Carp and barbel are the kinds of fish whose diet is often described as “catholic” which is probably a word now out of favour, presumably because it might be an exercise in advanced silliness to compare their “catholic” diet with those of other fish which could, presumably be described as “muslim”, “presbyterian”, “hindu”, or “buddhist.”
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Here in Cantabria there are some areas where trout fishing is available to anyone with a licence, provided they follow the appropriate rules. Around our base here, the town of Reinosa, this is true of much of the Río Ebro, particularly the catch and release section between the town and the reservoir. There are other regions, however, where fishing is restricted and numbers limited and where a special permit is needed (and this applies to hunting too) and such regions are called cotos. I had never fished anything other than public water here before Friday but I did manage to acquire a permit to fish one of four cotos within walking distance. As a member of the Reinosa fishing club I bought it for the discounted price of 5 euros and 20 cents. This coto that I could access was the Coto de Fontibre and covers the stretch of the Ebro between Reinosa and the source of the river Ebro at Fontibre.
Continue readingI have spent a few hours recently stalking barbel and carp at the point where the river Ebro flows into the Embalse del Ebro. This is a beautiful place and I have been fortunate enough to have it all to myself.
Continue readingI was a little surprised when fishing the upper river Ebro at how abundant the barbel were. This area I had imagined would be home primarily to trout. The river source is not far away and the water is cold, just the way trout like it. But the barbel are here in good numbers and it is lovely just to watch these fish in the clear river water. Armed with a fly rod, however much fun they were to observe, I could not resist having a crack at catching one. As a result I have been fortunate enough to look at these fish from up close and they are absolutely stunning.
Continue readingAt the river inlet into the Embalse del Ebro reservoir the Ebro splits into two channels, each heavily weeded up in places but the clear water pushes through the weed growth, often in clear seams revealing the stony substrate beneath. Both flows converge before the water flows into a narrow tongue which extends to the west from the main body of the reservoir. From above it looks as though the embalse had extended an arm to greet the inflowing river that sustains it.
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