roof rack to be fitted. Normally, this is provided at no extra cost. Certainly, it is necessary in order that my rod tube can be strapped on, to give much more room inside the car.

I find that advance booking is far better option, as you really need the car to be available on arrival at the airport, in order for you to load up and drive straight to the lake with no problems of trying to find a car. The third option includes a bit of both of the first two. You may wish to contemplate a small apartment close to the lake. This would give the choice of staying close to the lake side, whether or not you fish any or all of the nights. If this option is preferred then accommodation can be booked in advance through Augustin Cabera ( I will give you his contact numbers a bit further on ).

Finally the last choice is for the angler who wishes to sit back, leaving all the arrangements for someone else to sort out. If this is what you are looking for then a ‘phone call to my old mate Mick Hall will give you this option. He fishes and runs organised excursions to the lake on a regular basis. His telephone number is 01992 767252 or mobile 0956 229 148. He has a lot of experience of fishing the lake and is more than capable of taking care of all your needs.

Route to the Lake:

Embalse de Chira, along with several of the lakes which are on the island, is in the centre of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands. To get to Chira, if your not with Mick on a guided trip to the lake, is first turn left out of Las Palmas airport on the 812 towards Playa del Ingles. Stay on this road until you have passed through San Augustin and are entering Playa del Ingles. From here, leave the 812 and head towards Fatiga. Follow this road until you reach San Bartoleme, a small town in the centre of the island. Go through the town Centre and make for La Plata. After this, there will be a turning on the left signposted Embalse de Chira. Follow this to the lake. Just a word of warning that the drive to the lake can be a bit scary so be careful if it is your first time!

Camping & Fishing Permits:

Fishing Permits used to be available from the Icona Office in Las Palmas. This has now changed and you have to obtain your permit from Cabildo de Gran Canaria, 1-3 35002 Las Palmas, de Gran Canaria, Tel: 928 38 50 03. There is also a Fax. which is 928 36 71 24. Make sure you obtain the special fishing permit as this allows you to fish with more than one rod. If you wish to camp at the lake on an area that is privately owned, then you must negotiate with the local land owner for permission.

But if you wish to avoid the hassle of a trip to Las Palmas for a licence, or searching out the relevant land owners, then Augustin Cabera ( who I mentioned earlier ) can obtain this for you in advance. His address is 129, Presa de Irana, San Bartoleme, Tirajana, Gran Canaria. Tel: 928 12 90 60 or Fax. 928 71 22 39. He does, by the way, speak perfect English.

Fishing the Lake:

There are an abundance of features around the lake, all of which will need investigating. You must fish to these features if you wish to do well. The depth varies greatly from three to four feet close in to the edge dropping of quickly in some areas to thirty or forty feet only a couple of rod lengths out, and up to one hundred feet at the dam end of the lake ( remember that the lake is a dammed of ravine ) if you wish to get some idea of how deep the lake is, just take a walk up to and along the dam, then look over the other side of it away from the lake. There are many different types of swims including several on the road side.

Here it is possible to drive straight up to the lakeside and fish, more or less, out of the back of the car. There are also several swims on the far side of the lake where a boat is required for access. These swims are probably more for the adventurous type ( like myself ). Personally, I have tackled all the different types of swims and have had good bags of carp and decent sized fish from most of them.

You can tackle most of them by ether fishing on the bottom or on the surface. When fishing on the bottom, I like to fish close in, in depths of between six to fifteen feet, I have had carp from up to thirty five feet in depth, but this is not normally the best depth to contact feeding fish, I have found that carp can be caught off the top quite easily, both in the margins and at distance with the aid of a small boat. The fish will take most floating baits e.g. bread, dog biscuits, chum mixer etc.

When fishing in the Canaries, I tend to step up the specification of all my tackle and I would advise you to do the same. Certainly, the use of snag leaders is a must because of the bottom being extremely rocky. I also take a waterproof covering for my bedchair. This comes in handy as I regularly sleep under the stars and it also converts my bedchair into an unhooking mat when required, this not only provides good protection for the fish, but also helps in reducing the weight of my gear, with no bivy and large unhooking mat needed, re my earlier advice about baggage allowance.

Another of the ways I reduce the weight of the tackle I take with me, is by not including any cooking equipment or cooker, my own personal preference is to eat and drink at the local bar / restaurants with are situated only a few minutes walk from the lake. This not only provides you with a break each day from the very hot conditions of fishing on the lake, but also helps you meet the local villagers who use the bars, I find them to be very friendly even though there is a language barrier.

But if you are the sort of angler who must have his cup of earl gray each day and cook your own food, then you can purchase all the supplies you will require, even a camping gas cooker, as you are on your way to the lake , after you have drove through the town of San Bartoleme and stating to enter La Plata you will see on your right hand side a large supermarket which lies back just of the road, this supermarket not only will sell you all the provisions you will need but also a variety of things you can use as bait on the lake, i.e maze, chick peas, sweet corn ect, this is another good way of keeping your weight down for the plane and believe me I have caught more carp in Chira on baits like sweet corn, than I ever have on boilies.



If you are thinking of a trip to Chira then I hope some of the information contained in this article will have helped you. If there is a question I have not covered and you would like an answer for,I attend all the Carp society conferences, so just walk up to me and ask, I will be only to happy to help you.

Good luck and tight lines till next time.

Big Ron