Catfish Connections in the Press
Daily Mail - July 2007
Highland News - July 2007
Our Testimonials
Colin Dapp's Testimonial
All at catfish connections will go out of their way to ensure that your holiday is the best that you will ever experience.
I landed more weight of fish (3500 lb) in 5 days than I would expect to land in two years at home, which as I go fishing twice a week is some feat, what more can you expect of a fishing holiday. But make no mistake it was ‘Stick’ and Jas that caught the fish I just hooked and landed them. The average number of ‘tons’ per day is in a different league to any other guiding service.
I would wish you all 'tight lines' but that is unnecessary as you are assured of it by booking with catfish connections.
Thanks again for a fabulous holiday
Colin Dapp
Kevin Bass's Testimonial
Thank you for the wonderful fishing holiday that my son and I enjoyed at the end of July.
The hospitality of the hosts, accommodation and fishing were all excellent.
The size of our biggest catches were as follows:-
Kevin Bass (adult) - 140 lb catfish
Jason Bass White (15 years old) - 134 lb catfish.
We would highly recommend Catfish Connections to anyone.
Kevin Bass
Bryan Corke's Testimonial
Dear Becky,
I wanted to write to tell you what a fantastic time I had on my Catfishing holiday with Catfish Connections.
From my very first email enquiry, my customer experience has been first class. I can honestly say that the whole experience surpassed my wildest expectations.
Our guides Jason Proud and Lee Carpenter were extremely knowledgeable and certainly put us on the fish, but more importantly along with Trevor (our host, chef and chauffer) their hospitality was amazing. It's difficult to describe just how much effort these guys put in, to ensure we had the best possible holiday and we left more as friends than customers. Jason, Lee and Trevor could not do enough for us. Trevor's cooking was just the ticket after a hard days fishing and he was always there to help with all of our needs.
When we arrived at the bank at 7.30AM on the first day the set up was great, top of the range tackle, accessories and bait, an endless supply of refreshments & lunch.
Lee and Jason did not stop working to ensure we maximised our chances, they gave us loads of tips and great instruction throughout the weekend.
They have spent so much time exploring this huge river and nurturing the various swims and their hard work has resulted in fantastic sport. I think I broke my personal best 9 times over the weekend, with the two of us catching around 2000lb's of catfish in 2 days , a personal best of 127lb CAT and 28lb carp for me with my friends 156lb catfish one of the highlights.
On the final day we were due to pack up after a long days fishing my PB at that time was 100lb, with my friends at 156lb, Jason and Lee could tell I was hoping for something a bit more over the 100lb mark having seen my friends 156lb fish earlier that day, so they rebated all the rods and we fished on into the evening when I had my battle with the 127lb CAT, I got the feeling they would have fished through the night to ensure I caught that lump.
Things didn't just stop after the fishing, each night we were dropped off for another of Trevor's great home cooked dinners and then an hour or so later Lee or Jason would pick us up to go into the town for the night, where they put a similar amount of effort into the social side of the weekend!
Finally I wanted to complement you for having no hidden extras in your package and providing all sorts of things that were not detailed on your website, completely free, from our 12 month fishing permit, a free very nice catfish connections t-shirt, cd-rom with around 100 photo's from the weekend, A4 prints of our biggest CATS which the guys brought round in the morning before we left for our flight, suncream and much more.
Thank you for a truly great weekend.
Best regards
Bryan Corke
Geoff Nicol's Testimonial
"These guys are the next generation of 'guides' - they take the Ebro Catfish experience to the next level.
With so much choice available it can be difficult to work out where to go and who to go with. Jason and Lee at
Catfish Connections have achieved a very rare and enviable recipe for success.
Their personal commitment to ensure the quality of our visit was unbelievable – way, way beyond the call of duty.
I Laughed a lot, and caught a lot. Sore arms and sore sides – brilliant!
I consider them both great friends to whom I will always owe a pint!
My number one recommendation…"
Geoff Nicol
Andy Lake's Testimonial
You’ve heard all the stories but are they really true?
I waited all year with great anticipation, 30lbs plus carp, Catfish to over 100lbs caught from the river Ebro
in Southern Spain, it was almost unbelievable!
Or so I thought!
It turned out to be a fishing experience of a lifetime. We started fishing on 6th October 2006 and
caught fish every day of our holiday, starting with a personal best Carp and ending the week with a
jackpot Catfish weighing 118lbs.
The saying "sun, sea and sand" is for the lazy ones! Real men are in the 100lb zone with the sun.
Darren Burrows' Testimonial
Simply the best fishing trip of my life? And then some!! Having taken the quick flight over from Stansted to Zaragoza, I was met at the airport by Trevor, with a big smile and a firm handshake. After the short drive to the villa, which would be home for the next four days, I was met by Jason and Lee (my guides), who wasted no time in driving me straight to the river for an afternoon of carp fishing 'to warm up'. All the latest cutting edge tackle, rods, reels and bait were supplied and deployed, along with the guys uncanny knowledge for where the fish would be. An hour into my session and my first fish, a PB 36 lb 7oz Common Carp ! A beautiful, extremely hard fighting river carp that had never been caught before, a fish which could take a lifetime to catch at home in the UK. This was followed by further double figure carp, all of which fought all the way to the net and continued to do so even on the bank!
