The Algarve is the ideal holiday destinations for water sport lovers like fishing, surfing, diving and many others. Fishing in the Algarve is one of the most popular water sports among families and groups of friends. Fishing trips can be done from several locations in the Algarve like Olhão, Tavira, Alvor and Lagos. About the type of fishing, we’ve got fishing for all tastes, from family fishing to jigging to deep sea fishing in the Algarve.

“Donzela” is our fishing boat in Alvor

Why go fishing in the Algarve

The advantage of recreational fishing is that it can be done with whoever you’d like to take. Usually, for the activities that involve fishing in the Algarve, no previous experience is required. In fact, many bookings we receive for recreational fishing in the Algarve are for fathers and their sons. Such a nice father-sun experience during your holidays in Portugal!

In addition, mums and daughters can also join the fishing tour as the ones who do not aspire to fish can come along as a spectator. This is also why the fishing tours in the Algarve are popular among groups of friends. While the guys have fun fishing, the girls can simply enjoy the sun on the deck and take some nice pictures.

Dad and sons coming back after a family fishing tour in Lagos

In most cases, the fishing tour does not end when you get back to the marina. That’s when the real party starts as usually you may bring your fish home for a BBQ dinner. Go out fishing with friends and family on the atlantic and then going home to prepare your own fish is the ultimate holiday experience! Of course this does not apply on the shar fishing and and big game fishing tours as on those trips we practice “Catch, Photograph and Release”. This means that  all sharks and fish that we catch will be returned to their natural habitat after been caught (and taken some impressive pictures).

Another successful boat trip with fishing in the Algarve

Happy customers make us happy and we decided to share some feedback from our customers about their boat trips with fishing in the Algarve: Read along if you’re still doubting what to do during your stay in the Algarve!

About fishing in Olhão:

Although we permanently live in the Algarve, we decided to have a tourist day and booked the fishing day experience in Olhão. We have a great time on the water and you really do not need to be an experienced fisher to take part. Ricardo and his colleague help you when needed and take all the time to explain everything. We even got some fish to take home! Next time we are going to take their watertaxi to one of the deserted islands and spend the day.

About fishing in Tavira:

Me and my sun went for a big game fishing in Tavira. Marta is super welcoming and the staff on the boat was extremely friendly and professional. There were two more guys joining on the trip. As the conditions were perfect, we had a great day with some impressive catches. We were happy to sea the sharks were released back into the sea after taking some pictures.

About fishing in Alvor:

If it’s bottom fishing for fun or big game fishing in the Algarve, we couldn’t recommend Miguel (the captain) and his shipmates enough! Friendly, funny and very professional! Would highly recommend for a 4 hour family fishing trip, shark fishing or even sunset drinks and swimming. A ‘must do’ adventure during your stay in Alvor.

About fishing in Lagos:

Thanks a lot for everything! It was a fantastic trip, with a fantastic staff and I have no words to describe the moments of fishing, photos and caves with my family. Really really beautiful! There was no sun, but the weather was good enough to do all the activities we wanted. I really appreciate!

You’ll aways have the support of friendly and professional staff

And this is just a small sample of all the great feedback we’ve been receiving. At SeaBookings we always want to make sure we work with the best tour operators to guarantee you’ll get the best experience.

Do you have some experience to share or would you like to know more about fishing in the Algarve, let us know!

This is a guest post by Mark from Kayakguru.com

Ocean fishing in Portugal is integral to its culture. Portuguese cuisine relies on the variety of fresh and high-quality fish locally available. Whether you fish from the shore, on a deep-sea charter, or from your own kayak, you can enjoy fishing in Portugal just as the locals do.

In Portugal, it’s possible to land a wide variety of fish and to experience the wild coastline up close. This article will tell you about the most popular varieties of sport fish and recommend some popular fishing spots.

Fish To Catch Around Portugal

Here are some of the species you can find off the Portuguese coast:

Dourade / Sea Bream

Sea bream is one of the most common fish for everyday eating, and for good reason. This is a delicious, light-flavored white fish and can be caught from the shore. Portuguese families fish for these while enjoying a day at the beach.

Sea Bass

This fish is neck and neck with the sea bream in popularity. It is a small fish with firm flesh, so it holds up to many different methods of cooking. Sea bass can be caught from the shore using a spinning rod (video) or by fly fishing.

Tuna

Tuna is a large deep-sea fish and is prized for its firm and meaty flesh. Tuna is an exciting fish to catch from any deep-sea charter boat. (Video)

Marlin

Marlin is one of the best fish you can catch on a charter with deep-sea fishing in Portugal. Marlin have a lot of fight and are usually caught and released. If they are eaten, they have firm pink or white meat and a strong texture resembling steak.
Some other commonly caught species include mullet, grouper, sharks, and rays.

The Best Spots for Fishing in Portugal

Anglers are always reluctant to tell just anyone about their favorite fishing spots, but here are some of the best places to enjoy fishing in Portugal.

Albufeira

Albufeira is one of the busiest resort towns in the Algarve. The combination of beautiful scenery, great food, and exciting local events makes Albufeira a great place to stay.

In September, Albufeira hosts the world championship of big game fishing. The charters from this area are regarded as some of the best in Portugal.

