River Ebro fishing help and advice (in my opinion)

[SIMPLE MAN]

Hi guys
After a few pms on my reports on the river Ebro and me not the
quickest typist going i will try and give you an idea of what i have
learnt during my two trips so far
Sadly many people think that the river is easy to fish and that any
Tom,Dick or Harry can just turn up chuck out a bait and hey presto it
wont be long before you are in to a monster catfish,this is not the
case in fact it is a hard river to fish and without local knowledge
(which i still have not seen) or by using a guiding service i would
say your chances of success would be very very slim indeed,not the
carp fishing as they seem not too bad to catch but the cats well thats
a totaly different matter
To try and give you a example i will explain what happened the first
time i went in 2009,I went with my son the last week in August on a
fully inclusive deal,by that i mean my airport transfers were
included,all my tackle was supplied,as was a full English breakfast,a
large roll at lunch,and anything that i chose to eat from the menu in
the evening and free soft drinks whilst out fishing,my fishing licence
was done for me and all my transfers to the river and back and a guide
were supplied and i also got 2x 20kg of pellet per person and all
covered in the cost,On this week there was 10 other guys who had come
out catfishing but not on the inclusive package so their package only
included accomodation and tackle hire,so they had to pay extra for all
transfers not just from the airport but also each day to be driven to
the river,and they had to buy all there own food,drink and bait as
well as their licences,At the end of the week and they had totted up
what they had spent they were about 150 euros a person better off than
what it had cost me,A good saving you might think well think again
folks,On day one myself and Brian my son had caught 17 cats and 4 carp
for an arm wrenching back breaking first day and when we got back to
the apartment that night we were full of ourselves the trouble was
when we started to talk to the other guys it became quite clear that
all was not well (they had all blanked) but when i suggested that they
should get a guide between them they replied all he does is row your
bait out
The second day was much the same,myself and Brian having bagged 13
cats and and a couple of nice carp and one guy out of the other ten
had caught a medium cat and again the rest had blanked,On day three
looking at my notes although windy and our hardest day of 6 we still
managed six cats and a carp and again the others blanked and still
they wouldnt hire a guide saying now that the guide had put us in the
good swim a they had all been given duff ones,so Scott our guide that
week said the next day we would change swims with four of them and we would
fish there swim and they could have ours,at this point i remember saying to
Scott that i thought this was a little out of order as we had put 3 sacks
of pellet each at 60 euros a sack into the swim but he just smiled and said dont worry mate
i wont let you or Brian down i am just making a point and to be honest
it made the evening a lot more pleasant as they all stopped moaning
and started ribbing myself and my son on how they were now going to show us
how its done,Again i said to Scott that i think they have only used two
sacks of pellet between them and at that point he said look mate if we dont
catch triple what they do i will give you both 500 euros each,ok mate
point taken so the next day when we arrive on the river Scott says ok
guys sort it out amongst yourselves whos fishing where and we will take
the last swim left and by 1400 that day me and Brian had had 16 cats and
of the seven left who were still fishing (3 had just given up) they had
one kitten and one carp between them,at this point they walked over and conceded
that there was much much more to having a guide than a chap who just rows
the bait out and they asked Scott if it would be possible if they clubbed
together to have a guide for the last two days and Scott said he would try and arrange it that evening which he did,and for the rest of the week the bar was
a lot more of a happier place as Scott managed to get two guides who looked after the seven (the other three didnt even bother to fish the last two days)
and although i didnt make a note of how many fish they actualy caught i think they managed about three each so 21 in two days,They all eventually went home
with there trophy shots and a lot more wiser,So i ask you is it really worth trying to skimp and save,i dont think so,sorry my notes are a bit old and creased
but me and my son had 73 or 83 cats that week 13 over the 100lb and also a good head of carp which by the way i let my boy take as his boss at the time is a
carp fanatic and had told him if he caught a 40lber he would give him a extra days holliday,sadly for my boy he just missed out but did have a cracker at 39lb
(so close and yet so far),Also although i have only been twice so no expert i have yet to see any of the locals (Spanish or other unguided)catch anything else but
carp and zander yep not one measly cat between them so again they all blank
Now on to the guiding companies,there is certainly a lot to choose from and funny enough a awfull lot of them not all but a lot seemed to have worked fo Martin
Walker who runs catfishcapers in the past and then set up on there own hhhhmmmm,now i have always done a lot of homework before booking my fishing adventures
and it has to be said although not all many have come unstuck and some have even been left stranded at the airport,although saying this i know of a couple of
reputable guides who fish out of Mequinenza so again be carefull with who you book with,And on the subject of Mequinenza although the cats were stocked
2 years previously that side of the damm and so that is where all the really big fish seem to come from they never seem to feed in daylight so you get to
your swim say at 0800 and just swim sit until about 8.00 in the evening waiting for the fish to come on the feed so you only seem to catch between 8.00 and
12.00 which as is Spanish law you have to stop fishing
until 06.00 in the morning,so if you are like me and like a beer or two your drinking time is very limited
As for when to go the seasons are as followed but please remember fishing is fishing so although a guide anything is possible

