Rio Segre Rendezvous - Where To Toss The Bags

Where To Toss The Bags

The juncture of the Segre and Ebro Rivers is located in eastern Spain, approximately a two hour drive from Barcelona and five hours from Madrid. Mequinenza, a town of 2,800 residents in the province of Zaragoza, has become the epicenter of wels catfishing as it sits so close to the dam. To reach Mequinenza, visitors fly into Barcelona and are picked up at the airport by Colin Bunn of Catmaster Tours. There are numerous daily flights that connect directly from the U.S. to Barcelona including Iberia from Chicago O’Hare, Delta from JFK, and Continental and Air Europa from Newark. Many connections are also available through London and Frankfurt, operated by a variety of carriers including Iberia, Spanair and Lufthansa.

While there are many guide services in the area, we chose Catmaster Tours after a thorough web search and conversations with previous clients. Colin has been fishing the Segre and Ebro Rivers for over 18 years, and is the undisputed guru for catfishing in Mequinenza. Clients come from all over the globe including England, Germany, France, Belgium, the United States, Brazil, Thailand and Australia.

Colin employs four guides and plans on adding a fifth in the near future. All British and from the Birmingham area, each man serves as a trusted guide, storyteller and concierge. Our guide, Ashley Scott, had an excellent knowledge of the fishery, and also excelled at customer service. Whenever one of our group asked for something such as special food or some other amenity, Ashley was there to help. I was happy that Ashley’s reputation for big fish continued during my stay.

Catmaster Tours provides an outstanding package of six days of fishing from first thing in the morning to midnight, which includes all gear required, lodging and transportation to and from Barcelona El Prat International Airport. Anglers can fish as much or as little as they like. Each day I spent four hours in the morning and four hours in the evening fishing, with time during the day for a siesta and shopping with my wife. The accommodations include a choice of two apartments and four houses.

The cost of food and beverages is not included in the package, but everything on our trip was very reasonably priced. The guides brought breakfast, lunch and dinner out to the camp. I can still taste the wonderful just-baked baguettes loaded with eggs and proper English bacon. For dinner, Ashley ordered Chinese one night; on another we had world-class Indian curry. In town, my wife and I tried the Restaurante Piscis, where we had a tasty rustic chicken stew with pepper ratatouille for only three Euros, and at the Super Mercado we found an excellent selection of local wines. The Hornu Paneteria was our daily stop for freshly baked goods.

Bring Your Camera

The Sea of Aragon is a huge reservoir with over 1.5 million cubic meters of water and is more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) in length from one end to the other. My wife and I discovered a number of ways to enjoy the area during our week there. We had a great time renting a boat for a half day and exploring the Segre and parts of the Ebro. Close to the dam, we saw legions of snowy egrets and cranes fishing along the river. The views of El Castillo were stunning. The boats are available for as little as 35 Euros per day. Approximately one mile north of Mequinenza is a nature preserve which has well-maintained paths and breathtaking views of the Segre River and the rugged surrounding hills. Bicycles are also available for those who want an opportunity to go biking along the water.

One of my favorite adventures in Mequinenza was driving to the castle. The car ride up the one-lane winding switchback road was hair-raising, but the payoff at the top of the mount was worth the climb. From the top of El Castillo, visitors can see for many miles in every direction. The vistas are magnificent. From a few hundred feet up, the town of Mequinenza looks very warm and inviting with its ubiquitous ceramic red shingles.

Include a visit to the Barcelona area either before or after your catfishing trip. On this visit, my wife and I stayed at the lovely resort town of Castelldefels, just 10 miles away from Barcelona El Prat International Airport. We were booked at the snazzy Bel Air Hotel, a four-star property which is situated right on the Mediterranean Sea. Walking on the beach, soaking our toes in the warm water, was a romantic way to wind down before our long flight home and gave us a chance to plan for our next visit to Spain. In honor of El Castillo, we ate Moorish shish kebabs at a local outdoor café under the starlight. In the words of my new UK friends, Craig and Bud, Spanish catfishing is “brilliant, just brilliant.”

Other Notes of Interest

About Spain

• Official Name: Kingdom of Spain
• Area: 195,364 square miles
• Capital: Madrid
• Location: On the European continent in the European Union
• Population: 45,117,000
• Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant and Islamic faiths also have a significant presence
• Language: Spanish (although Catalan spoken in Aragon and Catalonia)
• Government: Constitutional monarchy
• Currency: Euro (.79 EUROS=$1 US)