Rio Segre Rendezvous |
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Rio Segre Rendezvous
Rio Segre Rendezvous
As the bright harvest moon climbed over the tallest hilltop across the Rio Segre, the electronic fish alarm attached to the rod stand made a tiny beep which riveted my attention. Within two seconds, the beep grew into a frantic staccato and I vaulted off my comfortable camp chair like I was racing from a five-alarm fire. I lunged for the stout rod which was bent double and bucking like a wild Spanish bronco. My new friends and fishing companions from England, Craig Pert and Bud Collie, were yelling at me in unison, “It’s a big one, mate, put the heat on her.” It felt like I was attached via a braided line to a sea monster as it pulled relentlessly down river. The line was cascading off the reel at an alarming rate. Ashley Scott, our guide, got in my face and said kindly, yet firmly, “She doesn’t know she’s hooked, yet. Crank the star-drag down and get her attention.” I did so obediently, and the lion-size catfish took off with even more fervor, threatening to drag me from the rocky bank into the dark waters. At the pace she was going, I could imagine myself heading downriver like some poor water-skier tangled up in his line behind a runaway motorboat. The giant catfish and I battled for nearly half an hour in a tug-of-war which saw me gaining a few yards of line only for her to bull her way back toward the east. She decided to play difficult and headed for a series of bulrushes adjacent to the southern most position of our “swim,” which is British-speak for a section of water you are targeting. The once-illuminating moon drifted behind a cloud and we were pretty much left in the dark. My partners had on LED headgear, and the lamp beams bounced all over the place as they scurried around getting the site ready for landing this leviathan. The scene was surreal, with the dancing beams cutting through the night like Luke Skywalker swinging his light-saber in a combat scene from Star Wars. Finally, the giant cat got winded and turned her head toward shore; I breathed a sigh of relief as I cranked her the final 75 feet. As she approached the bank, wader-clad Ashley jumped into the river and grabbed the line. What I saw him hauling ashore set my heart racing. Slowly drawing close was a beast that was part fish and part anaconda with its thick, serpentine tail. No, this thing was more like a giant plesiosaur from the early Jurassic period. Actually, it could even be mistaken for the Loch Ness Monster. We brought her carefully up on the bank for a few quick photos and then back she went into the Rio Segre no worse for wear. I still remember that giant bucket mouth and writhing tail. She weighed in at 84 pounds on the portable scale and measured five feet four inches long. It was my first wels catfish, one of the largest freshwater fish in all of Europe. I was psyched and ready for even more, though it was nearly midnight on this beautiful October evening. Catfish CarnivalEarly the next morning, I stood outside our accommodations on the outskirts of Mequinenza, waiting for the transport van to arrive. Rosy-hued dawn started to shine through the prevalent Spanish mist. The Mequinenza castle, El Castillo, built by Arabs during the crusades, stood as a massive sentinel high on a hill overlooking the entire river valley which includes the juncture of the Segre and Ebro Rivers just above the imposing dam. The impounded water of the River Ebro is known as the Sea of Aragon which stretches many miles to the west of the dam.
After picking up our UK colleagues, we arrived at the site and started preparing for a full day of wels catfishing. Ashley had selected this spot along the Segre because it was a consistently good producer and had yielded five of the summer’s largest cats. He told me he likes the Segre better than the Ebro because it acts as a massive fish trap. In fact, the Ebro can be as deep as 80 feet, while the Segre runs from four to 16 feet with a very pronounced drop where the old river bed used to cut through. This structure attracts big fish and is an excellent place to set up. Ours was a simple, efficient camp. We had six sturdy catfish rigs and two more pliable carp rigs out at all times, set up above the ground on heavy-duty rod holders hammered into the rocky soil. I was impressed with the 9.5 foot cat rods which were specially designed by Conoflex of heavyweight fiberglass with carbon reinforcement on the butt sections. Reels were Penn 309 and 330 trolling reels also known as “multipliers.” The main line was a 154 lb. braid attached via swivel to a 220 lb. leader. Hooks were 8/0 J-style from Gold Label and the bell-shaped lead weights we used to hold against the current were about one pound each. For bait, we implanted seven or eight specialized high protein pellets on a hair rig attached to the hook. Ashley told me that the fish will eat live bait including silver bleak and roach in the spring, but through most of the year, they are spoiled on pellets. When it comes to a catch as great as a giant wels catfish, I don’t like to argue food choices. We worked well as a team that morning getting the rigs in place while sharing a few good jokes and Monty Pythonisms. Ashley manned a six foot zodiac dinghy and rowed out to the middle of the channel carrying baited hooks, while Bud and I let out the trailing lines. Once out about a hundred yards from shore, Ashley dumped a small bucket of pellet chum along with the lead-weighted business