

Foramando
Arenal, Mallorca (ES)
Mallorca offers several opportunities, but without doubt the specialty is tuna fishing. The Balearic Islands and the area between Ibiza and Formentera are the two most important places for the reproduction of this species in the Mediterranean.
Notably the waters off Alcudia, northern Mallorca - and the area east of Palma de Mallorca, host a population of tuna that lives there all year round. For offshore fishing it is one of the best places for bluefin tuna. Whilst Amberjack, Dentex, scorpion fish, dorado, sea bream and snapper are the top species when inshore fishing in Mallorca.
Red scorpion fish eat fead on fish and crustaceans. This stunning Mallorca fish species sheds his skin every two weeks. It's a beautiful fish, very sought after by local fisherman in the Balearic Islands. Highly praised for its meat, this fish is targeted deep sea fishing in Mallorca with squid or cut bait in rocky areas (40 meters deep or more).
The adult male and female dolphinfish can be told apart by their different fronts. The male one is sharper whereas the female is more rounded. The best months for fishing them in Mallorca are September and October. This is a voracious species, caught mainly by trolling with small lures and feathers. They are good fighters who can jump during combat.
Mallorca and Balearic Islands are one of the most important spawning grounds of this "king of the seas." Although the best time to catch tuna is the summer when the waters are warm, bluefin tuna can be caught throughout the year in the waters of Alcudia. Tuna does not usually hunt in surface water as it feeds on mackerel at big depths below 10m. Due to this, there are not many fans of fishing tuna in Mallorca, who practice spinning to capture them.
The Albacore often lives in deep sea. Albacore is a good eating fish and very popular by sport fishermen. Between May and August, you can catch this Mallorca fish species trolling.
The swordfish is a migratory predator that is characterized by its long, flat peak (like a sword). At the adult stage, they lose all their teeth and scales. The winter months are the best time to target swordfish, although it is an uncommon fish and fishing it is not easy.
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 40 kg (90lb).
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).
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.
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 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).
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 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.
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 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 sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is for many sport fishermen a trophy fish because of the nice fight they offer but also because they're an excellent eating fish. Sea bass, also known as European bass, are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from northern Norway to Senegal, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. They can grow up to 1 metre and weigh up to 12kg.
Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are probably the most sought after sport fish in the world. They live in the sub-tropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Swordfish can grow over 3 meters in length and weigh more than 600 kg (1350lb).
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).
Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), also known as Ono (meaning “delicious” in Hawaiian), are found in many subtropical and tropical waters. They’re identifiable by their blue-green upper body which shifts into silver towards their belly. They also have blue vertical striping along their sides. These predators are torpedo-shaped and have long and largemouths with teeth.
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.
The the European barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena) is also known as the Mediterranean barracuda. This predator is common in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. They can grow up to 1,65m and weigh over 3,5kg.
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 leerfish (Lichia amia) is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the Mediterranean Sea and the coastal waters from Western Africa to south Africa. Leerfish are generally found in small and loose groups rather than large schools of fish. They can grow up to 1,70m (5.5ft) and weigh up to 25kg (55lb).
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.
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 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.
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.
Late May, is great to target species such as bluefin tuna, white tuna (albacore), swordfish, short bill speerfish and dorado (dolphinfish). Blue fin tuna pass through the channel of Ibiza, winding their way across the Gulf of Valencia to the Delta del Ebro to spawn in the Balearic Islands, the Gulf of Leon and other areas. These are large specimens such as albacore of 10kg-20kg and 15kg–50kg tunas. It is usually best to fish them with the trolling technique. Sometimes you can also catch short bill speerfish during the fishing trip, but this is occasional.
In June, shoals of fish move in places called the "S" and "Tower", located in southern the island of Mallorca. In June and July, the albacore move to "Ses Mamelles". In Mallorca in summer, you can fish mainly by chumming and the best areas are between Majorca and Ibiza, north of Cabo Formenter and also an area located to the east of Porto Colom and Porto Cristo.
Spin fishing and light tackle trolling are the main techniques for Autumn to target small tuna species (blue fin tuna, false albacore, melva, bonito...) and dolphinfish (1-10kg). September and October are also very good for fishing dolphinfish (dorado). The best trolling is done off shore. The small bluefin tuna from 1-2kg is often found at this time of year, but you will need to release them after catching, as they are a protected species
Sea fishing in Mallorca during the winter months, as throughout the year, can be done with big game fishing. Using this fishing technique, we will find a wide variety of Mallorca fish species including Caproig or red scorpion fish, black spot sea bream, conger eel and forkbeard. You can also do squid fishing in Mallorca.
You can fish by jigging (dentex, amber jack, mero), but you must invest many hours. You can also practice big game fishing. Bottom fishing is done using baits like worms, squid, cuttlefish and sardine. Black spot sea bream, forkbeard, white sea bream, "caproig", mackerel, grouper and conger can be fished.
In Alcudia, you can fish bluefin tuna all year. A few miles from the coastline is the "song", where the ocean floor falls 1000m. Tuna and swordfish permanently live in this area and feed mainly on mackerel. In this area of Mallorca storms are very common, although on calm days, you can enjoy authentic landscapes of the waters of Alcudia.
Apart from sea fishing in Mallorca you can also go cycling, kite surfing, mountain biking, wine tasting experience, snorkeling & diving, sailing, hiking and much much more.
Enjoy the local food in the hundreds of bars & restaurants from the island. Try ensaimada, sandwich with sobrasada, a Caproig a la brasa, bullit de peix...
To arrive in Mallorca, you can go by plane and land at the airport of Palma de Mallorca which is 8km east of Palma, the capital of Mallorca. Once on the island, you can use the well connected rail, metro or bus services.
All anglers over 14 years need a fishing license to fish in fresh water and salt water which can be obtained on the website from the Gobern de les Illes Balears:
remember that the fishing charters in Mallorca normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat.