Maria del Mar
Sitges, Barcelona (ES)
Sitges is a place like no other in the world. Located only 20 minutes south of Barcelona, Sitges is known for the Sitges International Film Festival...
Read more..
Sitges is a place like no other in the world. Located only 20 minutes south of Barcelona, Sitges is known for the Sitges International Film Festival, Carnival, its narrow streets filled with little bars & restaurants in the old town.
But did you know that there is amazing sport fishing in Sitges too? The coastline consistes of nice beaches and impressive cliffs, creating the perfect conditions for non-stop spinfishing and bottom fishing.
Only 5 miles off Sitges, the seafloor plunges from 100 meters to over 1000 meters, and it is a major highway for whales, dolphins and pelagic fish species migrating from the Gibraltar Straits into the Mediterranean Sea throughout the year.
The coastline of Sitges consistes of nice beaches with several piers and impressive cliffs, creating the perfect conditions for non-stop spinfishing and bottom fishing. Spinfishing along the beaches and its piers you can fish for bluefish and seabass using top water lures and soft bait. Bluefish can also be targeted using natural bait trolled along the coast.
The seafloor in front of Sitges basically consists of sand with a few stoney areas. Locals love to fish for the great tasting gilt-head bream or dorada from the beaches or the piers using worm, crab, shrimp or mussle. Great beaches to fish for gilt-head bream in Sitges are Playa de la Fragata, la Playa de San Sebastián or la Playa de Balmins.
In fall and winter, squid are caught in front of the church of Sitges, in 20 meter deep water.
About 8 miles northeast of Sitges, there's a small reef called "La Barra", where predators such as dentex and amberjack can be caught using live squid or cuttle fish.
And only 5 miles off Sitges, the seafloor plunges from 100 meters to over 1000 meters, and it is a major highway for whales, dolphins and pelagic fish species migrating from the Gibraltar Straits into the Mediterranean Sea throughout the year. March and April are the best months to catch 30-40kg bluefin tuna casting poppers, stickbait and jigs towards the impressive frenzies.
In May, these feeding frenzies are more common towards the Gulf of Sant Jordi and the Ebro Delta. In the area of Sitges, tuna fishing is now basically chumming and drifting in the area of the drop-off (the area of "El Forat" is one of the best places for tuna fishing in Sitges). Tuna caught chumming normally weigh between 40kg and 150kg, but there are fish up to 300kg.
Off-shore, there are interesting seamounts (such as "La Pera" and "Les Mamelles") and the Mallorca channel, which are great places to go offshore trolling for tuna and albacore (May - August).
If you're interested in fishing in Sitges, you might also be interested in fishing in Barcelona, fishing in Mallorca, fishing in Gran Canaria, fishing in Marbella and fishing in Tenerife.
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.
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 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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ever caught was 780kg (1496lb). These great fighters can be caught trolling, jigging, casting or drifting; mainly off-shore.
All year round: spinfishing for seabass, bottom fishing for gilt-head bream, snapper, jack and other smaller reef fish.
Spring: offshore spinfishing for bluefin tuna.
Summer: chumming (drifting) for bluefin tuna
Fall: Light tackle trolling for bonito, mahi-mahi, jack, frigate tuna, little tunny, mackerel. Live bait fishing for dentex and amberjack.
Winter: squid fishing. Live bait fishing for dentex and amberjack.
If you want to go fishing in Sitges, you need a fishing license. The license issued by the Catalan Government is for both fresh water and salt water fishing and can also be used in the rest of Spain. You can purchase a fishing license on the website from the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Remember that the fishing charters in Sitges or your fishing guide normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat or booking a local fishing guide in Sitges.