People have always flocked to Spain for some incredible fishing days out. Naturally, many head to the surrounding seas, drawn in by the allure of the azure waters, sunshine, and ample fishing opportunities. In turn, Spain has doubled its efforts to protect its marine environments, making sure that angling can be enjoyed responsibly and not to the outright detriment of its ecosystems. This focus on preservation has allowed species like sea bass, conger eels, and grouper to thrive around artificial reefs, such as those near Tabarca Island.
For those who want to take on some of the biggest and most iconic fish that Europe has to offer, though, looking inland is best. It’s here that you’ll find several fish that are often circled on the bucket lists of anglers as the most prestigious catches of them all. So, while some will join the fishing societies that look to the sea, others will drive up rivers and set up by the great lakes of inland Spain. For those anglers, these are the best places to catch legendary fish.
Catch the Trend of Seeking Big Bass
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Bass have long been a popular catch in Europe, but over the last few years, they’ve become a much more coveted fish to reel in. This could be due to the fish’s distinct appearance – or perhaps it’s because bass have gained iconic status in entertainment. Among online slots, for example, the Big Bass series is the most popular right now. It began with Big Bass Bonanza in 2020, but now, there are many other hit fishing adventures to spin on.
Big Bass Splash, Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe, and Big Bass Amazon Xtreme offer different ways to experience the hit fishing mechanic of the slot. In it, you need to hit the fisherman symbols to reel in all the fish and the cash values stuck to them. In slot games, bass is the go-to fish. It’s unclear whether the bass fishing trend influenced the popularity of these games or vice versa, but either way, bass is now a hot commodity.
Across Spain, there are many places to catch bass, and even during the Summer Mini-Series of the Carp-R-Us Angling Club in El Bosquet, a competitor caught a hefty bass to add to their 16-79 kg tally of 17. For black bass, Spain’s most prized subspecies of the fish, Extremadura has to be the top destination. It’s not uncommon to reel in black bass in excess of 50cm here, including the famed largemouth bass. Around the Duero River has also proven fruitful for bass anglers.
Of all the fishing TV shows out there, River Monsters is one of the most beloved. Regularly being re-run on channels like Discovery, ITV4, and Animal Planet, it ran for nine seasons, with Jeremy Wade venturing to the most remote pockets of the world to catch the monster fish that hide away from civilization. Wade rarely failed to catch his targets, and some of his most impressive hauls included catfish species.
On the Essequibo River in Guyana, the show filmed him catching a massive 251-lb Lau-Lau catfish at nighttime, and in Spain, he landed one of Europe’s giants. The Wels catfish can grow to extraordinary sizes, averaging over 80lbs and capable of growing even larger throughout their 50-year lifespan. Fishing in the Ebro River, however, can see you catch even greater monsters.
The longest river in Spain flows 910 km from its source in the Cantabrian Mountains to the Tarragona province. Owing to the desire to catch monster catfish, undoubtedly inspired by shows like River Monsters, several fishing tours are dotted around the River Ebro, ready to help you catch a colossus. Mequinenza has proven to be a hotspot in this capital of Europe’s massive bottom feeder, as has the Ribarroja reservoir.
Black bass and the Wels catfish are on the bucket lists of millions of anglers around the world, with each wanting to catch the biggest and most challenging specimens going. Anyone who seeks to tick these catches off of their lists would do well to cast a line out in Spain.
Main image SOURCE: Pixabay.com