end of our cat rigs. When he returned to shore, Craig would refill the pellet buckets and Ashley was off again with two more lines. The carp rigs also used pellets, but smaller ones, which we cast from shore out about 30- to 40-yards. That second evening was a real catfish carnival with Bud and Craig hooking some massive tabbies. Bud subdued a monster that went on six drag-screaming runs over a period of 45-minutes. We used all our combined strength to move the fish onto shore for a quick photo session. It measured 7' 10" and weighed 178 pounds, which was the big fish of the week. Bud, who measures 6' 3" himself, looked dwarfed lying on a mat on shore next to the wels. Even sporting a pretty nasty friction burn from making contact with the whizzing braided line during the battle, Bud was grinning from ear to ear. “El gigundo gato es muy cool,” said the Brit. Craig also managed to best a monstrous and nasty catfish. Following a 30-minute scrum with a lot of weaving in and out and tangling lines from other rods, the monster fish came to shore in a particularly foul mood. She snapped at Ashley as he unhooked her, and she tried to take a nip out of my wrist as we carried her onto the bank. She weighed in at a whopping 166 pounds and measured 7' 8" long. What a trophy! We were in gargantuan catfish heaven sitting on the bank in comfortable chairs, swaying to the constant rhythm of large carp jumping and the occasional distinctive slaps that giant catfish make as they pound the surface with their tails. By the end of the evening, beneath a billion or so bright stars in the clearly visible Milky Way, we were all dreaming of our catches and humming in unison to Joe Cocker’s version of, “You Are So Beautiful.” Powerful PescadorsShortly after a few wels catfish were illegally introduced to the River Ebro in 1974, they became rulers of the roost. I asked Colin Bunn, owner of Catmaster Tours, about his biggest cat catch, and he told me the record for his team is 224 pounds; the regional record is 226 pounds, which was made recently by a German group. As for some of the stranger items found in the belly of a giant wels catfish, Colin said he has recovered sheep wool, boar hair, cormorant feet, an enormous snakehead, and a 20 pound carp among other flotsam and jetsam. He once saw a full-grown swan pulled under by a cat, but it just managed to escape in a flurry of feathers. Size really does matter in the Sea of Aragon.
The waters both above and below the dam are full of zander, which is genetically almost identical to the North American walleye. Back home in Wisconsin, I’d caught many walleye, so I was anxious to give zander a try. My green/silver plastic swim-baits on lead-head jigs looked appropriate to me, but I found no zander takers while fishing off the municipal waterfront of Mequinenza. I spoke to a few Germans at the Bar Ebro who were concentrating on zander and they had caught a few on the upper side of the dam; small ones of a pound or two, well short of the local record of 19 pounds. Black bass were stocked above the dam a few years ago and there is a tournament that focuses on these bass once a year. Catfishing is good through most of the year and Catmaster Tours guarantees you’ll score from March to the end of November. While catfishing slows in the winter months, the carp fishing accelerates. Fishing for zander and black bass is hottest in the spring and fall. Whether angling for a huge cat, a wily carp or a playful zander, there’s little doubt a trip on the Rio Segre promises to be a memorable adventure no matter the haul. David Barton resides in southern Wisconsin on a winding river where he enjoys frequent fishing excursions with his wife, daughter and loyal beagle. On a more international note, Barton’s career allows him to travel to all points of the globe; and his baggage includes gear suitable for just about any aquatic species he might encounter. Where To Toss The BagsThe 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.
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. For more information about Catmaster Tours, contact Colin at Catmaster Tours (www.catmastertours.com).Bring Your CameraThe 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 InterestAbout SpainVisit the U.S. State Department’s web site for more details about Spain: www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/sp/
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I glanced to my left and the Segre River had a nice little chop on it due to the brisk east wind. When Ashley appeared, he had a big smile on his face and he delivered the words that all anglers want to hear, “I was just down at the camp and it looks mighty fishy today.”
In addition to the catfish, there are a number of other river raiders who make the Segre their home. Principally, the most popular quarries are members of the carp family, most notably the common carp, although there are a number of mirror carp present. Unlike more docile variety that are grown commercially on ponds and farms, the Rio Segre carps are cagey, powerful creatures that fight with a passion. (If I was prey to a tribe of 200 pound catfish, I’d try to be cagey, too). I hooked three commons one morning and each gave me a handful, with one wrapping around four other lines along the bank. This 12-pound beauty flew out of the water numerous times and gave me a Rio Segre shower upon reaching the bank. Both Craig and Bud were also successful with the local commons, landing a 24-pounder and a 26-pounder, respectively.
