The resident catfish in the UK have never reached the sizes of the wells catfish throughout mainland Europe. A 40lb British catfish is a very large fish for the UK. however, In mainland Europe the wells can reach much bigger sizes, and 100lb+ fish are quite common in countries such as Spain, Germany, and Russia. The full weight potential of the wells is largely unknown. There are long held rumours of 'giant' catfish in Russia, and it is thought that potentially the fish can grow up to 600lbs! There is little doubt however that the wells is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.


The Wells Catfish was originally indiginous to eastern European countries, such as Russia, Chezchoslovaki, and Rumania. and it is also common in many parts of Germany, Austria, and northern Italy. The Wells Catfish's distribution has since spread further west, and it now populates parts of the UK, France, and Spain. This increase in distribution has largely been effected by the introduction of this species by man.


ROD: A powerful 6lb test curve catfish rod, or uptide rod. REELS: A Multiplier reel loaded with 100lb b.s. braid. TERMINAL TACKLE : 4-8 oz leads, big hooks between 8/0 and 15/0 in size.


For one of the best catfish guides on the River Ebro contact:
Martin Walker
Catfish Capers
Telephone: 01494 488382
www.catfishcapers.co.uk

The River Ebro must now rate as the best destination in Europe to catch a wells catfish. In certain areas of the river, there are many resident catfish to be caught, including many fish over 100lb in weight!

All the Rio Ebro catfish are getting bigger year on year. The resident fish have the perfect environment to grow very big, including extensive shallows, large areas of murky water, and an absolute mass of food fish to feed on.

Despite the success of the species at this venue, there has not always been catfish present in Spain. The present catfish population are relatives of an initial stocking in the early 70's. The story says that a German biologist called Roland Lorkowski, originally stocked 32 small catfish into the Ebro, in 1974. He carefully chose the venue as the best place for the catfish to establish themselves, and thrive in their new environment. The catfish soon put on weight, and bred successfully, and by the late 1980's, catfish between 70lb and 90lb were common place in certain areas of the river.

In 1988, pioneering English anglers such as Alistair Nicholson, Kevin Maddocks, and Bob Baldock, began visiting Spain to fish for the giant Siluro that lived in the Rio Ebro, and by the early 1990's there was much publicity about this exciting venue.

Today the current wells catfish are peeking at just over 200lb in weight, and it would appear that 100lb+ fish are now very numerous in certain areas of the river. The Ebro is becoming more and more popular amongst English and German anglers, and the catfish are said to have a growth rate of between 10 and fifteen pounds a year. It is inevitable therefore that more exceptionally big fish will be caught in the future, from the fantastic Rio Ebro, and I believe that the wells catfish in the Ebro will get even bigger!

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