Catfish

Footage of wels catfish being caught whilst fishing on the River Ebro at Riba Roja d’Ebre in Spain, including underwater footage shot with a waterproof camera. Read all about the exploits of me, Shane Calton and Dave Newby-Thornley in my articles: Alternative Ebro Part 1 – Zander, Roach, Barbel & Carp and Alternative Ebro Part 2 – Catfish, and also take a look at the River Ebro catfish video Shane shot during our trip.

Read More »

Fishing on the River Ebro at Riba Roja d’Ebre in Spain, courtesy of Shane Calton. Watch as we get a treble hooker on the catfish rods! Read all about the exploits of me, Shane and Dave Newby-Thornley in my articles: Alternative Ebro Part 1 – Zander, Roach, Barbel & Carp and Alternative Ebro Part 2 – Catfish, and also take a look at the underwater Ebro catfish footage I shot during our trip.

Read More »

The streets and riverbanks of Riba Roja resounded with the laments of disgruntled guides and disheartened anglers.  It was our fourth day of six fishing the Ebro and hardly any catfish were being caught by anyone.  We had a sense that the catfish were starting to wake up a bit, but I shall start with how our week began… The first morning we were understandably high on a heady cocktail of anticipation, intrigue and enthusiasm.  We wanted a good start so the pressure would be off, but none of us had seen the Ebro before, let alone fished it, yet its legend gave us high expectations.  We boarded Carl’s California skiff, headed out to an island at the far side of the river and anchored up to cast our rigs for the first time.  These were straightforward sliding floats through to heavy braided traces holding single size 3/0 heavy-gauge trebles.  The stop-knots were set at around 80% depth and we lip-hooked bleak and trotted them downstream.  We moved every 45 minutes or so and the third spot we settled in was full of features and looked perfect. As we watched our floats steadily trotting, Shane’s float jerked downward, then back …

Read More »

Smallmouth bass, catfish, snakes & canoes! In 2003 I went over to America for the wedding of one of my oldest friends.  Gaz had met an American girl and was moving “across the pond” permanently.  I’ve since heard stories of the kind of lifestyle he lives over there and I must say that at times, I’m jealous!  Despite living in the “city” of Fairfax – just outside Washington DC – within half-an-hour’s drive he has access to several large National Parks and recreation areas (not like a “rec” over here; just a piece of grass and a swing!) which either contain well-stocked lakes or free-to-access rivers. I used to fish a lot with Gaz when we were kids, but in recent years he hadn’t really fished much.  The distance between us means that we don’t get chance to meet up often, so when I saw Gaz at Christmas and he told me he’d got the fishing bug again, I was delighted!  He and his current girlfriend (now wife! – Ed), Liana, had both bought fishing rods and they’d even invested in a canoe!  I’d had an open invitation to go back and visit since I was last there, and upon …

Read More »

Catfish are amongst the most difficult fish to target in the UK. Certainly in the East Midlands, not many fisheries are licensed to stock them and they can be sporadic feeders with a tendency to feed primarily after dark, and predominantly when the water is warm . Add to this the species’ abrasive pads lining the mouth and throat, along with a reputation as a strong fighter, and you have a highly prized and very worthy adversary. My previous two outings targeting catfish – both night sessions at Willowbank Fishery and Shatterford Lakes – had yielded me nothing. So when I saw a report on the Anglers Today website – detailing an unbelievable capture of 810lb of catfish and carp in a 48 hour session from Willowcroft Fisheries, near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire – I was more than a little intrigued! Upon contacting the fishery, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff, who duly answered my (many!) questions about the fishery, its fish, its recent form, etc. As luck had it, the cats were feeding well following a recent warm spell, so a date was arranged. Accompanied by Craig Croft-Rayner I made the trek down to Wisbech for …

Read More »