This reservoir, built in 1955, is the only motorized navigable reservoir in the Community of Madrid, with an area of 650 hectares and a capacity of 138 cubic hectometers. Its waters are used for supply, irrigation and electricity generation, as well as for recreational purposes due to its proximity to the city of Madrid and for being the only reservoir in this community where bathing is allowed, which is why it is also known like "La Playa de Madrid". It is flanked by the towns of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa and its walls dam the waters of the Alberche and Cófio rivers. These contain good populations of barbel, vogue, carp, pike, black bass and pike perch, which can be fished throughout the year if we have the current fishing license from the Community of Madrid. Although some of its banks are easily accessible, others, however, are only accessible by boat as they are private land, or require long trips by the fisherman on land, sometimes quite steep.
It is a cold water reservoir, so we must wait for the heat to arrive to achieve reasonable results. Likewise, the continuous transfer of boats in the months of July and August, as well as the influx of public, makes it very difficult to fish in the hours in the central hours of the day in those months, so a good early morning is essential.
