It just wouldnt be fair

Theyve been fact finding rather more than intensive fishing and Ive notched up something like eight or nine thousand miles travelling in my search for really good waters. Ive travelled with two Spanish friends and theyve shown me all their secrets, built up painstakingly over many years. This being the case, I know youll pardon me if I dont generally give actual names to lakes and rivers. It just wouldnt be fair. However, Ill paint my journeys in broad brush strokes and you can fill the details in for yourself if if youve got that streak of the pioneer in you.Ive now visited one of the hottest tickets in town a couple of times the still relatively unknown lagoons of the gigantic Comizo barbel. It was the Comizos that first brought Spain onto the European specialist anglers map a few years back. Colossal barbel. Barbel the likes of which the world had never seen before. Barbel of well over twenty pounds in weight, some around the thirty mark. I believe Im right in thinking that the first reports broke in Blinker magazine, the leading German fishing journal. I remember seeing the photographs myself in there and, like everybody else, they simply blew my mind. The race was on. Everyone wanted to know about the lagoons. Now theyre Europes worst kept secret but there are many still not in the know.The lagoons are stunningly beautiful. Theyre clustered just outside an enchanting Spanish village but they remain unspoiled, very green, surrounded by trees and thrillingly crystal clear. Gorgeous, gorgeous places probably best fished in April and May and again in October once the holidaymaking crowds have left the area pretty much alone. What is for sure, is that the Comizos arent easy. Ive talked to people whove had as many as five weeks on the water and still have to bank their first. Theyre like carp but probably more wary and, apparently, definitely harder fighting. They only feed at nightand heres the rub. For some years, night fishing, which means breaking the Spanish law, had been tolerated. Pretty much a blind eye had been cast by the authorities but, very recently, it appears that its all changed. Whilst I was in the area, at least three anglers were ejected from the water during the hours of darkness and their tackle confiscated. They also face heavy fines. This could mean that the Comizos will be pretty well unfishable in the future unless things happen drastically to change the current climate of opinion on these wonderful waters. Of course, there are many other fish to pursue on the lagoons, species which can be caught during the daylight hours. However, its the Comizos that make these waters so spectacular, so uniqueso just watch this space.What is undeniable is that the Ebro is really becoming the catfish water of the new century. When I first wrote about it I probably hadnt quite realised how dynamic the fishing now is. On a couple of occasions we simply passed the Ebro, stopped off, did half a days fishing and still managed catfish runs one from a big fish indeed. The original stocking has obviously paid dividends beyond anybodys wildest dreams and theres absolutely no telling just how good the Ebro fishing is going to become. My advice is that if you havent tackled the Ebro already, get yourself along there. Its simply stunning.But Ive got to come back to the barbel my own favourite fish. Lets take Madrid as the starting point and move northwest to an enchanting river (they nearly always are in Spain) which is home to quick-water Comizos. Okay, they might not be the Leviathans of the lagoons but they still weigh in excess of fifteen pounds and probably reach twenty, even though the average is between six and eight. And if people think the lagoon Comizos fight well, you have no concept of what the river fish can do.We also dallied with a river not far to the southeast of Madrid. Wed heard good reports of barbel (we werent sure what species) in the ten to fifteen pound bracket. Sadly, we havent contacted anything quite like that in a couple of visits but we have landed one or two very rare Valencian barbel. These are very much like our own Barbus barbus but without the coral pink fins that were used to seeing in our British rivers. Im not absolutely sure how big they grow ours have been four or five pounds or so but theyve still attracted quite a lot of attention and excitement.Moving south towards Cordoba we come truly into the heart of Andalucian barbel territory. I just simply cannot praise these fish enough. They look quite, unbelievably, dazzlingly spectacular. Ive yet to see one (and Ive seen about fifty) that hasnt left me absolutely gob smacked. The vast majority have glowing yellow tummies but Ive seen just a few sporting a deep, dusky pink. Crazily beautiful. And dont these Andalucians fight!? A five pounder feels like an eight-pound Barbus barbus. Get a ten pounder on and you think youve got the Ouse record. Theyre also very willing to feed during the heat of the day and they go well on simple baits like sweetcorn or even breadflake. In short, they just couldnt be more obliging.Spain really is honeycombed with rivers and lakes: we tend to think of it as a large, dry, even arid country and to some degree this is true especially in the centre and on the plains. But even here youll find extraordinary waters. Ive seen rivers as big as the Ebro that anglers have never fished we once came across a shoal of carp fish of between twenty and thirty pounds that covered an area the size of a football pitch. Whats more, virtually all these waters are all but unfished. Okay, there is a growth in the Spanish carp fishing fraternity at the moment but its still guestimated there are way less than a thousand serious guys. Your average Spaniard will just want to go out at the weekend with a light spinning rod to fish for a bass or two and enjoy the sunshine with his family hardly putting serious pressure on these almost limitless waters. By the way, Ive written about the bass before: if you are a British angler going over with carp, barbel or catfish in mind it still pays to stick a light rod in to use for a bit of bass fishing when the big fish go quiet. I promise you will never regret it. Its like perch fishing gone totally crazy and, once again the fight of a bass is like a perch on acid, believe me.Im well aware that there are some British anglers who are sceptical about what Spain has to offer. In the main, these are carp fishermen who have the seemingly unshakeable conviction that the species cant grow very big over there. What do we mean by very big? Well, we all accept that forties are possible but the argument goes that because these are wild, not farmed, carp they dont have the genetic possibilities to become mega fish. I cant really comment about this in anything like scientific terms but I have no doubt from what Ive seen and been told – that Spanish sixties definitely exist and probably larger. Thats certainly big enough for me.Im not even going to speculate on the potential size of Spanish barbel as you hear so much contradictory information about all the different species. And anyway, there are just so many waters still to be fished properly that I think the jury must still be considered to be very much out. I guess its going to take a good number of years yet before anything final can be written about the potential of these extraordinary waters. Ive always loved a bit of exploration in my fishing and Spain certainly offers that. Moreover, you dont have to break your bank or your backside to get there.DOS AND DONTSDO make sure that your licences are in order. Remember that each state has different regulations and restrictions and so always ensure that youve got the right licence for the place youre actually fishing.Getting one can be a time-consuming process so build extra time into your schedule.DONT night fish. This is a very live issue in Spain at the moment and unless youve got somewhere where you have been given express permission for some reason dont risk it. You stand a very good chance of ending up without your gear and facing a hefty fine too.DONT leave litter or break the rules. At the moment some British anglers are really getting us all a bit of a bad name over there. One or two quite disgraceful incidents have taken place and, if were not careful, well all end up being tarred by the same brush. Remember that at the moment were very much on show over in Spain and its important to tow the line.DO learn just a few Spanish words and dont forget to take a phrase book with you. Once you get off the beaten track to any degree whatsoever its rare that youll find anybody who speaks any English.

DO settle back and enjoy the Spanish way of life. The food is fantastic. The wine to die for. The weather an absolute dream. The countryside beautiful. The people very welcoming and generous if you treat them right. Appreciate that a couple of weeks in Spain is about more than simply catching a colossal Comizo: its opening your eyes to a whole new culture and world. Enjoy it.