The main watercourse in the Gressoney Valley is the Lys stream, one of the longest and most fishy streams in the Aosta Valley. It is particularly popular with fishing enthusiasts for its turbulent waters rich in wild trout. Starting from the village of Pont-Saint-Martin, located on the valley floor, the first section of the Lys stream flows through the urban area, then a rough gorge is encountered at the glacial drop, and later the valley becomes flatter and away from the road. To reach the catchment fishing reserve, it is necessary to ascend to Gressoney-La-Trinité.
The Lys stream fishing reserve runs for about 3 km. It begins a little more than 2 km upstream from the main town of Gressoney-La-Trinité, then runs through the section inside the town and ends about 500 meters downstream from it.
In summer it is easy to find white melt water and high flow rates, especially in the afternoon, as the Lys stream originates from the massive glaciers of the Monte Rosa massif. In contrast, during the rest of the year and early in the morning in summer, the stream offers suitable conditions in terms of both flow rate and water transparency. The average elevation is about 1650 m asl.
The Gressoney-La-Trinité reservoir is characterized by the presence of numerous small holes, alternating with medium-long scrapes, following the typical pattern of mountain streams.
Natural bait fishing and spinning fishing can be successfully practiced throughout the stretch. Good satisfactions can be obtained particularly with honey camels, earthworms and tricoptera larvae (stone-carriers).
For fly fishing we recommend the initial part of the stretch, which is characterized by more naturalness and the presence of some interesting small streams.
Gressoney-La-Trinité, the municipality hosting the fishing reserve, can be reached from Pont-Saint-Martin (about 33 km) by following regional road No. 44.
The reserve is accessible along almost its entire length on both banks.
The predominantly present Species is Rainbow Trout which has a minimum size of 25cm.
Weekly releases are made in the reserve with adult trout weighing more than 3 ounces.
Specimens over 1kg are also periodically released.
