Fishing in Strait of Gibraltar

Currents

In the Strait of Gibraltar the waters of the Mediterranean collide with the waters of the Atlantic. The former - colder, more saline and therefore heavier - are deep currents coming out of the Mediterranean. The Atlantic waters, warmer and less dense, enter the Mediterranean at the surface. These horizontal water movements are also deflected by the enormous underwater mountains: when they collide with these mountains, they must overcome them, thus creating strong vertical currents and turbulence, sometimes very visible at the surface.

Winds

The relief of the Spanish and Moroccan coasts works like a funnel and channels the wind and sea currents. Very often the westerly or easterly winds blow brutally in the Strait while 20 miles before or after the wind can be light. There are many days when winds of 50 knots punish this area and make fishing impossible.

Fishing

As we have been saying, the Strait of Gibraltar is probably the best fishing spot in the Peninsula. Apart from the fact that there has never been overfishing by professional Anglers due to geographical and environmental factors, the Strait is a real magnet for underwater life. The Strait of Gibraltar is an obligatory passage for migratory marine species such as bluefin tuna. The strong currents that prevail here sometimes reach 5 knots. On the one hand they make fishing difficult, but on the other hand they provide a lot of food for the small fish, which in turn attract our favorite prey, the depths vary dramatically. The shallows, ridges, rocks and sandy areas alternate constantly and provide shelter for a multitude of large predators such as sama, grouper, snapper, voracious, wreckfish and amberjack. The threshold of Camarinal, located next to the Majuán Bank, has a depth of 280 meters, while just outside the Bay of Algeciras there are depths of up to 1000 meters. Other very interesting spots for Fishing are Punta Carnero, Guadalmesì, Punta de Oliveros, the shallows of Aceitera, the shallows of Los Cabezos in front of Punta Paloma, Bolonia, Isla Perejil, etc. You can practice coastal and bottom trolling, deep sea trolling for giant tuna, swordfish or marlin; you can do bottom fishing, jigging, spinning, etc. The Strait is a real paradise for jigging lovers. There are plenty of pebbles and rocks populated with large predators. Fishing is best in depths of 30-50-80 meters; at greater depths it is also possible to fish, but the strong currents force us to use heavy jigs of 350 grams and 500 grams. Spinning is also a very successful technique in this area. There is a lot of fishing in the Strait of Gibraltar, but the fishing is not easy. You have to be very well informed about the weather: the day can dawn calm and sunny, but in a very short time a 50 knots easterly can come in, which has put more than one in trouble. It is necessary to know the tides and currents well. In addition, you have to be very aware of the enormous maritime traffic that passes through the strait, and of course, you have to know the good areas. For all these reasons, it is very important to be able to count on the experience of a good skipper.

Curiosities

Throughout the centuries the name of the Strait has been changing with the passage of the different Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Muslim colonies. The strait was known respectively as the columns of Melkart and then as the columns of Heracles or Hercules. According to Greek mythology, it was Hercules who separated the Rock of Gibraltar from Mount Hacho (Ceuta) and installed two pillars there to commemorate his struggles against the three-bodied giant called Geryon. In reality, the Greeks considered the Strait of Gibraltar as the end of the known world although they knew the Mediterranean very well; past this last frontier was the unknown and the fears; the current name of the Strait of Gibraltar comes from the Arab invasions; Gibraltar means Rock of General Tarek (Gibr-al-Tarek).

A fishing license is required for sport fishing. Remember that Fishing charters usually already have a collective fishing license so you don't need to buy one if you are hiring a Boat.