The River Ebro is now Europe's premier destination for carp and catfish angler's, and is well known all over Europe for the large wells catfish, or 'siluro'. The river also holds a huge head of carp which the catfish feed on with the result that the Ebro cats grow at the rate of ten to fifteen pounds per year. The River Ebro has frequently produced many 100lb+ catfish to the travelling angler.
The River Ebro is considered by most anglers to be the best place in Europe to catch catfish. The catfish are getting bigger all the time since the fish have the perfect environment. They have a long growing season due to the Spanish winters being so short, huge amounts of food fish to feed on, and so little competition from other predators.
Catfishing seems to be becoming more and more popular amongst English, Dutch, and German anglers and it is possible that the River Ebro giants will continue to put on weight for some time yet. The wels is known to have a very long lifespan so maybe the record breaking fish will continue to appear for some time yet.
The wels catfish is not a native of Spain. Introduced from the River Danube for sport fishing in the 1970's, it has been reported as living in excess of 30 years, so has a long time to grow. The females usually spawn in May and June so will be at thier biggest then. It is presently confined to the River Ebro and tributaries.
The methods used in Spain are varied. The catfish is reported by some as being a predator, others claim it is a scavenger. It makes no diference, the fact is it will take most baits offered whether they be live baits, dead baits, carp baits, or lures. It is known that they will not eat for days then go into huge feeding frenzies - especially after dusk. They will often decimate whole shoals of fodder fish.
As with most predators catfish tend to eat and sleep, When catfish are feeding the fishing can be fantastic. Landing hundreds of pounds in one session is not unknown, but like any other fishing, be prepared to find things hard at times.
Carp pellets are a very popular hook bait for both the carp and catfish. For the catfish, live baiting and dead baiting with eels, small carp, mullet and bass, is very often successful too. One of the most abundant species in the river are common carp, with a few big mirror carp here and there. Mullet and Eels are also available and these and the common carp are often the best baits to use. Drift them down the margins and near shallow weed beds covering as much water as possible. This method is very productive. Occaisionally the odd albino catfish is caught.
Carp are present in huge numbers in the ebro. The most common species of carp are - common, mirror and crucian. Weights vary a lot. Crucians over a couple of pounds are rare, common carp and mirror carp run to much higher figures with 25-30 pounds being regularly reported. Remember these are river fish so take into account the strength of the flow AND the fish when setting your tackle up, especially in spring when the river is running high. Step the terminal tackle up a bit to compensate.
If fishing for common carp and mirror carp then you are in luck. Lots of fisheries will have lots of small hard fighting fish making up the bulk of your net. Pole, whip, waggler, or feeder works well - just as it does in the uk.
Most fish in the Ebro are not tackle shy, many have never seen a hook! Especially away from the heavily commercialised areas. Remember the Ebro is over 500 miles long. There is more than just Mequinenza, Riba roja, and Flix. Remember also many fishing companies will only show the big fish that have been caught. Just look around the web to see. Don't let this put you off. There are lots of biggies there.
Feeding maggots or caster over ground bait won�t work everywhere. It will in the reservoirs behind the dams but in the main river it just gets washed away. Try the old favorites that the locals use. They will often out fish boilies and pastes on little fished waters. Try Par boiled baby potatoes, beans, boiled corn, maize, bread, paste, luncheon meat and sausage meat. Don�t ignore fruit flavors though. Use lots of free offerings. Pop-ups are also a very good bait. Finally, just to push it home - never ignore old fashioned bread crust or flake. Try this in the summer when the fish are visible on top.
In the depths on the embalses, use the feeder. Not only is it effective, but it�s often the only possible method. Float fishing is often only effective using a slider or trotting. The �method� works well for small and large carp. This technique is becoming more and more popular amongst the local anglers nowadays.
To catch large specimens, then the classic specimen methods used in Northern Europe will score. If your water is rocky or snaggy, then tackle must be stepped up accordingly, with �rotten bottoms� for your lead links. If you decide to try for crucians, then corn or maggot is often best. Fish classic crucian style � very light and hit the slightest of bites. Feed little and often to keep the fish close.
Zander prefer to hunt in low light conditions, so dawn and dusk are best. Use artificials or deadbaits. Spinners, vibrating lures, and plugs also work very well. Use a short wire trace and 10lbs line.
Fish for them as if you are fishing for pike or perch. If using deadbaits then stick to freshwater fish. Fish these free line or with as little lead a possible. If float fishing use thin pencil floats which offer very little resistance. Zander hate resistance and will drop a bait if they feel any. Zander can often run into double figures and in Spain are mostly eaten when caught by the locals. We would prefer it if you return them alive.
Mullet are often seen shoaling up near waste water outlets. The shoals can be enormous. Where this happens, it is usually a hot spot for the catfish since they know its an easy supply of food. They often go into hugefeeding frenzies and this is a perfect spot for seeking out those big elusive catfish.
Bass give good sport,and can be fished for on a variety of methods. Try fly fishing, spinning, float fishing, or jigging. It is a good idea to fish using the roving method, carrying a small bag of jigs, lures, mepps, forceps and a landing net. Spanish anglers tend to use small four centimetre rapalas. Most patterns work well and mottled patterns which look like perch or pike are especially effective. July to September are the best months. The Bass are of the black wide mouthed american variety.
