On the waterBenalmádena
Fishing trips out of Benalmádena, and what is provided
Apr–Nov
Fishing out of Puerto Marina comes in two shapes, and the difference is not the boat. What a shared morning trip supplies, how the licence question is normally handled, what nobody hands you at the pontoon, and why the early departure catches more than the one that suits your holiday.
The fishing boats at Puerto Marina do not look like the hire boats. They sit further along the quay, they are older, they have rod holders welded to the rail, and they leave before most of the marina is awake. That is most of what you need to know about which product you are buying.
Two things are on sale here and they get confused constantly. A seat on a shared trip, sold per person for a fixed few hours. And the boat itself, chartered privately for a group, where the length and the destination are yours to argue about.
The two products, side by side
| Shared seat | Private charter | |
|---|---|---|
| Sold as | One place, per person | The whole boat, per hour or per trip |
| Typical length | 3–5 hours | Half day or full day |
| Who else is aboard | Six to twelve strangers | Nobody |
| Gear | Supplied, one rod each | Supplied, and usually more of it |
| Where you go | Where the skipper decides | Negotiated before you leave |
| Best for | A first go, one morning | Groups, anglers, anyone with a plan |
For a family or a couple trying fishing for the first time, the shared morning is the right purchase and the private charter is a waste of money. For four people who actually fish, the arithmetic flips quickly, because four shared seats on a peak-season morning approach the cost of a half-day charter with far more control.
What is on the boat
On a shared trip out of here you should expect the rod, the reel, the rig on the end of it, the bait, the ice and the crew. You should expect somebody to bait a hook for you the first time and to take a fish off the hook every time, because that is how these trips run and it is why they work for beginners.
You should not expect food, sun cream, a hat, or a jacket for the cold hour before the sun is properly up in April and October. There is often a toilet on the larger boats and often not on the smaller ones — ask, because it decides whether a five-hour trip is possible with the group you have.
Ask about ice specifically. A boat with a proper ice box will send you home with something worth cooking. A boat without one, in August, will not, whatever you catch.
The licence question, handled properly
Recreational sea fishing in Andalusia sits under a regional licence, and the common arrangement for visitors is that the boat carries something that covers the people fishing from it. That is the normal answer at this marina and it is usually correct.
It is not a reason to stop asking. Put the question directly — am I covered to fish from your boat, or do I need my own licence — and get a yes rather than a gesture. Requirements and categories are set by the regional authority and change; if you intend to fish from the rocks, the beach or a boat you have hired yourself, that is a different situation entirely and you should check the current rules before you put a line in the water.
A hired licence-free boat is emphatically not a fishing charter. Some hire agreements at Puerto Marina prohibit fishing from the boat altogether, and the briefing will not mention it either way, so read the contract if that was the plan.
Which departure to book
There are usually three shapes of trip on this coast in season, and the one that suits a holiday is the one that catches least.
- First light. Leaves before most of the marina is moving, comes back mid-morning. Flat water, cool air, and the fish are feeding. This is the trip to book.
- Mid-morning. Civilised, and the compromise most families take. Warmer, busier water, and the sea breeze usually arrives before you come back in.
- Afternoon or sunset. Pleasant, sociable, and fishing is secondary. Fine if you want to be on a boat with a beer rather than to catch anything.
The sea breeze is the reason. It builds from around midday off these beaches and it makes a stopped boat roll, which is both worse fishing and the direct cause of most of the seasickness on this coast.
Before you get on
Take a hat that stays on, sun cream applied before you leave the apartment, sunglasses, closed shoes, a fleece if it is before June or after September, and your own water. Take seasickness tablets an hour before departure if you are prone, not when you begin to feel it, because by then they do not work.
Leave behind anything you mind losing over the side and any expectation about the catch. And if the trip is really about being out on the water for a morning rather than about fish, compare it against an hour or two on your own boat and against what the ports either side of here offer, because a shared seat and a hire slot cost roughly the same and are almost nothing alike.
What to check before you book
- Ask in plain terms whether the boat’s licence covers you as a passenger or whether you need your own recreational sea fishing licence, and verify the answer with the regional authority if it matters to you.
- Confirm whether rods, reels, terminal tackle and bait are all included, or only the rod. Bait is the item most often charged separately.
- Ask how many rods will be fishing at once. A shared boat with too many lines spends the morning untangling.
- Check what happens to the fish — whether you keep it, whether it is filleted, and whether there is ice aboard.
- Find out the departure time and the return time, and whether the trip is cancelled or moved if the sea gets up.
- Ask whether there is a toilet and shelter on board before booking a five-hour trip with anyone who will need either.
Questions people actually ask
- Do I need a fishing licence in Andalusia?
Recreational sea fishing in Andalusia is licensed by the regional authority, and boats that carry paying anglers commonly hold an arrangement that covers their passengers. That is the usual answer here, but it is not automatic and it is not something to assume from a booking page. Ask the boat directly whether you are covered while fishing from their vessel, and check the current regional requirements yourself if you plan to fish from anywhere else.
- What is actually included in the price?
On a shared trip, normally the rod, the reel, the terminal tackle, the bait and the crew who bait and unhook for you. Water or a soft drink is common, food is not. On a private charter more is negotiable, including where you go and how long for. Anything described as equipment hire on top of the seat price is worth querying before you book, because it is often the bait.
- Is it suitable for children?
A short morning trip in flat water, yes, and crews on this coast are generally good with children. A five-hour trip further offshore, no. The limiting factors are boredom during the run out, seasickness once the boat stops and rolls, and the fact that a boat cannot come back for one person. Ask for the shortest trip they run.
- What will we catch?
Ask the boat what is running that week rather than believing any list. Broadly, the inshore trips out of this stretch of coast target small pelagic and bottom species through the summer, and the trips that chase bigger fish go further out, cost more and take longer. Nobody can promise you anything, and a skipper who does is selling rather than fishing.