Question for our professional anglers

[Dick Dastardly]

The area where the biggest fish to date have come from Newt isnt strictly on the Ebro! :confused:

Even though some good fish have come from the main river,especially the area below Mequinenza,the bulk of the real big fish have come from the Rio Segre which is a tributary which joins the main river at Mequinenza.Although the Delta area is lagging slightly behind I feel that ultimately this is where the fish will grow to there biggest.I watch the catchs of Garys customers with some interest.As he has mentioned his clients captures are getting bigger each year.

 

I hope the growth rates continue there and dont peek like the fish further up river seem to have.Next two or three years will be the real telling point.I have a horrible worry that despite (or possibley because of) the very fast origonal growth rates that these fish will never reach the ultimate sizes of their slower growing relatives in their countries of origin.

 

For quite a few years now I have been looking to other countries for a real biggie.

[gaza]

there was one recent piece of evidence from greece where a 300lb + fish was well it was seen but as for the capture of this fish there was speculation flying round that the fish was actualy dead on pics and not long after the chap in question actualy confirmed the fish was dead on the pictures but swears this fish was alive.I for one do not know the truth and do not want to add to any further speculation to this fish but it is true what budgie says we honestly do not know where the bigest catfish are in the world. untill that capture is down on video. and proof, i think there may well be one or two large ones safe from the nets of the russian anglers in the volga or its tributorys. the po has some very big fish. some reports of big fish have been documented here on the ebro again with storys from police officers saying after they, have or tried to recover vehicles from the rocky areas of the ebro. as for the future of the delta it has the support of thousand no millions of bait or food for cats the influx of the mullet have risen and this has lead to the cats feeding predominatly on them pre-ocuped they gorge there way through kilos every day. this in my mind can only lead to one thing big fish. but who knows .

[Newt]

Thanks for the info Guys.

 

gaza - I doubt another Spain trip is on for me. I just love river delta fishing and the Ebro delta looks interesting. But I could never exaust the ones closer to home.

 

Gulf of Mexico has some nice ones

 

 

 

And the biggun

 

To give an idea of scale, the Mississippi River is well over a mile wide by the time it passes Memphis, Tennessee (few hundred miles north of the area pictured) and at least that where this picture shows.

 

[ 28. March 2004, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

[Peter Waller]

Looks like you live in an anglers heaven on Earth Newt!!

[malevans]

That hell of a fish finder you guys have got there !

[malevans]

Thnking about it I would use a guide in the UK if I ever decided to target Common Skate or Halibut. Plus every charter skipper is guide so to speak.

[gaza]

hi newt sorry i have not replied sooner so busy. you have got some fantastic areas to fish out there mate i may well make my way out there in the coming year. i do believe there are some very big cats on those dams is this true.

[Newt]

gaza - fella in Texas just raised the bar on Blue catfish when he took on at 121 lb +. We can't match the size of the Wels but the flathead are lots of fun when you get one on (bad attitude) and the blues run nice size.

 

The dams do have good fish since the turbines send thru lots of chum all the time they are running but the pressure there is pretty fierce.

 

Up river a little from the pics I posted you can get into some pretty good fishing for the big gar too.

 

Badin Res (pictured) is a lake near me that is fun. Dams at both ends and water to around 200 feet deep in places. Needs a boat but good fishing. Blue cat of 40-50 lbs are common and they run to near 100lbs here. Good population of buffalo and carp too. I've been fishing this lake regularly now for the past 2 years and have just barely started to get a little familiar with parts of it. (note to UK anti-boat/electronics anglers: this sort of water is why so many of us use boats and fish finders )

 

 

[ 08. April 2004, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]