31 Jan Fishing in Mallorca: from small to big

Also with tuna fishing in Mallorca, this rule applies like almost everywhere, first start small and catch bait fish. Tuna like to eat oily and therefore energy-rich shoal fish such as sardines. But we don’t have them here. We do however, have horse mackerel in very large quantities. The often picky tunas have adapted to this prey.

A fishing charter in Mallorca therefore always starts with the catch of fresh live horse mackerel, which are called Sorel here. First the schooling fish must be found. They live on the edge of the island shelf in waters around 80-100 m. During the search we use modern electronics, our sonar sees the fish at the bottom. If the signal is strong and the swarm large, our guests can catch their first fish.

Fishing in Mallorca starts with a Sabiki rig. This is a line with a weight at the end and about 6-8 small hooks with glitter foil on short leaders above. This rig is dropped down to the ground on a thin braided line, then slightly lifted and slowly moved with the rod up and down. Usually a bite comes immediately, which the angler notices on the sensitive rod. Then the angler should wait a few more seconds to fill the other hooks as well before pulling up.

Fishing in Mallorca: With mackerel for tuna

The mackerels are then put into a live bait tank – if they are big enough, because the big ones catch best. Fishing in Mallorca is not just about tuna, which inhales such a bait fish completely with a so called crash strike. Swordfish are also interested, but first they kill the mackerels with their sword before eating them. If the swordfish feel resistance, they become suspicious and turn away. We then see the traces of their sword on the bait.

And what can you do afterwards in Mallorca? For example, prepare some of the mackerel you have caught yourself! For this, toss the fillets in the following sauce: 15 g butter, some vanilla, the juice of an orange, half a lemon and half a grapefruit. Delicious!