The next 3 days were given over to catfish and were simply some of the best fishing I have ever experienced. With my first day catch report registering over 600lb of fish!!, including 105 lb, 97.5lb and a PB of 119lb !, this was catfish angling at its very best. Fish of 40lb, 50lb, 60lb, 70lb and 80lb featuring amongst many other fish that day, leaving me exhausted and speechless !! Fortunately, the excellent hospitality at the villa was on hand each evening, so I was ready for the next day. The following two days were fished in very difficult windy conditions, but with Jason and Lee's hard work, expert guidance and their unsurpassed knowledge of the river, a further 400lb of fish came to the bank in that time. Wow !! just does not do this trip justice. Whilst the early season fishing was very tough, these boys know exactly where and how to fish for these leviathans.
So to recap - 1000 lb of fish, including a PB carp and a PB catfish and almost non-stop fishing action whilst on the river, left me in no doubt that Catfish Connections should always be my first choice for guided river fishing on the Ebro. Jason and Lee (and indeed Trevor) worked tirelessly during my stay to ensure that I felt extremely welcome and that the fishing could not be bettered anywhere on the river. Don't just take my word for it, book it and get some!!
Darren Burrows
Mike Cass' Testimonial
Even after a couple of weeks back on earth my adrenalin is still running high and I have dined out twice already on "how I lost my fishing virginity to a105 pounder."
I go to sleep with the image of Captain Pugwash in his dingy rowing frantically out to drop the bait singing enchanting love songs to the fish and offering them free hooks. What an offer! And never refused.
I can give no better compliment to your devotion and organising skills than saying not only would I come back next year; I would come back this year if my diary allowed.
Mike Cass
Darren Bremner's Testimonial
Having never fished abroad before and basically being a fluff chucker from north Scotland, arranging a course
fishing trip in Spain was going to be a break from the norm for me. But how much of a break surprised me....allot.
I arrived in Zaragoza at approx. 11 PM after a long day of traveling, not knowing where I was going or who was going to meet me. The nice “Catfish Connections” shirt gave away who I was to be met by so that was one problem out of the way. My driver also turned out to be my host (and one of the best traditional English cooks that I have had the pleasure of meeting). During the drive to the Villa I realised that even if the fishing was crap, I would still get a good laugh. On arrival at the Villa I could not believe it, it was so quiet, the room was nice and better than I had expected. SKY for the footie ect. What more could any man ask for.
In the morning I met my 2 guides for the week (Jason and Lee) and the plans started to be drawn up for what would turn out to be the best week of my life. Both Jason and Lee explained what we were about to do and after breakfast was done, it was to the river. As I said earlier it was night time when I arrived so the view just blew me away when we got to both the viewpoint and the swim itself.
We didn’t even have all the rods out when the first fish struck, a small one of 15 lbs, instantly I had beat my PB weight wise and was walking about like the cock of the north. Needless to say it got better and the first day I had 4 fish over the ton with the best one being 145 lbs. I also had a Carp that day weighing 36 1/2 lbs. That night my arms were about hanging off and I even struggled to lift my pint (I swapped hands and struggled on). This was my red letter day and one that will stay in my mind for a very long time.
The next 3 days were spent catting and each day brought with it, its own little problems i.e. wind and rain. And I can tell you it didn’t stop us or even slow things down, both Jason and Lee just kept going, even during squalls of wind that had the river looking more like the sea than a river they just jumped in the boat and got the bait out there. I was very lucky these 3 days and each day had a fish over a ton. I had taken a few books with me as I had expected to be sitting around a bit; I think I managed about 30 pages.
On my last day I done a bit of carping, and was yet again blown away. Landing one 20+ carp was an experience but to land and have 2 on the bank at the same time was not only a great picture but another of the many things I keep reliving from my trip. The carp fought hard and none of them had been caught before which made it all a little bit more special.
In a nutshell, Trevor’s hospitality at the villa is second to none, the food is beautiful, and the packed lunches are too. As I said the villa is nice and peaceful and great if you want away from the “rat race” that we live in nowadays. The guides’ knowledge of fishing, not just for our target species, but on various other species kept me entertained during the duration of my trip; well what fisherman doesn’t like listening to big fish stories. The knowledge they have they are willing to share, and for me this was great as I come home with new ideas to try in my fishing at home. Both Jason and Lee worked there asses off to put me over the fish and both succeeded in doing so. I can honestly say I went over as a customer, but I have come back a friend, and I think that I have made friends for life, as that is the way all 3 of the guys make you feel. It was often like sitting speaking to my mates at home.
If you haven’t been already, get over there and expect the time of your life.
I for one will certainly be back, and since getting home and sharing my stories with friends and family I don’t think I will be alone the next time.
EXCELLENT
Darren Bremner
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