Catfish and Carp fishing holidays on the River Ebro, Spain

Lots of people have often thought about catching a catfish, for some the thought fills them with dread, for others the idea of catching one of these elusive and strong fighting fish fills them with a sense of excitement. They are, it has to be said a little ugly.

While fishing for catfish you will, over time, become accustomed to their features and appreciate them for what they are, a bonus and welcome addition to any body of water. Actually that's not strictly true.

Catfish would not be welcome for instance on a trout fishery. A trout farmer may not take to kindly to a big old fat catfish eating his prized trout. The catfish is a predator as well as a scavenger. They will actively hunt fish, crustaceans, frogs, toads, mice and rats and any other unfortunate creature which will fit in their huge mouth.

Many fishery owners deliberately stock them into their lakes to add variety for the anglers. They do need some managing however, a single female wels catfish produces 30,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight.

The male guards the nest until the brood hatches, hatching can take from three to ten days. These egg numbers are largely dependent on influencing factors such as, water quality, temperature, stress and the overall environment.

So, catfish can dominate a lake over time. They can become a pest on carp lakes where carp anglers will sit for long periods waiting for a carp bite. They dont want their carp rigs disturbed by a wondering catfish. The numbers of cats on these carp lakes should be controlled to maintain carp angler members. Every lake needs its natural balance of predators and non predators. Catfish will help to reduce the number of silverfish which in turn will make more food available for carp, this will encourage both growth weight and help to maintain the overall condition of the carp.

Catfish can grow very large in the correct conditions, a top weight over 330lb has been recorded. Conditions need to be right for the catfish to reach its true potential. Food availability is a key factor, warm water temperature is also required. The wels catfish is the second largest freshwater fish to swim in european waters, the largest being the famous Beluga Sturgeon. There are several rivers and lakes around europe which have become famous for producing huge catfish, perhaps the most famous of these is the River Ebro in Spain.

The River Ebro runs through Spain and is its largest and most important river. This river holds large numbers of both catfish and carp. The carp grow to over 40lb and are largely the heavily scaled common carp variety. The catfish grow so large on this river because of the readily available supply of carp as a food source. A 100lb catfish is more than capable of eating a large carp. Anglers from all over the world will travel to Spain to catch the River Ebro catfish and carp.

River Ebro - Catfish and Carp - Baits - Rigs, Location, Tactics.

Succesful catfish baits include : Pellets - Live and dead fish such as roach, rudd, tench, eels - Lob worms - Leeches - Luncheon meat - Chicken liver

There are a few successful methods you can choose from to catch River Ebro Catfish.

One of the favorite methods catfish anglers adopt is to use a live fish as bait. A live tench or similar fish is attached to a large hook which is then attached to the fishing line below a float. When a catfish attempts to eat the live fish the float will go under the water signaling a take.

In more recent years halibut pellets have become popular, these are presented using a standard bottom bait carp rig with a difference. Because the catfish have such large mouths a bigger hook and size of pellet is required. This will also help to discourage carp from take the rig. Catfish are mainly nocturnal feeders. When darkness falls they will leave the spot where they have stayed during daylight hours to hunt and scavenge. They prefer any area which offers cover such as snags, deep gullies, weedbeds.

Catfish rods -Carp rods of around 2.5 - 3lb testcurve are ideal.

River Ebro carp

The Ebro carp are mostly common carp but mirrors do exist. Carp that live in rivers are strong and mostly lean. River carp are always strong fighters due to the environment in which they live. Carp rigs are them same as you would use for a lake in the UK, maybe just a little stronger especially when carp fishing close to snags. Because the river is so long and vast, pre-baiting to hold fish in your particular part of the river is the main tactic which will help you succeed. Bait don't have to be exotic or expensive. Mass pre baiting with maize is always a good option. Maize is very cheap and carp love it. Of course boilies will work just as well but will be a bit dearer.