Ultimate Predator
4
129,17 ft
Gibraltar, Strait of Gibraltar (ES)
From
50,67 €
Fishing in Strait of Gibraltar
If to the Greeks the Strait of Gibraltar was the end of the known world, the last frontier, beyond which was unknown and frightful, for those that love sport fishing, this is probably the best place for fishing on the Spanish Peninsula. The enormous underwater mountains, strong currents, and harsh weather conditions never allowed these waters to be overfished. For this reason, the Straight is considered an authentic nursery, a place where you can still fish for large grouper, amberjack, red porgy, pink dentex, dentex, and tuna among others.
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Tips & Tricks, bait and more
The Currents
In the Strait of Gibraltar, the waters of the Mediterranean collide with the waters from the Atlantic. The first ones - colder and saltier which are heavier- have deep currents that leave the Mediterranean. The Atlantic waters- warmer and less dense- enter the Mediterranean on the surface. The movements of these horizontal waters are also affected by enormous underwater mountains: the collision with these mountains forces the water to rise over them, creating vertical turbulent currents, sometimes visible on the surface.
The Winds
The relief of the Spanish and Moroccan coastline serve as a funnel, channeling the wind and sea currents. Very often, the western or the eastern winds blow brutally in the strait, while 20 miles out the wind might be very light. There are many days that the wind reaches 50 knots, as if punishing this area and making it impossible to fish.
As we were saying, the Strait is probably best fishing spot on the Peninsula. An area that has never been over-exploited by industrial fishing due to geographical and environmental factors; the Strait is a magnet for marine life.
The Strait of Gibraltar is a mandatory step for migratory marine species such as the bluefin tuna.
The prevailing strong currents around here sometimes reach 5 knots. On the one hand, it makes fishing difficult, but on the other, it provides a great amount of food for small fish, which in turn attracts our preferred prey. The depths vary drastically. The depths, huge boulders, rocky and sandy areas provide shelter to many large predators such as the Moroccan dentex, grouper, red porgy, black spot sea bream, Atlantic wreckfish, and amberjack. The threshold of Camarinal situated next to Banco de Majuán, has a depth of 280 meters, while just outside the Bay of Algeciras there are depths of 1000 meters. Other interesting spots for fishing are Punta Carnero, Guadalmesi, Punta de Oliveros, the ‘bajo de la Aceitera,’ the ‘bajo de Los Cabezos’ in front of Punta Paloma, Bolonia, Perejil Island, etc.
You can practice coastal and deep sea trolling; big game trolling catches giant tuna, swordfish, and marlin; deep sea fishing can also be done by, jigging, spinning and more.
The Strait is a haven for jigging lovers. There are plenty of boulders and stones abundant with large predators. It is best to fish in sea bottoms of 30-50-80 meters; greater depths can also be fished, but the strong currents force us to use heavy jigs 350 grams and 500 grams. Spinning is also successful in this area. We have caught many nice Atlantic bonitos, amberjacks, and bluefish with poppers and other top water walkers.
There is plenty of fish in the Strait of Gibraltar, but fishing is not always easy. We must be very well informed about the weather: the day may start out calm and sunny, but very quickly it can become very windy as strong as 50 knots, which has caused more than enough distress. Is necessary to know the tides and currents; in addition, one must always be watching out for the large amount of maritime traffic passing through the strait, and of course, you need to know where the good areas are. For all these reasons, it is very important to have the experience of a good skipper.
History
Throughout the centuries, the name of the strait has kept changing with the passing of different Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Muslim colonies. The straight used to be known (respectively) as the Columns of Melkart, later as the Columns of Hercules. According to Greek mythology, it was Hercules who separated the Rock of Gibraltar from Monte Hacho (Ceuta) and installed two pillars to commemorate his battles against the massive giant named Geryon. In reality, the Greeks considered the Strait of Gibraltar as the end of the known world although they knew the Mediterranean very well; it symbolized the end of the known world and they feared it. The current name of the Strait of Gibraltar comes from the Arabic invasions, Gibraltar means ‘rock of the General Tarek’ (Gibr-al-Tarek).
Top sport fishing species in Strait of Gibraltar
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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).
MORE INFO >Amberjack
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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).
MORE INFO >Dentex
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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).
MORE INFO >Pink Dentex
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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.
MORE INFO >Bluefish
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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.
MORE INFO >Dorado
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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).
MORE INFO >Gilt-head Bream
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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.
MORE INFO >Atlantic Bonito
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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.
MORE INFO >Wahoo
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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.
MORE INFO >Atlantic Mackerel
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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.
MORE INFO >Little tunny
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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.
MORE INFO >Red Snapper
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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.
MORE INFO >Skipjack Tuna
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Spearfish (Tetrapturus) are a generic name for several species such as the shortbill spearfish and longbill spearfish. These billfish are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.
MORE INFO >Spearfish
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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.
MORE INFO >Grouper
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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).
MORE INFO >Common pandora
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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.
MORE INFO >Bluefin Tuna
FISHING SEASON IN Strait of Gibraltar
TOP FISHING TECHNIQUES IN Strait of Gibraltar
OUR USERS IN Strait of Gibraltar
LEGISLATION / REGULATIONS
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.
