It’s been another BAG-UP season down on the lower Ebro in 2013 with over 120 ‘ton-plus’ catfish landed by our clients – here are the top 10 entries!
10. Stuart Heyburn had a fantastic trip in April and has put in no fewer than 3 entries to this top 10 catfish of 2013 selection! This 160 was caught in flood water conditions in a productive back water which was holding plenty of cats sitting off the main flow.
Great fight off this 160 for Stu – we drifted for miles playing this one!
9. The chicken factory can be something of an enigma, but you can never ignore it when the water is high. Stuart took 2 different fish from this swim, both weighing in at 161lb.
Chicken Stu! It’s a 161 from the pipe.
=9. Stake out tactics aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, but the results speak for themselves, with Stuart taking another one at 161lb!
Chick it and chance it – Stu rounds off a dream trip with another 161
7. October was really productive in 2013 and produced a number of fish over 150lb, the best of which was this 166lber which fell to Phil Page on his first trip to the river. The fight was immense as Phil hung in there and turned the angry fish away from marginal snags.
Mellow Pages! Phil’s got that loving feeling after this 166
6. The lower Ebro was on fire in July this year, with dozens of big cats being caught in deep centre channel locations on large free roving mullets – this 167 PB for Khan Ashraf was a particular high-light.
Khanage on the Delta… it’s a 167!
5. A deluge of rain at the beginning of March created some fantastic catfishing conditions for a few days, with the river colouring up to chocolate brown. Leeds based catfish novice Andy Walton took this monster of 167 from a stream which was kicking in plenty of colour on his first ever trip to the Ebro.
Wally’s whacker of 167lb in gloomy conditions
4. Big Cat Alley was a little quiet this season, but there was a notable capture for Mick Riddell during the excellent mid summer period when he bagged a monster of 173lb on a highly productive trip.
Mick’s the Man with a new PB of 173lb
3. Russell Jones has caught some cracking fish with us down the years – but none bigger than this leviathan of 177lb which came out in the highly productive mid July period and put up a sensational scrap.
You can always bank on Russell…177lb new PB
2. The early March rains created some ideal conditions with heavily coloured water. The catfish had been gorging themselves, and this huge 184 for Andy Benson was little more than 6 and a half feet long!
‘Booga’ Benson holds aloft a magnificent 184lber caught early March 2013
1. The 200lb barrier was almost broken when Gaz Titchin caught this freakishly big cat of 198lb in high, cold water in late February!
Gaz falls just 2lb short of breaking the 200lb barrier with this February caught lunker.