Vilamoura

Vilamoura is an exciting city with many shops and restaurants, as well as a variety of places to stay, from small bed and breakfasts to luxury resorts.

The Vilamoura marina offers many deep-sea charters as well as excellent reef fishing. Some of the big game fish include blue sharks, hammerhead sharks, marlin, and tuna. Reef fishing tours bring back sea bream, grouper, horse mackerel, sole, and moray eels.

Lagos

The 14th century town of Lagos makes an excellent home base for fishing expeditions up and down the coast. The town is close to Cabo de São Vicente, the southwestern most point in Portugal.

Lagos is known for its cliff fishing and beach fishing. While cliff fishing can be very dangerous, the cliffs in the best fishing areas are often dotted with locals and visitors hoping to land a fish. Some locals even descend the cliff on ropes to get to a better fishing spot. There are also deep-sea excursions from Lagos or shark fishing tours.

Lagos is also a good base for kayaking expeditions, whether you are hoping to fish or just to explore the caves dotted along the rocky coast.

Enjoy Your Trip

We hope this article has given you some ideas to plan a trip to go fishing in Portugal. Whether you are looking for a charter boat experience or to have a more personal experience like beach fishing or kayak fishing, you will always find a good catch in Portugal.

This is a guest post by Rifat Khan

There are a lot of factors that need to be considered if you want to be a successful angler. Fishing is not just about patience and dedication, it also requires you to have a great set of fishing equipment in order to have a great catch. But, aside from having the appropriate equipment, you also need to make sure that you know how to use them. After all, the best fishing rods and the best fishing reels will be useless if you cannot use them properly.

An important component of fishing is a fishing reel. Basically, a fishing reel is a cylindrical device that anglers attach to a fishing rod. Its primary use is for winding and stowing line. One particular type of reel is the spincast reel, which was first commercially introduced in 1949. The use of the best spincast reel was an attempt to provide a solution to the backlash problem found in baitcast designs and also reduce the line twist and snare complaints that sometimes occur with a traditional spinning reel design.

The spincast reel is a reel with a closed face with all the important parts kept under the nose cone. There is only a little hole in the cover where the line comes out. To use one, you need to press the button on the back, during your forward cast. When the line peels out, you let go of the button to make it stop.

It can be quite easy to get the hang of using a spincast reel, but before anything else, you must know how to put a spooling line on it. If it is the first time that you are using a spincast reel and you have not done it before, below are the steps, which can serve as your guide.

1. Take the cover off the reel. As mentioned, the spincast reel has a closed face so you need to unscrew the cover and take it off. Some reels have a screw on while some have a notch and pin to hold everything together.
2. If there is an old line, you need to take it off the reel. You can pull just enough of the line off so that you can also put enough new line for a long cast. To save money, you can leave the old line for backing.
3. Tie the new line to the spool. Through the hole in the cover, run the line coming from the end of the rod. Then, tie it up to the spool of the reel. You may find it more helpful and even easier to use the rod guides to run the line, from the tip to the handle first. Make an arbor knot and pull it tightly. If you still have the old line as backing, you should tie the two lines together with a nail knot or two clinch knots.
4. Put the cover back on the reel. Make sure that you are holding the line tight when you put the cover back on. Also, check that the line is not pinched by the reel cover. Then, after the cover is put back on, pull the line tight.
5. Reel new line onto the reel. First, lay the filler spool on the floor. This is to ensure that the line comes off the spool the same way that it goes on your reel. This also helps prevent twisting the line. Then, using one hand to hold the line tight, start reeling the new one onto the reel. At this stage, it is essential to keep tension on the line as it goes on the reel to make sure that it is tight. If the line is not tight, it can catch on itself and eventually cause casting problems.
6. Fill spool to 1/8 inch of the lip. Make sure that you do not put too much line on the reel. To check, you may need to take the cover off as you spool it. However, if you do take it off, make sure that you do not pinch the line when replacing it.
7. Use line guides to run the line and tie on a lure. If you were not able to run the line through the rod guides before spooling a new line, you can run through the guides now and then tie on your favorite lure. By this time, you can already go fishing. Just remember that it is a good idea to hold the reel when casting so that you can pinch the line between your fingers. By doing so, you can also keep the line tight as you reel in. This is critical when reeling in a light lure which does not put enough tension on the line. A fish pulling against it or a crankbait will help keep the tension on it.
8. Remove twists from the line after putting it on. You can idle along and trail line behind you while you are on a boat. Make sure that there is nothing on the line and then reel it in slowly. Another option is laying the line out on a flat surface and then slowly reel it back on the reel. When doing that, make sure as well that there is nothing at the end of the line.

These steps may seem a lot, but they can be simple, especially when you follow it one step at a time. Remember that putting line on the spool of a spincast reel, or any reel for that matter, is vital to ensure that there will be lesser line snags. It can also help ensure a more successful and trouble-free fishing.

The key to a proper spooling is by checking and observing how the line comes off on both sides of the supply. You also need to take line off the side with the least obvious coiling, Moderate pressure should be applied on the line before it reaches the reel. Basically, to sum all the steps up, you need to remove the hood, run the line through the hole, tie it to the arbor and snip off the excess, and then replace the hood. Now, you are ready to go fishing.