Fishing in Barcelona

Most popular Species in Barcelona

Depending on the time of the year, different species are fished. There are species that live all year round in the waters of Barcelona such as scorpion fish, horse mackerel, dentex or grouper. Other Species such as bluefin tuna or albacore are fished when the sea warms up, that is to say between April and September. Here you find the most popular species in Barcelona.

Bluefin Tuna

This species of tuna is one of the most sought after in the Fishing waters of Barcelona. It is distinguished from other tuna species by the dark metallic color of its back and the white tone of its belly.

It is called Red Tuna due to the intense red color of its flesh. Bluefin tuna can reach high speeds and have a long and strong fight. That is why specimens of this species are so appreciated and sought after in the world of sport fishing. Fishing in Barcelona for Bluefin Tuna is as exciting as for any other species of this family, known for their endless strength and vigor.

Regardless of the location, one of the methods of fishing for Bluefin Tuna is trolling. Fishing in Barcelona with this technique consists of dragging artificial baits at a considerable speed behind the Boat (7 to 10 knots of speed).

The Fishing season in Barcelona for tuna starts in April, when this pelagic fish migrates to the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar. March, April and May are very good months for tuna spinning. At this time the tuna eat on the surface and can be fished by casting lures such as poppers, walkers, vinyls and jigs. The best area is in the ridge between Castelldefels and Vilanova: the "Vapor" and the "Hoyo".

The best time for tuna fishing is the summer months, as it is the hottest time of the year.

Lampuga

The Dorado, as it is popularly known, is one of the most beautiful fish that can be found in salt waters while fishing in Barcelona. Of a very agile nature, they offer a very passionate game for the practice of sport fishing. It has a bright appearance, with blue, yellow or green tones, they come out of the water, but when they notice the hook they try to dive quickly. Some of the specimens of this species even practice what in the Anglo-Saxon world is called Tail walking. An action more typical of dolphins that consists of getting out of the water on their backs and using their tails to propel themselves backwards. Starting from a good fight, they exhaust all their strength before letting themselves be caught. For all these reasons, they are at the top of the sport fishing lists.

An adult male Dorado can be distinguished from the female by its raised forehead, while the female's forehead is more rounded. As for its weight, it varies between 7 and 40 kg in adult specimens.

The best and most common method for fishing Dorados is trolling in Barcelona with surface baits and live baits. The most effective and favorite baits for dorado are squid and other fast artificial baits. During September and October are the best months to catch Llampuga although in the open sea we can always find a big specimen.

Bluefish

This is one of the most popular fish for Fishing in Barcelona. Similar to the Lemon Fish (or Seriola) it is distinguished by its backbone, which has no space in between and its appearance is blue-grayish on the back, which gradually transforms into the white of its belly. It is considered an insatiable fish, as it is often seen swimming through large schools of baitfish. They swim unceremoniously through such schools, smashing everything that crosses their path without mercy. For this reason they have earned the nickname, very common among Anglers, of "Marine Piranha" or Tallahams (hook cutters in Catalan). In fact, their ferocity has caused damage to swimmers.

They are great fighters, very aggressive and they pull hard... The favorite method for fishing bluefish is trolling but spinning is also very effective.

Finally, the best fishing area in Barcelona to find bluefish is, in fact, very close to the coast. This type of fish tends to stalk the shallow waters from 7 to 20 meters. Spring, summer and autumn are definitely the best times for fishing in Barcelona for bluefish.

Yellowfin tuna

The Atlantic Bonito is not to be confused with the Atlantic Bonito, it is a smaller member of the Tuna family. But don't be fooled by their size, they are the most skilled in terms of fight and strength. They can grow between 60 and 100 cm in length (the largest specimen on record measured 120 cm and weighed about 17 kg). Trolling and spinning are the most common methods for catching bacoreta. Bacoreta can be caught by trolling with artificial lures such as feather squid and other artificial fish such as Halco, Rapala or Yozuri. Another way to catch this species can be spinning although it is difficult to get close to the bacoretas as they are easily spooked. Once you have managed to get close to them, casting poppers and big walkers, success is assured.

Spring

Fishing in Barcelona in spring, summer and autumn is very popular for inshore trolling. Tallahams and leerfish are fished very close to the coast (about 7-8 meters deep) with natural bait (needles, spets, etc.). Fishing in Barcelona from the end of April and May onwards, Bluefin Tuna start to appear. The last few years we have noticed an increase of Bluefin Tuna with weights between 20kg and 50kg. Moreover, these predators are getting closer and closer to the coasts of Barcelona, which is great news for the fans of spinning fishing in Barcelona. When the tuna are hunting on the surface, you can spin fish for them by casting large lures to the tuna's molas. When you are close enough to the tuna, you throw poppers, stick baits or vinyls to catch it. This fishing is very action-packed and spectacular as the Anglers have to be very fast and on high alert, watching live as the tuna come out of the depths attacking the lure. It is advisable to use a good reel (such as Saltiga 4500 or 6500 from Daiwa or Stella 18000 - 20000 from Shimano, for example), 60 lb - 80 lb braided lines because the fight with a bluefin tuna can easily last for more than an hour.

