TACKLING EMBALSE DE CHIRA by Ron Woodward

'Tackling Embalse de Chira' aims to assist you in organising your trip and successfully fishing the lake.

My decision to pass on this information was made while I was fishing in the World Cup Classic on Lake Madine in France. It was an event that is open to all nationalities, British, French, Dutch, and German etc. One of the less well known Carping nations, Czechoslovakia, was represented by just one team of anglers. On the night before the match 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 didn't know 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 on how to tackle Lake Chira.

The lake itself is in fact a reservoir and is used for irrigation purposes and for supplying water to holiday resorts lower down. 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 to keep the weed in check. Although initially introduced to control the weed, the carp have now given the locals a by product of some extra income from all the foreign anglers that visit the lake to fish there.

Tackle

This is an area that you'll definitely need to work out well in advance. 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’ philosophy 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 the necessary items of tackle you require to fish the lake successfully 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'll find that you'll have to make some sacrifices to your normal set up. Extra protection for your rods is vital and I would strongly advise that you take them in a protective tube. I appreciate that the tube is extra weight but it is of the utmost importance to ensure your rods arrive undamaged. I have seen anglers who had not taken the correct precautions to protect their rods and paid the price.

Car Hire

My own personal choice regarding car hire is to book through the travel agent at the same time I book my flight. Ask for a roof rack to be fitted - normally, this is provided at no extra cost. This carries your rod tube allowing much more room in the car.

Although you can book your car hire on arrival at the island and it's usually cheaper, I find that advance booking is the far better option. You really need the car to be available on arrival at the airport, so you can load up and drive straight to the lake. Just a word of warning... the drive to the lake can be a bit scary so be careful if it is your first time!

Fishing the Lake

There's an abundance of features around the lake, all of which will need investigating. You need to fish to these features if you want to do well. The depth varies greatly from 3 to 4 feet close to the edge, dropping off quickly in some areas to 30 or 40 feet only a couple of rod lengths out, and up to 100 feet at the dam end of the lake (remember that the lake is a dammed off ravine). If you want 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 either fishing on the bottom or on the surface. When fishing on the bottom, I like to fish close in, in depths of between 6 to 15 feet. I've had carp from up to 35 feet in depth, but this is not normally the best depth to contact feeding fish.

I've 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 bivvy and large unhooking mat needed, re my earlier advice about baggage allowance.

Another way I reduce the weight of the tackle I take with me is by not including any cooking equipment or cooker, my own preference being 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're on your way to the lake.

After you've driven through the town of San Bartoleme and starting to enter La Plata, you'll see on your right hand side a large supermarket which lies back just of the road. They 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. maize, chick peas, sweet corn etc. 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.

So if you're 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 Woodward