December & January

It can be cold in Spain in these months
with calm foggy days that only just get over freezing or clear windy
days where the wind just cuts right through you, best to get on the
calm side in the sun where at times you can strip down to your cozy
and sun bathe. Fish in the deeper main channels expect 2-8 fish per
day you will be unlucky to blank, they have had some red letter days
with over 25 cats in a day. There are not too many medium 40-90lb size
fish around, quite a few small under 40lb but plenty of the larger
90-150. Usually 1 in 2 fish caught is a ton up. Average 105lb.



February & early March

Weather becoming more changeable.But Much more wind which can bring rain
and a bit of snow on high ground if its blowing off the pyrenees.
Fishing starting to improve. Still not loads of fish but now is the
time to come for one of the big girlies. Fish over 150lb are not uncommon and
Usually 1 in 2 fish caught is a ton up. Average 120lb.



Mid-March & April

One of the best times to be out there as water temp rises and the fish
wake up. Fish of all sizes on the feed very large catches possible.
and on a good week you can get many many cats with plenty of 100lb plus
cats . However its also rainy season and if there's too
much it makes fishing very difficult, 2007 and 2008 saw huge floods,
don't be put off the rewards of hitting it right are worth it. Usually
1 in 3 fish caught is a ton up. Average 80lb.



Late April & early May

Now the sun has some heat in it, time for the tee-shirts and shorts.
Most of the larger catfish disappear to spawn which gives the smaller
and medium fish time to stuff themselves silly, also gives the carp a
chance to get their heads down without having to worry about being
lunch, very few big girlies if any. Now 1 in 10 fish caught is a ton
up. Average 55lb.



Late May to end July

Weather now settled and very warm. The cats have finished spawning and
are on the feed it can be a case of how many do you want to catch (20,
30, 40, 50 even 60 cats a day) with plenty of multiple hook ups. Lots
of small, medium and large cats a few big girls. 1 in 6 fish caught is
a ton up. Average 75lb.



August

Hope you like it hot cos this is the hottest month of the year, up
till now August For those that
have ventured out the results have not been too bad. Records indicate
mostly mid size fish with a few small and large fish, very few if any
big girls. 1 in 6 fish caught is a ton up. Average 70lb. 2009 was also
a very good month for carp one week producing 14 x 40’s and a 50



September

Things start to cool down with a few evening thunder storms, but this
is the most consistent month for weather. The month starts off with lots of medium size
fish but as the month goes on fewer and bigger fish are turning up.
Average about 1 in 4 for a ton up average 80lb.



October & November

Weather starts off like an English summer but a bad storm is only
around the corner. This is the best time of the year to get one of the
big girls at a big weight. Catches are gradually dropping off during
this period, with the fish getting bigger and sometime in November
cold heavy winds will kill the water temp putting the fish off for 3-4
days but once they are used to the temp they will feed again and
throughout the winter. Its about 1 in 3 for a ton up and watch out for
a record breaker this is the time for one. Average over 100lb.

I hope this has given you all some idea and answered most of your questions oh while i remember on average you will use a sack of pellet a day so keep this in mind as if you go inlusive and get 2 sacks free you will still have to fork out 240 euros for the other 4
guys but if any of you need any more info please dont hesitate to ask and
i will try my best to answer,As i stated in my 6 day report i fished with Martin Walker who runs catfishcapers who in my opinion is one of if not the best
catfishing service in Spain and i have already booked to return in 2012 and i really cant wait,and as it took me so long to write this out i did it bit by bit and put it in a folder so sorry but as i am only a simple man but somehow the write up is long and lean and doesnt go right across the page lol
Tight lines guys and good luck on your own adventures

[andystone]

nice write up, thankyou!

[MRG2000]

Cracking info John ,thanks for taking the time and effort to share ..........

[chazyboi]

brilliant right up mate damn good read ..ive sent a copy to a mate ives in moraira in spain

[SIMPLE MAN]

Thanks for your feedback guys please make sure guys,but if you are going that you at least take 2 days guided other wise its money down the pan,i hope i answered all the pms in this post

[Bonka]

Hi mate my name is Tony but the boys call me bonka you choose . Just been reading your right up can you share any info you may have with regards to driving down with your own gear camping or in the bi vi on the bank also a guid who would put us right
Many thanks bonka