Fishing on the River Ebro
Before you arrive, we suggest that you email us with all your details so that we can obtain your fishing licenses thereby wasting no time once you get to the Ebro River.
The current license fees are:
1 year - €16
2 years – €27
3 years – €39
4 years – €46
Wherever you chose to stay, you are never more than a few minutes from the river where you are bank fish at any time. If you are staying at the Riverside Mobile Homes or at the Riverside Finca you will be on the river bank and have your own private swims, which are used best when the river is running high. It should be noted that, due to the dam further upstream, the height of the river fluctuates constantly and can change by a couple of metres in just one day.
For the serious angler, we recommend hiring a boat and local guide at a cost of approx €200 a day to increase your chances. If you know the area already and just want to rent a boat, the only contact we have been able to find is john@ebroboathire.com
There are a couple of choices for local guides and Rob, our regular contact, has lived in Benifallet for 6 years. His prices are for up to three people per boat and includes a fully equipped sports fishing boat, specialized cat fishing tackle (roads, reels, lines and hooks) bait, specialized weighing equipment, photographs to record your memorable moments and all safety equipment. He will give a special price for anyone choosing to stay at the village house. With a wealth of information on the fishing in this area up his sleeve, he keeps a track on the whereabouts of the famous gigantic Wels Catfish and catches of 100lb+ are commonplace.
Last year's big Ebro River news story was when 11 year old Jessica Wanstall caught a huge 193lb catfish, more than twice her own size!
The current European record of 226lb (102kg), 8ft (2.4metres) is held by Carl Smith from Owestry who actually caught it on his first trip to the Ebro!
Daily Mail 23 November 2006
The Wels Catfish isn’t a native of the area. It was actually introduced in the 1970’s for sports fishing and has no natural predators, with the result that the Ebro is now considered by most anglers to be the best catfishing area in the whole of Europe. With their long lifespan and a huge carp population to feed on, they are growing to massive sizes (at a rate of 10lbs a year), making fishermen very happy but the Catalan authorities, not so much!
So be prepared for the messy and mighty task of landing one of the 7ft monsters …… remember, catching one may not be the biggest problem, you then have to be able to land it!
If you’re not interested in the hard work involved in fishing for “cats”, relax and enjoy a day by the river or on the river ……….you will be amazed at the quantity of other fish waiting for you.
