
Ebro Dream Fishing I
Riba-Roja d'Ebre, Ebro (ES)
The Ebro River is the second largest river in Spain, world famous for its immense possibilities for sport fishing. Fishing on the Ebro attracts thousands of European f...
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The Ebro River is the second largest river in Spain, world famous for its immense possibilities for sport fishing. Fishing on the Ebro attracts thousands of European fishermen who go every year to Spain to fish for carp, catfish, zander and black bass. In addition to the freshwater species, you can also find saltwater species such as sea bass, bluefish and leerfish at the Ebro Delta in Deltebre and Riumar.
The Ebro begins in Fontibre (Cantabria) and crosses the rocky landscape of Burgos. It flows and meanders, becoming wider in Navarra, La Rioja, and Aragon where the fish become more plentiful. The depth of the river increases in springtime when the snow melts from the Pyrenees and swamps can be formed at Mequinenza, Ribarroja and Flix due to their low level. Downstream, the Ebro passes through Asco, Mora, Miravet and its medieval fortifications, Tortosa, Amposta, leading to the Mediterranean.
Most popular species of the River Ebro:
Catfish: The catfish is the biggest fish in the River Ebro and heavy fishing equipment is needed to catch them. Fisherman regularly catch catfish with weights of 50-100kg. In Mequinenza and Ribarroja, they can be caught with pellets and other lures as bait, although the fishing guides in the River Ebro recommend using live bait such as eel. The best time to fish for catfish is during the evening when they are at their most active.
Carp: Whilst it is popular to fish for catfish in the summer, Europeans prefer the winter for carp-fishing. The Ebro has a large population of carp with weights up to 20kg. Carp anglers use simple rigs to target them, most of them have never seen a hook in their life. Boilies, pellets, maize and more traditional baits such as corn, bread, potato and worm are great for carp fishing in the Ebro.
Zander: Fishing for zander has become very popular due to the fish growing in size during the last few years. The larger (up to 10kg) can be caught mainly in winter (December, January, February, March, April) and can be caught with both natural or artificial baits.
Black Bass: Also known as the American perch or large mouth bass, the black bass is well-loved by anglers and sport-fishers. They can be caught with live and artificial bait. Spinfishing and fly fishing are favourite techniques for most anglers using streamers, soft baits, poppers, stick baits and other top-water lures.
Sea Bass: Sea bass live in the final stretch of the Ebro’s mouth, before it reaches the Mediterranean. In winter, fishing for sea bass in the river Ebro can be done using small lures. However, it’s recommended to release them once caught because in winter are full of eggs. During summer, the sea bass still remains active, but more so in the early morning and evening times.
The Amberjack species are a game fish that are found both in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Jigging and live bait fishing are the best techniques to target these magnificent fighters. Greater Amberjack can weigh up to 170 lb (80 kg).
Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) is a rapid fish species known for being great hunters. They have striping on their backs with silver-coloured undersides and they grow up to 30 inches long. They have a hydrodynamic body shape, even more so than larger tuna.
The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the ocean. They are fun to target and give a real challenge to anyone who comes across them while fishing. They inhabit temperate and subtropical waters around the world. Bluefish have extremely powerful jaws with razor sharp teeth. They can grow over a meter and weigh over 10kg.
The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca. Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or jigging. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).
Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) are also commonly referred to as dorado, dolphin or dolphinfish. They are recognizable by their bluntly shaped heads, long dorsal fin and their bright colouring, dark blue and green on their dorsal side and yellow on their sides and underside.
The leerfish (Lichia amia) is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the Mediterranean Sea and the coastal waters from Western Africa to south Africa. Leerfish are generally found in small and loose groups rather than large schools of fish. They can grow up to 1,70m (5.5ft) and weigh up to 25kg (55lb).
The sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is for many sport fishermen a trophy fish because of the nice fight they offer but also because they're an excellent eating fish. Sea bass, also known as European bass, are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from northern Norway to Senegal, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. They can grow up to 1 metre and weigh up to 12kg.
Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) or simply mackerel have a great back with irregular black bands. They're very common and like the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean. Mackerel are typically between 25-35cm.
The Little tunny or False Albacore (Euthynnus alletteratus) is easily identified by the dark spots under its pectoral fins. They like warm temperate and tropical waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The larger Little Tunny weigh up to 35lb and can reach 1,2m.
Black bass (Micropterus) is a common name for several species like the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and spotted bass for example. Famous for its great fighting skills, they are a very sought after game fish. Black bass are found in fresh water in the Canada, United States, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and France. Black bass are mostly caught spinfishing. They can grow up to 60 cm / 25 in.
Carp (Cyprinus carpio) originally come from Asia, but since ages they are native to Europe. In the Middle Ages, monks introduced carp into ponds and lakes for food. Carp thrive in virtually any environment and can grow up to 80lb! Carp fishing is extremely popular in the U.K. and in Western Europe.
Catfish are a diverse group of fish which have one thing in common: their barbels. They exist in all kinds of colours and sizes, ranging from the Mekong giant catfish in Asia, the wels catfish in Eurasia to the piraiba in South America. Catfish are the largest freshwater fish and they can grow up to 5m and weigh over 300kg!!
The zander (Sander lucioperca) is a sought after game fish in Europe and western Asia. It's a common fresh water fish distributed from Spain to Finland and from Britain to Kazakhstan. They can be caught with spinfishing, dead bait and live bait fishing. Zander can grow bigger than 1 meter and weigh up to 15kg.
Gilt-head Bream (Sparus aurata) is a common species in the Mediterranean Sea and also in the Atlantic Ocean from Britain to Cape Verde. Popular in the Mediterranean cuisine, the fish is easily recognized by the gold bar marking between its eyes. The largest gilt-head bream are 1 metre long and can weigh up to 7kg (15lb).
Grouper is common name for all the bass-looking-fish from the Epinephelinae Family. This family also includes sea bass by the way. Grouper are colorful predators who like to live in rocky areas, reefs, wrecks where they can hide.
The common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) is a type of snapper, common in the Meditarranea Sea, but is also present in the eastern Atlantic coastal areas from Cape Verde to Scandinavia. The biggest pandora can grow up to 50cm (20 inch).
The Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a pelagic fish that can grow up to 500kg (1000lb). The biggest Bluefin Tuna ever caught was 780kg (1496lb). These great fighters can be caught trolling, jigging, casting or drifting; mainly off-shore.
Spring: Due to the temperatures rising during springtime, the ice melts from the Pyrenees, the water level rises and the warmer water triggers a bigger activity of fish. In fact, the fish remain active throughout the day, offering a great fishing experience on the Ebro. Early spring is the best time for Zander fishing.
Summer: During summer, fishing is usually most rewarding during the early hours of the day and evening. To fish for catfish, for example, it is recommended to fish from 16:00-17:00 until midnight.
Autumn: October and September are very attractive months for fishing in the Ebro, as the sun’s rays are not too intense and there is still a lot of activity on the river. Fishing on the Ebro offers quite some action even as temperatures are lower.
Winter: Although there is somewhat less activity at this time, it's still great for carp fishing, catfish fishing, zander fishing and bass fishing.
The Ebro begins in Fontibre (Cantabria, Northern Spain) and passes cities like Burgos, Zaragoza, Asco, Mora, Miravet and its medieval fortifications, Tortosa, Amposta.
Hiking, cycling, canoeing are just a few activities the area of the river Ebro offers.
You need a fishing license to fish in fresh water and salt water which can be obtained on the website from the Generalitat de Catalunya:
remember that the fishing charters normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat.