WELCOME TO SPANISH SAFARIS
 
 
Self guided available
Fully guided available 2009
UNIQUE PREDATOR FISHING HOLIDAYS IN CENTRAL SPAIN
 
PIKE
 
First introduced in to Spanish waters in 1949 the species Esox Lucius has well and truly established itself, even the best informed anglers in the UK know little or nothing of the potential that some waters have to offer. Since starting to run trips SPANISH SAFARIS have consistently produced good catches for our guests, for example on Neville fickling visit he boated 96 pike for the week including a 23lbs 12oz specimen, regular Baz Stokes landed yet another twenty pounder this time a P.B of 25lbs 8oz, another personal best was boated last season by Roy Grimshaw after trying many years in the UK Roy was more than pleased with his 25lbs 9oz fish the list goes on. 
LURE FISHING
  SPANISH SAFARIS specialize in lure fishing whether it be with surface lures over weed beds or deep trolling over structures, our vast experience backed up with top quality equipment is the key to our continuing success with this species for customers.
BAIT FISHING
 For those that prefer to bait fish we have again all the back up that you would expect from a professional guided service from quality 4x4s and boats down to the smallest items such as hooks and of cause a good supply of live and dead baits.
 
BARBEL
 
The Comizo Barbel (known locally as the pike barbel) has to be the most adaptable and least understood species in Europe the secrets of it's habits is known to very few specialist anglers. We at SPANISH SAFARIS target the Barbel with great success on all methods some of the most productive being with lures, jigs and fly fishing. From spring through to late October Comizo hunt fry in the margins, using surface lures we target these fish in bays and creeks  "the takes have to be seen to be believed" like pike the barbel rarely stray far from there pray and tend to work together to push a shoal out into deeper water, once located large numbers of fish can be caught using jig fishing methods. Comizo Barbel give there all once hooked it's no wonder many of our customers return to sample more of this unique fishing, like pike these Barbel that grow to over thirty pounds can be caught with live and dead-bait methods in fact for those anglers seeking specimen fish this is our recommended method although lures continue to throw up surprise fish for us.
 
BLACK BASS
It's not surprising the Americans and Spanish have such a passion for this species , first introduced in to Spain in the fifty's it has indeed thrived.
The key to finding the best Bass fishing in Spain is to locate a lake with a good balance of predator holding features and most importantly a prolific population of bleak this we have done. After five years of Bass guiding we have the experience to put you on the fish from the word go. Techniques we use for bass are seasonal but without a doubt surface lure fishing is our preferred method lots of action is guaranteed. Using our 16ft fully equipped bass boat we will take you on a adventure to try and beat the lake record which stands at over 9lbs. 
 
FLY FISHING
SPANISH SAFARIS have yet again got the angling world talking about our unique styles of fishing. In May 2006 regular customers Andy lush and James garner caught an amazing 607 barbel on dry fly, James and Andy stalked the fish along the margins of the reservoir during a feeding frenzy on grass hoppers. If that sounds exciting you should try flats style fishing for these barbel from the boat, anchoring or poleing the boat along the shallows, for those who have been lucky enough to have been bone fishing the method is the same, spotting patrolling fish amongst the weed and structures. In the shallows even a four pound fish will crack 8lb leader until the angler realises the power and speed these fish have in this situation, its not uncommon for a small fish to take you down to the backing twice on the initial runs. 
 
COURSE ANGLING
Most of the fishing trips that we run could be classed as a little out of the norm, for example pike fishing in Spain or lure fishing for barbel, but we also run holidays for the more general angler looking for a break away from the already crowded waters in the UK and indeed parts of Spain like the Ebro.
We offer a chance o really bag up on barbel and carp in some of the most beautiful unspoilt surroundings available on the Iberian peninsula, as with all our trips we give you the opportunity to use our quality tackle at no extra cost this cutting out the hassle at today's airports, all bait is available to buy on arrival. 
 
ALL FISHING IS CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY

MEET THE GUIDES

 

JIM WOOLNOUGH

As one of your guides for your fishing safari I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is James Woolnough and I originally come from northern Suffolk.

Having been lucky enough to have been brought up in very close proximity to the Norfolk Broads it is easy to understand how I gained a lifelong passion for angling. When I was in my teens in the late 70s and early 80s I began to specialise in carp and pike fishing having previously been more of an all rounder. Eventually my passion and ability to catch predators increased to such a degree that I all but gave up carp fishing.

Over my 25 years of fishing I have caught 92 pike over 20lb and 6 over 30lb. These fish fell to a variety of methods with 2 of the thirties coming to the fly. During my time fishing in the UK I have gained some invaluable fishing experience. For 3 years I fished with Derek McDonald who was an inspiration with his ability and determination. Having caught many good pike with Derek I am very grateful for his help in improving my lure fishing technique. For several years I ran a guiding service from my cottage on the famous River Thurne. During this time I became acquainted with John Watson and for the next 3 years we fished together regularly. John is a legend on the Broads and I enjoyed many days fishing with him and learning from each other.

11 years ago I started to look further afield and went abroad in search of catfish. During this period I have fished the River Ebro from the Delta to well above some of today's more popular spots catching plenty of fish along the way up to 138lbs. I have also fished for catfish in Khazikstahn for more than a month where I caught lots of cats to 168lbs. Other destinations for my past trips include Florida for bone-fish, tarpon and permit, India for Mahseer and the German Baltic in search of big pike.

5 years ago I started guiding for catfish on some of the lesser known spots of the River Ebro. During this time I guided many clients to personal best fish up to 146lbs. While I was there I met up with my old cat-fishing mate Lee Parkes. We got to talking and after a lot of research we went on a pioneering fact finding trip to Extremadura in Central Spain to check out some lakes and rivers that we had heard were regularly producing good fish to the few local anglers who fished for them. We had good results and were impressed to say the least. After further discussion and two years of exploring these venues we were ready to start our own guiding service for like minded anglers looking to catch fish away from the crowded waters of the UK and the rest of Europe.

I look forward to sharing my great fishing experience with you.

 

LEE PARKES

Hello there my name is Lee Parkes and as one of the SPANISH SAFARIS guides let me welcome you to our website.

I have been fishing for 28 years and was born and brought up in Dudley in the Black Country. My first angling experience came when I was 6 years old and went to the River Wye to fish with my father. It was there where I caught my first fish a pike of 12.5lbs and I caught the fishing bug from then to this day spending all of my spare time fishing wherever I could.

I spent my years fishing the Rivers Severn, Wye and Teme and from these venues I have had pike to 32.5lbs, barbel to 9.5lbs, zander to 9lb, chub to 6lb and eels to 5.75lbs. I also gained a lot of carp fishing experience fishing in many of England and Frances' carp waters.

After reading many articles on catfish fishing in the angling press I decided that I had to give it a try. I fished for cats in Italy, Czech Republic, Khazikstahn and Spain with my best results coming from the River Ebro with fish to 148lbs and Khazikstahn with fish to 125lbs. It was during one of my many continental catfish trips that I became good friends with Jim.

I sold my house, gave up work and moved to Spain to start our guiding service. During our testing of the waters I have caught pike to 29.5lbs, barbel to 14.5lbs, black bass to 5.8lbs and carp to 39.5lbs.

Please take some time to check out the rest of our site and we look forward to hearing from you.

 
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