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Delta Blues

Ian Wakeford

Some of you may regularly read about the River Ebro in Spain and think that it is all about catching near 200lb Catfish all of which are just queuing up to get caught.  There are of course the odd exceptions that happen to handful of people each year, but mark my words there are hundreds of anglers who fish each year, and blank all week.  Mark my words the Ebro can be a heartbreak water.

Catfish fishing was originally pioneered from illegal stockings in the middle stretches of the Ebro near Riba Roja.  Since the 1970's when German anglers first introduced these fish, the cats have prospered and not only spread upstream to some extent but have also established themselves all the way to the sea.

90% of the angling activity is within a tight band where the catfish were originally stocked up to Mequinenza and the tributary of the Ebro, the river Segre.  You will also find that many of the huge and well publicised captures are from catfish spawning grounds or nature reserve areas where fishing is not allowed.  To be honest, it is all a bit of a circus, too many anglers chasing some big fish breaking loads of rules to achieve their aim, I for one would rather stay away from it.

As previously mentioned catfish can be found all the way to the sea in the Ebro.  For those that are unfamiliar with the last 15 miles of this river it is quite different from the "spaghetti western" landscape 100 miles upstream.  The Delta is famous for three things, paddy fields for rice, flamingoes and lots of mosquitoes.  The river is very slow flowing and about 200-300 metres wide in most places.  The catfish here are definitely smaller than upstream, but I think the potential for huge sustainable weights is far greater.  It just needs another 5 years to start producing 200lb fish.

Just like Vietnam - where's those Hueys?

Access to the river is also very restricted, most of the banks are thick with bamboo and I doubt if there are more than 15 swims that offer bank access in the delta.  You also have to lower your expectations of what you consider to be a swim.  You probably won't be able to get a bank stick in, the banks are largely reinforced with large boulders!  You will not be able to erect a bivvy unless you like it leaning over at 30 degrees and if it is after June your body will be sucked dry during the night from mosquitoes.

The only way to fish the Delta in comfort is by boat!

1. You can cover a lot of water

2. The mosquitoes leave you alone; they tend not to leave the river bank

3. You won't get you gear nicked by the local gypsies

4. No hassle from the Gardia Civil wanting to know why you are illegally camping

5. It's more fun

With boat fishing there are generally three techniques that are deployed and much depends on the conditions on the day.  Most of the time it is sunny in Spain so it is comfortable and warm, even in the early spring or early winter 20 degrees C is quite common.  But the Ebro, particularly the Delta suffers from flow and wind fluctuation.  The river is controlled by  series of Hydra Electric dams and also has massive amounts of water drawn off for water supply to cities.  The rivers source is also near Bilbao which is a wet green coastal area with small mountains.  Therefore snow melt or torrential storms 500 miles away can take a week to have an effect and that is assuming that the reservoirs allow the water to escape as they will store water if they are empty.  

The wind is also a problem, most days start flat calm or maybe just a downstream wind, but as the days heats up, an onshore winds gets up blowing upstream by late morning.

So you can be faced with no flow or too much flow, no wind or more usually a howling down-streamer which in the blink of an eye, goes flat calm and then howls upstream.  You must be thinking how on earth ca n you possibly plan to fish such a fickle water.  Well to be honest you can't plan at all.  You have to watch the conditions all the times (especially watch out for the biblical rain or hale storms) and respond accordingly.  On a typical day you will probably use all three boat techniques I am about to describe in order to maximise your chances.

The type of fishing that gives me the greatest pleasure is drifting.  For this you need at least a 2-3 mph flow and not an upstream wind.  You decide on a line to drift along, usually over the drop off from the shallows and the boating channel and float fish live baits from the side of the boat.  The best thing I like about drifting is that if you hook into a big catfish, it will tow you upstream, such is the power of these fish.  Drifting is also quite an active type of fishing, you are always having to correct the boats drift line and make the baits stay separate and don't tangle.  I love it!

A calm sultry day on the Ebro, perfect for drifting.

Then there is hot spotting.  These are spots on the Ebro which attract huge shoals of mullet, these are usually related to a discharge pipe into the river.  These are feeding spots for catfish, they don't tend to live at these places but will often lie up within a  1/4 mile, popping out to the feeding spot at some point every few days to  grab a few mullet.  You can anchor up quietly at casting range to these spots and present baits amongst the shoals of baitfish.  This can be a deadly technique, although any action is often short-lived, the catfish often gang up to these spots all at once.  Then they are dead quiet for the rest of the day.  Also the bait fish can scatter if they get too much attention for predators or if you hook a catfish.

A gentle flow of blood from a factory has the mullet fighting for pole position.  Note the bait under the white float.

Finally there is hidey hole fishing;  This is mobile in nature anchoring for 15-20 minutes at likely looking spots where catfish are probably lying up.  They are not actively feeding but usually cannot help themselves to snaffle a bait if presented on their nose.  These spots are over-hanging trees, weed beds, sunken logs, eddies and undercut banks to name a few.

Hidey hole fishing - can be very energetic if biting ants drop off the trees!!

You have to imagine catfish as being a bit like a conger or moray eel, they crave shelter and snags to lie up in.  Which means if they do take a bait, you hit the run straight away and give no line hoping they bolt for open water.

Hopefully that has given you an insight into the tough but rewarding challenges that are available in the Delta.  Fish average 40-70lbs and 100lb fish are becoming more common now, with about 1 in 4 captures (ignoring kittens) being in the 90lb - 120lb area.  130lbs + is a very big fish indeed for the Delta and with a growth rate of about 15lbs a year fish of 150lbs - 200lbs will be more common..

There are boat guides operating in the area, for the last two years I have been booking days with Derek Curzon who can be contacted at www.eaar.co.uk