{"id":957,"date":"2023-03-19T04:29:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-19T04:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=957"},"modified":"2023-03-19T04:29:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T04:29:24","slug":"giant-wels-catfish-tows-angler-down-river-ebro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=957","title":{"rendered":"Giant Wels Catfish Tows Angler Down River Ebro"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Anglers know Spain\u2019s River Ebro as the \u201ccatfish capital of Europe\u201d because of its giant wels catfish. English fisherman Ditch Ballard provided another story for that legendary river when he hooked a massive catfish on a freezing February night.<\/p>\n

Ballard was targeting carp while fishing from his small boat when he hooked the heavy fish. It deeply bent his 10-foot rod and scorched line off his reel. The experienced angler, who operates Ebro Mad Cats<\/a> fishing service, knew he\u2019d hooked a giant wels catfish.<\/p>\n

Realizing the fish would run far and deep, Ballard untied his 12-foot aluminum boat to follow it. Thus began the most memorable fish fight of his life.<\/p>\n

The catfish towed Ballard along the River Ebro as he struggled to fight through sub-zero temperatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next hour was simply painful, as my muscles fatigued and the adrenaline wore off,\u201d Ballard wrote in a Facebook post<\/a>. \u201cMy body temperature began to crash, and I found myself crouched in the bottom of the boat trying to hold on while shivering uncontrollably.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt one point panic set in as I thought I could see my braid (line) fraying in the first rod guide, but on closer inspection it turned out to be icy slush forming in all the guides as the wet braid ran through under tension.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, his leader knot showed above water, and Ballard knew the catfish was close. The fish had towed his boat nearly a mile.<\/p>\n

Ballard put on frozen gloves and began hand-lining the big cat to the surface. He put all the pressure he could on the tiring fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed this battle to be over one way or another,\u201d Ballard wrote on Facebook. \u201cSo I just pulled with all I had left in me. Each time the fish ran I nearly lost a digit, as by this time my hands were so cold they weren\u2019t really doing what my brain was telling them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, an 8-foot-plus wels catfish surfaced, and Ballard managed to get a hand on its jaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was physically and mentally exhausted, but had to give one last push to secure my prize,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIt was the biggest battle of my fishing career, yet I wouldn\u2019t wish it on anyone!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunrise came and white frost cloaked everything. He managed to land the catfish, laying it on a tarp where he measured and weighed it at 222 pounds. He released the fish unharmed.<\/p>\n

While Ballard\u2019s fish is a giant by any standard, it\u2019s shy of the River Ebro record by 28 pounds. The International Game Fish Association all-tackle record for wels catfish is 297 pounds, 9 ounces, from Italy\u2019s River Po. Attila Zsedely caught that fish in 2010.<\/p>\n

About Wels Catfish<\/h2>\n
Ballard released the catfish back into the River Ebro. Ditch Ballard<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wels are a huge variety of scaleless fish native to Europe and 80 pounders are common. According to IGFA, wels have been introduced to most of central and eastern Europe, and are also found throughout Asia Minor and central Asia, England, Tunisia, and Algeria. Wels mostly inhabit deep lakes and rivers, though they enter brackish water in the Baltic and Black Seas and spawn in the salt water of the Aral Sea.<\/p>\n

These bottom-dwellers are voracious predators, feeding mostly on smaller fish, crayfish, and frogs. They also eat waterfowl, and there are tales of the massive cats attacking dogs and even small children.<\/p>\n

READ NEXT: The Biggest Record Catfish from Around the World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wels are prized sport fish. Anglers mainly catch them with bait, but lures and trolling also work. Catfish fans also consider them good on the dinner plate, and their roe makes for a good caviar substitute.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n