Travelling abroad as an angler has never been easier with a multitude of options available from long haul flights to Canada, fishing for the giant sturgeon, to the old style Ireland trips that seem to be making a comeback at the moment. It was a mid range European trip that I and a friend Tony Balfour (Pie Eater) embarked upon in early May of last year. The destination was to be Spain and its mighty Rio Ebro system. An assault on the catfish and carp stocks was our plan of action with a week long fully guided trip to look forward to.
A short flight later from the excellent local Robin Hood airport and I met Tony outside terminal 2 at Barcelona at 10pm. Tony, a Wigan lad, had the hire car all sorted having landed half an hour earlier flying in from Liverpool. Without further ado the sat nav was set for Mequinenza and away we went.
The journey down was easy and a couple of hours later only 15 euros lighter from the various road tolls we met Gareth Edwards, our guide for the week. Gareth showed us to our digs a cracking little apartment as close to the Rio Ebro as you could wish to get. After a quick cuppa it was lights out and off to bed for an early start in the morning.
Bright and early next morning we were enjoying a brew when Gareth turned up and after a bit of light hearted banter regarding rugby union and him having put a bit of weight on since his playing days we were away. We followed his 4WD, and trailer full of tackle, for about half a mile crossing the river and settling in to a peg on the Rio Segre about five hundred yards below where the mighty Rio Ebro and Rio Segre meet. A distinct change in water colour marking the spot as the Ebro is clear and the Segre a mucky sandy colour.
This proved to be a washout, with massive clumps of floating weed constantly wiping out the rods. The poor conditions had been caused by a couple of days of rain, and it was still falling. The wet stuff had raised the water levels too high so after only an hour we were on the move to the Ebro on what is referred to as the Top Lake, a wider slower stretch about 40km upstream. It was here where the plan all came together.
We were soon helping Gareth unload the boat and a mass of tackle from the trailer, and within half an hour he was ready to boat the baits out the 2oo yards to a drop off that he had found using a depth finder. The process went like this: Gareth rowed out to the mark towing the baited rigs from two of the rods with 1lb leads and running rigs baited with squid or a string of 22mm halibut pellets These were dropped on the mark and spaced a few yards apart, and over the top of them a few kilos of loose feed pellets were scattered.
This was repeated with the other rods. A single carp rod was cast conventionally and baited again with pellet. More loose offerings were scattered around the hook-bait with a throwing stick. Now the traps were set all we needed was for a few fish to feed. Gareth tossed a coin to see who would hit the first run and I was the lucky one on this occasion, not that it would matter ultimately, as there proved to be more than enough fish for the two of us anyhow.
Soon enough a bite was indicated on one of the rods and I can only describe it as being like a barbel bite on the Trent although you can multiply the ferocity and speed of the take by ten! The 6lb tc rod took on an alarming bend. I tightened up the clutch, smacked it one and found myself playing my first ever catfish. Almost immediately the line went slack,
“Lost it!”
I hissed to Gareth.
“Reel like mad!“
he replied.
“She is swimming towards you.“
I soon caught up with the fish which then proceeded to pull like a train for the next ten minutes or so. When she was wallowing close in Gareth slipped on his pit glove (the older readers will remember these, bright yellow with a rubber coating) and wading out grabbed the cat by the bottom lip and steered her on to the unhooking mat where she was weighed. At 58lb she was twice the size of my previous biggest ever fish. To say I was buzzing would be an understatement and there Is a big smile on my face in the photographs taken to mark the occasion.
Tony was next up and it wasn’t long before he was battling his first fish. At 54lb it matched his biggest fish ever, that being a tope caught off Blackpool from his own boat the year before. By the end of that first day we had added another cat each of similar sizes.
We decided to bivvy up for the night to make sure we could keep the peg as Gareth was receiving texts and calls from fellow guides saying the fishing had been rock hard elsewhere. So despite the rain, which was still falling, we settled under cover. And after a delicious chinese takeaway we reeled in the rods and retired for the night.