Summer

June, July and August are the ideal months for deep sea fishing in Barcelona, the waters in front of Blanes - the Mecca for tuna fishing on the Costa Brava - in particular are known for the fans of the brumeo and Giant Tuna fishing (specimens up to more than 400 kg are allowed to be caught). This is an extreme fishing, using 80 lb to 130 lb material and bait with sardines, anchovies, mackerel... The bait leaves a trail in the sea that will attract the giant tuna. What to put on the hook is more personal and each skipper has his theories, preferences and secret techniques, but in general you usually put mackerel, a few sardines or a horse mackerel.

Autumn

Fishing in Barcelona during the months of September and October are excellent for light trolling. Bonitos and dolphinfish are fished a little further offshore - usually in waters 40 - 80 meters deep - with feathers, rapala, yozuri, halco, and other small lures. It is also worth to fish them with light tackle. It is baited with sardines, anchovies and/or Caball, forming a trail in the sea, hoping to attract the bonito. As bait we can use a whole sardine or pieces of sardine or anchovy.

Winter

During the winter months fishing in Barcelona is often practiced by bottom fishing. The sunken Boats and rocks are the hot spots for bottom fishing and the Anglers will not easily reveal where to find them. Fishing with this technique is used to catch pagel, red snapper, serrano, bream, grunt, forkbeard, conger eel, among others. Sardine, squid, octopus, "morralet", etc. are used as bait.

Observing the seabed of the Fishing in Barcelona with the eye of an Angler, the 55m deep bar in front of Mataró immediately catches our attention, an interesting element that breaks the sandy monotony of the seabed of the Maresme.

From Masnou and continuing towards Mataró and Arenys de Mar the waters are shallow and do not reach a depth of 1000 meters until after 25 miles.

A little further north, between Blanes and Platja d'Aro the bottoms are painted with rocks. But the nautical charts show that off the coasts of Blanes and Lloret de Mar there is a real canyon that begins barely two miles from the coast, passes quickly to 500 meters deep and ends at 1720 meters.

The waters in front of Blanes are well known for the practice of the "brumeo" technique and the fishing of the Giant Tuna (we can find specimens of more than 400 kilograms). This rich and varied landscape makes fishing in Barcelona one of the most varied areas with the greatest diversity of fauna. Some of the species that can be found are bluefin tuna, amberjack, swordfish and imperial marlin.

Barcelona has a climate characteristic of the areas near the Mediterranean Sea. Broadly speaking, the weather in Barcelona tends to be rather wet and mild winters and dry summers. There are few days of extreme temperatures, cold or heat, since the proximity to this particular sea softens the extreme temperatures. The highs in summer are usually around 30ºC and the lows in the coldest months of winter do not usually drop below 4ºC.

As for rain, it usually falls more in the intermediate seasons: autumn and spring. But it is not very common, the average rainfall in Barcelona is 90 days, and even so, whole days of rain with the sky completely covered are not as common as in the continental climate. Summer storms, on the other hand, are usually the most intense and strongest, but in a short time they clear the sky.

Apart from fishing in Barcelona, you can also enjoy the area by biking or mountain biking. Less than 30 minutes away you can do wine and cava tasting in nearby wineries such as Sant Sadurní d'Anoia to taste cavas like Freixenet, Codorniu or Albet i Noya; or Vilafranca del Penedés where the wineries Torres, Maset del Lleo and others are located.

You can also go snorkeling or scuba diving, rent a sailboat, hiking, and much more.

Discover the local customs and food in the hundreds of bars and restaurants in the area.

For Fishing you need a fishing license that can be obtained on the website of the Generalitat de Catalunya:

>> Obtain a Recreational Surface Fishing License.

Remember that Fishing charters usually already have a collective fishing license so you don't need to buy one if you are going to charter a Boat.

Depending on the Boat and the Duration of your Fishing trip, you will pay more or less for the trip. The Price for a 4 hour Fishing trip in Barcelona with a small Boat is 450€.

A half day trip with a charter of about 12 meters costs about 780€, while an 8 hours Fishing trip will cost you between 1300€ and 1500€. Of course, there are bigger and more powerful Boats that are more expensive, but in exchange you get more comfort.

What is included in the Price?

The Price usually includes the Captain, fishing equipment, fuel, bait and lures and licenses. In each ad we indicate if drinks and food are Included.

Once the Booking is made, the Captain will contact you to arrange the meeting point and the time of departure. In addition, we recommend that you contact the Captain a couple of days before the trip to confirm the weather forecast.