

Luna
Puerto Banus, Marbella (ES)
Fishing in Malaga offers infinite possibilities and has many great places to practice big game fishing. The Strait of Gibraltar is relatively close, so fishing in Malaga is considered top level worldwide. Whether you want to fish in Malaga part-time with the family or spend a whole day fishing these Andalusian coasts, Malaga is a great choice.
The Costa del Sol offers more than 160km of coastline from Nerja, on the eastern border of the province of Málaga, to Manilva on the western border. It offers the perfect geography for sport ports and for fishing in Malaga, with 4500 moorings and high fishing opportunities.
Marbella’s sea is one of the most interesting landscapes to practice fishing on the Costa del Sol and possibly one of the best places in the entire Mediterranean.
TOP SPECIES
Pink Dentex: The pink dentex (pagrus auriga) is usually quite large (90cm) and can weigh 11kg or more. Its colour is usually pink at the moment of capture, going more red later. It lives close to the Costa del Sol between 2 and 200m of depth in rocky zones or mixed areas of sand and rock. Fishing in Málaga is practiced by trolling with natural bait. You can fish almost all year, but February and March are usually the best months to catch this species.
Dentex: Dentex can be found between 0 and 200m of depth, depending on whether young or adult, with the younger staying close to the shore and the older in deep water. To fish dentex in Malaga, either deep trolling or bottom fishing with a natural bait are the most successful techniques. Dentex feed mainly on fish, crabs, mollusks and their favorite, squid. In Malaga, you can fish almost all year, trolling to anchor or with a natural bait. April and May are usually very good months for fishing dentex.
Red tuna: Red tuna can be caught with the trolling technique from April until August, but you can also catch them with chumming in July and August. A very spectacular way to catch tuna between 20 and 100kg is with spinning. In Malaga, spinning means using stickbait and big jigs which they have to be picked irregularly using sometimes firm pulls, stops and fast picks again. The best known and recommended place for local people is definitely the Strait of Gibraltar, because it is a mandatory passage for the migration of Tuna.
Grouper: The grouper fish is perfectly matched to the seabed of the Costa del Sol, so the art of catching it is by deep trolling or bottom fishing with a natural bait.
Black Spot Sea Bream: The black spot sea bream should be fished in the deep sea (200 - 400m depth). The younger fish are more coastal, few live in few deep water and they swim grouped in large shoals. They live forming small banks and as they grow older they move into deeper and sandy places. On the Costa del Sol, the black spot sea bream is captured in great depth (200-400 meters deep) especially during the winter months.
The Amberjack species are a game fish that are found both in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Jigging and live bait fishing are the best techniques to target these magnificent fighters. Greater Amberjack can weigh up to 170 lb (80 kg).
The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca. Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or jigging. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).
Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) are also commonly referred to as dorado, dolphin or dolphinfish. They are recognizable by their bluntly shaped heads, long dorsal fin and their bright colouring, dark blue and green on their dorsal side and yellow on their sides and underside.
The Little tunny or False Albacore (Euthynnus alletteratus) is easily identified by the dark spots under its pectoral fins. They like warm temperate and tropical waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The larger Little Tunny weigh up to 35lb and can reach 1,2m.
The Red Scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa) live in sandy and rocky areas from 20 to 180 meters deep. They are found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean between the British Isles to Senegal, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde. The species can grow to a maximum length of 50 cm (20 in) and weigh up to 3 kg (6.6 lb). Red scorpion fish feed on small fish, as well as crustaceans and molluscs.
Redbanded seabream (Pagrus auriga) is a fish of the bream family Sparidae, just like gilt-head bream, red porgy and dentex. Redbanded seabream are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the south western Mediterranean Sea. They mainly feed on shellfish and cephalopods. This wonderful fish species can grow up to 1 meter long and weigh more than 12kg.
The pink dentex (Dentex gibbosus) is a saltwater fish distributed from Portugal to Angola, Canary Islands and the warmer areas of the Mediterranean Sea such as southern Spain and the Gibraltar Strait area, Morocco, southern Italy, Tunisia and Algeria. The larger fish are 1,2 m long and can weigh up to 18 kg (40 lb).
Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) is a rapid fish species known for being great hunters. They have striping on their backs with silver-coloured undersides and they grow up to 30 inches long. They have a hydrodynamic body shape, even more so than larger tuna.
Gilt-head Bream (Sparus aurata) is a common species in the Mediterranean Sea and also in the Atlantic Ocean from Britain to Cape Verde. Popular in the Mediterranean cuisine, the fish is easily recognized by the gold bar marking between its eyes. The largest gilt-head bream are 1 metre long and can weigh up to 7kg (15lb).
The northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a popular fish often caught reef fishing in the Atlantic waters of Florida, Gulf of Mexico and also the Caribbean. This sought-after game fish can reach 1 m and weight up to 50lb.
Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) or simply mackerel have a great back with irregular black bands. They're very common and like the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean. Mackerel are typically between 25-35cm.
The horse mackerle (Trachurus trachurus) is a common species found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Europe from Norway to South Africa and into the south-eastern Indian Ocean to Mozambique. They are normally between 20 and 30 cm, although the larger fish can grow up to 70 cm and weigh around 2-3kg.
The Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) has large eyes and long pectoral fins. This is why this species is also known as longfin tuna. The largest Albacore can reach up to 140 cm (4.6ft) and weigh up to 60kg (130lb).
The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is a migratory, live-bearing shark that feeds mainly on smaller fish and squid. They can be found in all the oceans and sees around the world.
The skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) have a strong body with black stripes on the side. The largest skipjack tuna can reach up to 100 cm (40 inch) and weigh up to 10 kg (22 lb). Skipjack are mainly caught trolling lures.
The White Marlin (Kajikia albida) is a very nice predator which can be caught off shore in warmer waters. This powerful fighter usually feeds during day time on fish, octopuses and squids. They can be caught trolling with artificial lures or with dead bait (bonito, mackerel...).
The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the ocean. They are fun to target and give a real challenge to anyone who comes across them while fishing. They inhabit temperate and subtropical waters around the world. Bluefish have extremely powerful jaws with razor sharp teeth. They can grow over a meter and weigh over 10kg.
Frigate tuna or frigate mackerel (Auxis thazard) is a smaller tuna species and can be caught in the tropical oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. They are normally caught trolling small lures and feathers. Frigate tuna can grow up to 65 cm (26 in) and weigh up to 2 kg (5lb).
Grouper is common name for all the bass-looking-fish from the Epinephelinae Family. This family also includes sea bass by the way. Grouper are colorful predators who like to live in rocky areas, reefs, wrecks where they can hide.
The common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) is a type of snapper, common in the Meditarranea Sea, but is also present in the eastern Atlantic coastal areas from Cape Verde to Scandinavia. The biggest pandora can grow up to 50cm (20 inch).
The Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a pelagic fish that can grow up to 500kg (1000lb). The biggest Bluefin Tuna every caught was 780kg (1496lb). These great fighters can be caught trolling, jigging, casting or drifting; mainly off-shore.
Spring: The spring fishing season in Malaga runs from April or May. At this time you can begin to practice high-speed trolling and spinning to catch the bluefin tuna, albacore and little tunny. Spring is also great for fishing in Malaga, anchored or drifting with live bait for catching dentex, grouper or tuna.
Summer: During the summer in Malaga is a good time to fish bluefin tuna by chumming. This fishing can be done on the high seas 30 miles off of the coast. In the Strait of Gibraltar bluefin tuna can be caught by trolling with artificial bait, because the currents do not allow fishing with chumming. Closer to the coast you can use trolling with natural bait (squid or mackerel) for catching dentex, grouper and amberjack.
Fall: Malaga in autumn is considered an excellent time for coastal trolling with small lures and small feather for fishing various species such as bonito, mackerel, little tunny and dolphinfish among others.
Winter: Winter in Malaga is the perfect deep sea fishing time, where you can find a wide range of species. Some examples are the black spot sea bream, forkbeard, conger eel, atlantic wreckfish, grouper and hake. February and March are usually very good months for fishing big pink dentex by deep trolling with natural baits. This technique can also catch grouper, dentex and amber jack.
All year: Bottom fishing in Málaga can take place at any time of the year.
You need a fishing license to fish in fresh water and salt water. The fishing charters normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat.