Catfish angling in winter? Not the most realistic of cold water targets. Right?
It depends on where you are –as members of the Rhino Black Cat test team found out when they took a recent massive haul of the Wels from a cold river Ebro in Spain.
The anglers targeted the species on the Ebro Delta in Catalonia, fishing in depths of up to 28meters to land 25 specimens two of which measured 2.5meters in length and weighed over 90kilos each - with only four below 2meters long.
“Many anglers regard the wels as a summer predator,” said Stefan Seuss, one of the anglers in team Black Cat. “But our experience testifies that it is actually the colder season that guarantees large wels hauls.
“Catfish eat all year round, feeding at shallower depths in summer and in deeper water in winter,” he continued. “Digestion takes longer in colder water temperatures than in summer meaning the angler can face long waits between bites, but because the fish congregate in the deeper water once you find them bigger catches of fish are possible.”
The tactics which proved the most productive were live baits presented on fixed rigs around 50m of the bottom close to obstacles – where the delta has been flooded these range form olive trees to whole houses.
“Even in winter the fighting power of the wels is savage,” added Stefan. “I’ve never seen so much stress put on a rod as during this trip. Minutes would pass without him gaining a metre of line when fighting some of the fish, they simply lay on the bottom like a concrete block.”
For more details on the angling exploits of Tea Black Cat, click here.
255cm predator was the biggest of the trip.
