We are approaching one of the best times for fishing big fish, catfish and zander are no exception, the nights are no longer so long and there are days when the temperature can be pleasant and the fish know it.
On the one hand, the big zander prepare for their annual spawning cycle, they look for the best areas that are visited by them year after year, it is as simple or as complicated as knowing them and only carefully fishing those productive areas, these are dates in which they can get a few dozen fish on the boat if you fish in the right place.
Many years fishing the waters of the Ebro river and many hours invested after these species and many conclusions drawn over the years make what is complicated seem easy.
The catfish for its part begins to show signs of activity and the big catfish are the first to wake up, these are months of few but big fish and one of my favorite times to fish, few fishermen, few boats, tranquility and active fish, I don't know you can ask for more...
Last April 3 As many of you already know, the one that almost certainly the largest catfish caught by spinning that has been taken to this day in Spain with 2.67m, passed through my hands again.
I knew months ago that Sergio Rodríguez, a teammate from the RELAX SPAIN team, came to try his luck with the Ebro catfish with the aim of catching a fish over 2M, on Friday and Saturday I could not accompany him, my friend Rubén did, playing a few fish, but none of good size, harsh and difficult conditions, hellish, cold and gusts of wind of 90km/h.
On Sunday, although it was very cold, the weather improved and the gusts were not so strong, my intention from the beginning, as I told Sergio, was to fish for monster territory!!!
Fate provided that there were two opportunities, the first after 5 minutes of combat the fish won, making a "no-line" when we almost gave up everything for lost a RELAX kopyto did his job again and began an agonizing fight of 20 -25 minutes that we went down and then went up about 200m up the river, it was seen from the first moment that what he did was a real MONSTER, it was a matter of patience and doing things well.
When, after 20-25 minutes of suffering, the fish came to the surface, the first thing I told Sergio was, from 2.50m up, it was a real mass and the head already tells you the size of the fish, that was the last haul of the day, the job was done.
Congratulations to Sergio, for that RECORD of 2.67m
Like every year when the Ebro catfish finish their annual reproduction appointment, they seek to recover from spawning, heal the injuries produced and accumulate lost reserves again, these are the best days for pellet catfish fishing.
The end of May and June mark the beginning of this fishing system that lasts throughout the summer, a type of fishing that is really effective for fishing these giants, sometimes having almost consecutive bites.
Pellets are a type of feed made from mainly fish meal, very rich in fat and protein and that catfish quickly associate with food. It really is fish fattening feed adapted to fishing, a food that is easy to get and with a minimum effort and that in the Ebro the catfish have been used to eating for years, there being days of scandal in terms of fish activity.
*Catfish fishing with pellets is most effective in the hottest months of summer, from May to the end of October.
In these hot months the catfish look for the deepest areas of the river where the water temperature is a few degrees lower, that is where we must look for them with these baits.
It is a type of fishing that if done well and fished judiciously is very effective, and there may be times of having several practically consecutive bites.
*Catfish fishing with pellets or catfishing is quite similar to carpfishing, so it is possible to combine the capture of both species (carp and catfish) at the same time and in the same place, just by varying a series of parameters, equipment , montages, etc.
The big carp of the Ebro, although with the drop in temperatures their metabolism slows down and they move less in search of food, it is still possible in these winter months if you have a good strategy when fishing for them.
With the water below 10º, getting bites is complicated, but on the contrary, large fish are the ones that show their faces the most, it is these months that bring the largest catches.
Much more important than massively baiting the waters is to take the postures to places where they usually move in these conditions, a simple boilie or pellet placed in the correct position and with a handful of bait (micropellets, corn, hempseeds) around, can find what What are you looking for, a small, highly concentrated bait is enough in these months and above all, know where you are fishing, if you know the bottom of the reservoir you have a lot in favor.
I leave you with some catches of Ebro big carp caught with this fishing strategy, as simple as it is effective.
