Gilthead Sea Bream

Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata)
The fish the Costa Daurada is named after. Daurada — Dorada in Spanish — means golden, and the gold bar between the eyes above the nape is how every angler identifies them on sight. Gilthead Sea Bream are structure-dependent, shellfish-eating fish that spend their lives in the transition zone between river and sea — which makes the Ebro Delta one of the most productive environments in the Mediterranean for them. In the lagoons of l'Encanyissada and les Olles they feed on mussel beds and crustaceans in water as shallow as a metre. Along the coast they work rocky ground and Posidonia seagrass beds. They are not aggressive fish — they require finesse fishing: light line, small hooks, natural bait or soft lures presented slowly and naturally. They will inspect a bait at length before taking it, and reject anything that moves unnaturally. On light tackle they fight with a powerful, thumping run that uses their deep body as leverage. A fish over 2kg is a quality specimen. The delta consistently produces fish over 3kg for those willing to put the time in.