The River Ebro is considered by most anglers to be the best place in Europe to catch catfish. The catfish are getting bigger all the time since the fish have the perfect environment. They have a long growing season due to the Spanish winters being so short, huge amounts of food fish to feed on, and so little competition from other predators.
Catfishing seems to be becoming more and more popular amongst English, Dutch, and German anglers and it is possible that the River Ebro giants will continue to put on weight for some time yet. The wels is known to have a very long lifespan so maybe the record breaking fish will continue to appear for some time yet.
The wels catfish is not a native of Spain. Introduced from the River Danube for sport fishing in the 1970's, it has been reported as living in excess of 30 years, so has a long time to grow. The females usually spawn in May and June so will be at thier biggest then. It is presently confined to the River Ebro and tributaries.
The methods used in Spain are varied. The catfish is reported by some as being a predator, others claim it is a scavenger. It makes no diference, the fact is it will take most baits offered whether they be live baits, dead baits, carp baits, or lures. It is known that they will not eat for days then go into huge feeding frenzies - especially after dusk. They will often decimate whole shoals of fodder fish.
As with most predators catfish tend to eat and sleep, When catfish are feeding the fishing can be fantastic. Landing hundreds of pounds in one session is not unknown, but like any other fishing, be prepared to find things hard at times.
Carp pellets are a very popular hook bait for both the carp and catfish. For the catfish, live baiting and dead baiting with eels, small carp, mullet and bass, is very often successful too. One of the most abundant species in the river are common carp, with a few big mirror carp here and there. Mullet and Eels are also available and these and the common carp are often the best baits to use. Drift them down the margins and near shallow weed beds covering as much water as possible. This method is very productive. Occaisionally the odd albino catfish is caught.
Carp are present in huge numbers in the ebro. The most common species of carp are - common, mirror and crucian. Weights vary a lot. Crucians over a couple of pounds are rare, common carp and mirror carp run to much higher figures with 25-30 pounds being regularly reported. Remember these are river fish so take into account the strength of the flow AND the fish when setting your tackle up, especially in spring when the river is running high. Step the terminal tackle up a bit to compensate.
If fishing for common carp and mirror carp then you are in luck. Lots of fisheries will have lots of small hard fighting fish making up the bulk of your net. Pole, whip, waggler, or feeder works well - just as it does in the uk.
Most fish in the Ebro are not tackle shy, many have never seen a hook! Especially away from the heavily commercialised areas. Remember the Ebro is over 500 miles long. There is more than just Mequinenza, Riba roja, and Flix. Remember also many fishing companies will only show the big fish that have been caught. Just look around the web to see. Don't let this put you off. There are lots of biggies there.
Feeding maggots or caster over ground bait won�t work everywhere. It will in the reservoirs behind the dams but in the main river it just gets washed away. Try the old favorites that the locals use. They will often out fish boilies and pastes on little fished waters. Try Par boiled baby potatoes, beans, boiled corn, maize, bread, paste, luncheon meat and sausage meat. Don�t ignore fruit flavors though. Use lots of free offerings. Pop-ups are also a very good bait. Finally, just to push it home - never ignore old fashioned bread crust or flake. Try this in the summer when the fish are visible on top.
In the depths on the embalses, use the feeder. Not only is it effective, but it�s often the only possible method. Float fishing is often only effective using a slider or trotting. The �method� works well for small and large carp. This technique is becoming more and more popular amongst the local anglers nowadays.
To catch large specimens, then the classic specimen methods used in Northern Europe will score. If your water is rocky or snaggy, then tackle must be stepped up accordingly, with �rotten bottoms� for your lead links. If you decide to try for crucians, then corn or maggot is often best. Fish classic crucian style � very light and hit the slightest of bites. Feed little and often to keep the fish close.
Zander prefer to hunt in low light conditions, so dawn and dusk are best. Use artificials or deadbaits. Spinners, vibrating lures, and plugs also work very well. Use a short wire trace and 10lbs line.
Fish for them as if you are fishing for pike or perch. If using deadbaits then stick to freshwater fish. Fish these free line or with as little lead a possible. If float fishing use thin pencil floats which offer very little resistance. Zander hate resistance and will drop a bait if they feel any. Zander can often run into double figures and in Spain are mostly eaten when caught by the locals. We would prefer it if you return them alive.
Mullet are often seen shoaling up near waste water outlets. The shoals can be enormous. Where this happens, it is usually a hot spot for the catfish since they know its an easy supply of food. They often go into hugefeeding frenzies and this is a perfect spot for seeking out those big elusive catfish.
Bass give good sport,and can be fished for on a variety of methods. Try fly fishing, spinning, float fishing, or jigging. It is a good idea to fish using the roving method, carrying a small bag of jigs, lures, mepps, forceps and a landing net. Spanish anglers tend to use small four centimetre rapalas. Most patterns work well and mottled patterns which look like perch or pike are especially effective. July to September are the best months. The Bass are of the black wide mouthed american variety.
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In order to fish in Spain you need a Regional Licence. Most tackle and bait shops have the forms and can help you fill them in prior to application at the Regional Office. The price is around 12 euros. They will put you in contact with the incredible wels catfish which inhabit the depths of the Ebro. The great thing about the River Ebro is that it fishes well for 12 months of the year. In fact the very best fishing for carp occurs during the months when getting a bite In colder climates is a real struggle.
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