Ebro Catfishing

The Leer Fish are in town just at the moment, with 2 of these athletic Jacks being lost 2 days ago by Martin Turner and Russell Jones. Today we finally managed to boat one of 25lb with Dave Turner being the lucky angler. The fish put up the trademark amazing fight running nearly 100 yards across the river at lightning speed at one stage. The most incredible moment came close to the end of the battle with the fish floundering on the surface, when a large cat came up and attacked it!

This was a highly unusual capture and the first bass we have ever encountered whilst fishing for cats. The ambitious predator took on a mullet in the 2lb category and eventually managed to impale itself on the trebles! The sea bass of the lower Ebro have been known to exceed 20lb, but it was still a major shock to catch one given the size of the livebaits we are generally using for the cats.

This catch was memorable for the speed of the take which was unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed before, with the first run more reminiscent of a tarpon on the Florida Keys. The fight was the best witnessed from a Leer fish with some incredible runs and surface action. Colin Turnbull was the delighted angler and the fish weighed in at 36lb.

This was a strange session with 2 Leer Fish caught in the same day. The first was caught by Tony Lockwood and took a small carp which was fished close to the gunnel. The sea predator actually chased the bait to the surface before nailing it giving us a great visual indication, and tipped the scales to 35lb.

Perhaps one of the most shocking captures in all our time on the Ebro was when regular client Martin Filer latched into this impressive specimen during a session in the Delta section of the river. This 50lb Leer Fish, a member of the Jack family, took a live mullet intended for cats and produced one of the best fights ever witnessed by the guides. The fish ran over 100 yards at one stage, stripping the drag at an unbelievable rate with the rod flat to the surface of the water. The species are often seen running up the river in pursuit of mullet during the high summer months but this was the first capture, for the delighted London based angler.