

Pursuit 2570 Offshore
La Caletta, Sardinia (IT)
Located south of Corsica, Sardinia is a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. Not only is it renowned for being the favorite holiday destination of some of the wealthiest people in the world, its stunning white (and rose) sand beaches and extravagant nightlife, it's also a great fishing destination with outstanding inshore and offshore conditions. Sardinia is a great place for offshore bluefin tuna fishing. Whilst Amberjack, Dentex and Grouper are the top species when inshore fishing. Check out what deep sea fishing in Sardinia is all about!
The seafloor around Sardinia is rocky with some sandy areas. The drop-off is pretty close to shore, especially on the north east and east side of the island where the depths fall quickly to 500m and more. Inshore, in the areas with stones, rocks and holes Grouper, Dentex and Amberjack feel at home.
Bottom fishing is another technique used during the sea fishing trips. Anglers anchor on the reef where they fish for scorpion fish, sea bream, jack, snapper and other smaller bottom fish with worms, cut squid or sardines.
Bluefin tuna, albacore, spearfish and - in September & October - mahi mahi love the area around the drop off and further off shore.
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 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).
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.
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).
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.
Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) belong to the tuna family just like Bluefin Tuna, Albacore or Yellowfin Tuna. They can grow up to 200kg (450lb) and over 2 meters long. These pelagic fish are found in temperate and tropical waters (off shore) and are targetted mainly trolling.
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.
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).
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 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).
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.
All year round locals and visitors can target Grouper, Dentex and Amberjack with life bait. Fishing trips use to start pretty early (before the sun comes up) to catch life squid or cuttle fish. Later, the fishing guide will troll these close to the rocky bottom hoping a nice predator attacks the bait.
Between April and August, nice tuna frenzies appear off shore. These tuna weigh between 30kg and 60kg and can be targeted with a heavy spinning rod using all kind of specilized tuna lures: poppers, rubber lures, walk-the-dog, jigs, etc. This fishing technique requires fast, smaller and agile centre console boats in order to be able to chase the frenzies.
During the summer months (June, July, August and early September) the most popular fishing technique in Sardinia is chumming. Anglers head out with sardines, mackerel or anchovies to attrackt the giant bluefin tuna. Drifting, they make a trail of bait to attrackt these magnificent fighters. The advised tackle here is 80lb or 120lb Tiagra reels to be able to land (and release) a massive tuna. The tuna caught this time of the year can weigh between 80kg and 250kg (with some exceptions weighing over 300kg).
After a day fishing, you can visit one of the 8,000 Nuraghi (structures believed to be religious temples or military strongholds), don't miss beaches like Cala Gonone, Li Coggi beach, or the touristic Costa Smeralda.
Sardinia has a unique wildlife with many different types of birds, unique mammal species, turtles and seels. Also visit the National park of Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Di La Maddalena.
In Cagliari visit the monuments such as the Bastione San Remy or the Cathedral of Cagliari.
On the Costa Smeralda, the Porto Cervo Marina is a must-visit-place. The richest people in the world have their holiday homes here.
The archaeological findings of the former Roman civilization can be found at Nora or Tharros. When the fishing is slow one can also Taste the local food and drinks, do kite surfing, diving, shopping, mountain biking and much, much more
You need a fishing license to fish in fresh water and salt water. The fishing charters in Sardinia normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat.