Fishing in Mallorca

Gilthead bream, mullet, hake and grouper - these are all treasures of the Mediterranean that are freshly sold for sale at Mallorca's weekly markets. The waters around the Balearic Island are brimming with fish and what could be better for the amateur fisherman thanbeing able to catch your own supper.

Fishing on Mallorca's rocky coast

Fishing on Mallorca's rocky coast is special. The places where the water is ten metres deep or more, are where you will get the best catches. Among the most common fish swimmimg round the island are the different types of sea bream. Red bream, golden gill bream and striped bream are found throughout the year. It's not unheard of to come home with a big catch yet the bream are tough cookies - they can be quite tricky to hook and even then are remarkably resilient and have some impressive techniques to free themselves from the hook but when you do manage to get them they can be up to 5 kilograms.

Sea bream are not the only fish by stretch you will come across when fishing on the rocky shores of Mallorca. Large schools of cuttlefish pop up intermittently due to the favourable flow conditions. The eight-legged sea creatures are partial to sardines and this is the best bait to catch them. The most popular fish for amateur anglers in Mallorca is grouper. These giant sea predators easily can devour a whole piece of bait in one. This means that you need to pull the line the minute you feel the bite, because groupers do not hang around and will bite and then twist off the hooks and seek their way into a safe hiding place in the rocks.

Big Game Fishing - deep sea fishing in Mallorca

Catching a tuna is a dream of every amateur fishermen. In Mallorca, this can happen if you take a deep-sea fishing tour and go hunting for bluefin tuna. These giant sea-dwellers, weigh up to 400 kg, spend the whole year around Mallorca's coasts. The best time for big game fishing is between May and November. The most commonly used method of fishing is "chumming" - this means that the tuna are lured with pieces of sardines around the boat.

Once a shoal of hungry tuna have smelled the bait, they will swarm around the boat and that is the time to throw your lines into the water. In a flash you may have a heavily bent rod indicating a bite. However you can never presume you have the tuna in the bag as tuna are among the strongest and toughest sport fish.

Bait and fishing licence

When fishing in Mallorca there are a range of different baits you can use. Sardines and prawns (shrimp) are among the most commonly used types of bait. Even ringworm can be promising. Most bait can be bought at fish markets and fishing shops on the island. When you go deep-sea fishing for tuna, soft plastic or rubber fish sometimes work too.

Whilst fishing permits are included in the price of a deep-sea fishing tour, you'll need a fishing licence while fishing off the coast, in the harbour entrances or off the jetties. The licences are available from the Fisheries Authority in Palma de Mallorca. The fishing permit is not transferable and valid only in connection with your national identity card or passport. The number of the identity document must be entered on the fishing licence.