Like nearly every fly fisherman I know I have a particular soft spot for trout and was very excited recently by the prospect of fishing for the little wild trout of the upper Guadalquivir. I caught only one of these but I was nevertheless delighted. It may only have been little but it was as pretty as a picture.
One of the most fascinating things about trout is that they show regional variations in their colouring and these regional variations result from the splitting up and subsequent diversification of ancestral populations many thousands of years ago. The story of trout is a story of deep time, of habitat fragmentation, of towering glaciers and of retreating rivers and it is a story not written, but painted in the pigments that adorn the flanks of the fish.
There is no room to tell the story here but I have written a chapter about it in my book Dry River and if you are interested in the book you can find it by following this link: http://www.anglebooks.com
My little trout had particularly vivid colours, as smaller trout often do, and a pronounced scattering of red dots. It also had distinct pattern of dark and light bands that, I believe, is called zebré markings and characterize trout of the Mediterranean region. It also has a distinctive dark patch on the gill cover.
I was particularly keen to get a good photograph of this fish so that I can have a go at painting it in watercolours as soon as I have some time on my hands. I know I will never be able to do it justice but I am going to do my best.
A little wild trout from the upper Guadalquivir.
fishydreams 
Hi Paul,
These are special fish, stunningly beautiful in the flesh, on the edge of their natural range, in amazing surroundings and caught on the surface on a dry fly.
Sometimes it’s not the size of the fish but where and the method you caught it on that sticks in you memory.
Steve
Absolutely. Could I ask a favour Steve? If you have any photos of these fish could you send them on? If you are trying to paint them having several photos can be helpful.
Hi Paul, my wife and myself will be in Andalucia later this month and are hoping to be able to fish either at Istan or at the reservoir at Zahara.
Could you give us any advice at all, and any clues as to how/if we could get Andalucia fishing licenses.
Many Thanks, Lawrence
Hi Lawrence and thanks for your message. I´m afraid I can do nothing much to help you on the licence because Andalucía has a very complicated procedure. You need a special insurance policy and to have attended a training course. If you were a previous Andalucía licence holder you can get away with not doing the course. Other regions in Spain have different rules and getting a licence in most regions is relatively straightforward. In reality you are very unlikely to be asked to produce a licence. I suggest you simply have a UK licence with you and just plead ignorance. We have a problem with zebra mussels here and I understand Zahara is now out of bounds for fishing but Istan is okay. Istan has difficult access but I would be happy to give you directions nearer the time or, if I am available I can show you the access point I use myself. If you want to get in touch by email I am at paulmhogan@hotmail.com
All the best, P.