The second day was the best for the numbers of fish caught and they were getting bigger, with 14 cats caught between 30lb and 114lb The 114lb fish was one of two over the ton for me and yet another new pb. Added to this the carp rod was throwing up fish too, although they were mostly low doubles with only one going past 20 at 24lb, a lovely mint conditioned common.
After another night spent under the stars the third day dawned with a lovely clear blue sky and as the weather improved so did the size of the fish. Tony had a massive fish of 150lb which I kid you not almost dragged him in! It almost stripped the remaining braid from the spool on the first run, leaving only a couple of turns on the reel. Gareth was ready in the boat in case Tony had to chase the fish to get the line back however with constant heavy pressure applied she turned and he was able to play her in. After a lengthy battle she was duly landed, weighed and photographed. Gareth produced a bottle of champagne and the first 150lb fish was christened by the three of us, all laughing like children who had just opened their Christmas present and realised they had got just what they wanted from Santa!
I had another nice fish at 104lb but the best was to come in the shape of a magnificent fish which was actually landed by my mate (Thanks Tony.) because Gareth was at the shop purchasing more supplies for the catfish base camp that our peg had become. The fight from this fish was truly awesome with it taking line at will from my Penn multiplier, despite the clutch being set very tightly. Seeing the fish on the top thirty yards out, attempting every trick in the book to rid itself of my hook, was a thrilling sight. Due mainly to the balanced tackle that Gareth supplies, and a lot of hard work, she was gradually worn down ready for Tony with the pit glove, and he made no mistake. Taking a firm grip on her lower jaw he heaved her huge bulk onto the mat. We did the necessaries and she was slid into the sling and heaved up, the dial whizzing round to an amazing 162lb. Another pb for me and one I may well never manage to beat in my angling career.
As well as the excellent fishing on the river Ebro the wildlife and scenery are breathtaking! Giant Griffon Vultures soar on the thermals overhead. Black Kites also were an every day sight, and we even saw a beautiful Golden Oriel a real splash of colour in the almost desert coloured environment we were fishing in.
We did spend one evening at an excellent restaurant, where we bumped into none other than the great John Wilson who was on his own holiday at the time. So if you want some home comforts they are there for the taking you don’t have to rough it as we did.
All too soon it was Sunday and time to say our goodbyes to Gareth and set off on the journey home and with the news that the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano was still causing problems with Spanish air travel we set of with some trepidation. On arrival at the airport our fears were proven not to be unfounded. Lots of flights were indeed cancelled. However after six hours I managed to get my flight back to Robin Hood airport in Doncaster. Unfortunately poor Tony was not so lucky and spent the next thirty hours dossing down in the airport lounge until he could get his flight back to blighty (lol) Even this though has not put him off a return to the mecca of fishing, the mighty Rio Ebro.
This article would not be worth its salt if I failed to give a big mention to our guide Gareth Edwards who was absolutely tremendous the whole week we were with him. We had decided to really throw ourselves into the fishing from the off and spent the first four nights under the canvas even though we had an apartment at our disposal and Gareth minded not a jot, keeping us fed and watered with regular trips to the local shops and takeaways, and also keeping the fish coming when all around us were struggling. I know for a fact that out of twelve anglers fishing with one of the bigger guiding services they had managed only seven fish between them all week.
Gareth works for himself now after guiding for both the big British catfish companies on the Ebro and can be contacted via his website at http://www.catfishtours.com/ . He offers a range of services, from tackle only unguided trips, to fully guided catfish or carp fishing trips and weekend only short stays. Or you can stay out there for as long as you wish. Gareth is a top guy who I shall be seeing again, hopefully for a repeat performance. That is as soon as I can find where the wife has hidden my credit card.
Pete Webster
Enjoyable read
ReplyDeletePaul R
great read pete and ive just had a week with garath and true to your word that lad works his nuts off to catch you fish
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