There are many Gran Canaria lakes, but you can only fish in a few: Lake Chira and Lake Niñas. You’ll need a freshwater fishing licence. It is issued by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the local government that handles it. The drought has lasted over five years, so the levels are so low.
Types of Licences
If you’re a tourist and want to fish in the Gran Canaria lakes, you can choose between:
For foreigners (with a NIE number) and residents, a one-year fishing licence is available.
The good news is that you can choose the starting date in advance.
Processing can take up to a week (or more!), so please order as early as possible.
Lake Chira
This is the main lake where you can go fishing in Gran Canaria. In August 2024, it had 129,053 cubic meters of water, only 2.23% of its total capacity.
Lake Niñas (Presa de las Niñas)
This is the other lake where you can fish. Unfortunately, the water levels are shallow because it hasn’t rained for over a year. There are fish there, but we’re not sure how long they will be there since the water is not very clean and getting lower every week. Click here to read more about fishing in Lake Niñas.
Other Gran Canaria Lakes
Other lakes on the island, like Lake Gambuesa (560,745 m3 = 41.58% of the total capacity), have more water. Unfortunately, fishing is not allowed there, but some people don’t care and go anyway. Here is a summary of the other publicly owned lakes and their water levels (updated August 2024).
| Lake | Water Level in cubic meters (m3) | Water level % of total capacity |
| Ayagaures | 60,637 | 3.28% |
| Gambuesa | 560,745 | 41.58% |
| El Mulato | 197,141 | 25.95% |
| Fataga | 0 | 0% |
| La Candelaria | 26,214 | 6.60% |
| El Vaquero | 3,583 | 1.34% |
