Portugal is a dream destination for both sport fishing and recreational fishing, but landing the big ones takes more than luck. In this guide, you’ll find practical tips to improve your casting and boost your success rate.
At sea, every fish has its tricks. Some strike hard, while others are cautious and tricky. Certain species thrive in rough surf, while others only show up in calmer, warmer waters. Knowing these differences is what separates going home empty-handed from enjoying a memorable fishing day.
In this article, you’ll discover the five most popular fishing species in Portugal and the best ways to catch them. From the elusive Bass fishing in the surf to the raw power of Tuna fishing offshore, we’ll show you how to adapt your techniques and improve your odds.
1. Bass Fishing
Sea Bass is one of the most sought-after fish species on Portugal’s coast. Selective and wary, it becomes highly active in rough seas, turbid water, and heavy surf, conditions that drive other species away.
Where to Find Them
Look for Bass in open surf beaches with waves, near harbor entrances and jetties, or estuaries with strong currents. Channels between sandbars and foamy whitewater zones are prime hunting grounds.
Best Time to Fish
Dawn and dusk are the most productive hours. Overcast, rainy, and stormy days extend their feeding activity. In winter, after mild storms, Bass often move closer to shore in search of food.
Top Techniques
Spinning is the most versatile approach for Bass fishing. In rough water, use hard lures or vinyls with stop-and-go retrieves to mimic injured prey. In shallow surf, floating lures help keep action near the surface. In low visibility, go for bright or rattling lures to grab attention.
Keep your rig simple and discreet: use thin braided line on the reel for greater sensitivity and a light lure to maintain natural action.
Pro tip: Bass are ambush hunters. Cast beyond the surf line and retrieve slowly toward the breaking waves. That’s when they strike hardest.
2. Bream Fishing
Among rocky shorelines, the white Sea Bream stands out for its caution. Fast, discreet, and unpredictable, this species rarely forgives mistakes. More than brute strength, it requires patience, refined technique, and attention to detail, especially in clear, calm waters.
Where to Find Them
They move along breakwaters, jetties, and rocky bottoms, feeding between stones and crevices. Look for light foam zones with good oxygenation and moderate currents. In rough seas, they feed deeper, making surface fishing less productive.
Best Time to Fish
Spring tides during flood and ebb phases are best. Cloudy days with rougher seas and slightly turbid water give Bream confidence to leave shelter.
Top Techniques
Float fishing is the classic approach for catching Bream. A light, well-balanced float makes it easier to spot subtle bites while presenting the bait naturally. Adjust the depth so you’re close to the bottom without snagging, and opt for fine lines for added stealth. Effective baits include shrimp, mussels, and sardine strips.
Pro tip: Bream have sharp vision. Keep a low profile, especially in clear waters, to avoid spooking them.
3. Gilt-Head Bream
The Gilt-Head Bream rewards maximum precision. Suspicious and highly sensitive, even the smallest mistake, from rig setup to bait choice, can ruin your cast. Valued both for sport fishing and at the table, it’s one of Portugal’s favorite catches.
Where to Find Them
Look for them in sandy bottoms, channels between sandbars, estuary mouths with clean currents, and algae-rich zones with shellfish and crustaceans. They prefer moderate depths and gentle currents.
Best Time to Fish
Spring and summer are the most favorable seasons. The best results come on warm days, with calm seas and clear water. Gilthead bream tends to feed more confidently during tide changes.
Late spring through autumn is the prime season, peaking in summer and early fall when waters warm and food is abundant. Tide shifts often trigger feeding.
Top Techniques
Surfcasting is the go-to. Use rods with sensitive tips to detect delicate bites and fine lines to present bait naturally. Choose what they naturally feed on: razor clams, cockles, mussels, shrimp, or small crabs.
Pro tip: match sinker weight to sea conditions for stability without killing bait presentation.
4. Mackerel Fishing
If you love fast-paced action, Mackerel fishing is perfect. Mackerel hunt in schools, striking quickly and delivering non-stop fun, especially in calm seas when food rises to the surface.
Where to Find Them
They school near breakwaters, jetties, and harbor entrances, as well as coastal channels with depth and over seabeds that break the current. Jumping baitfish and diving seabirds are reliable indicators.
Best Time to Fish
Most consistent from late spring through early autumn, with peaks in summer. Early mornings and late afternoons are the prime times.
Top Techniques
When they’re near the surface, use rigs with rhythmic retrieves to mimic fleeing bait. If they’re deeper, jigs work very well. For Spinning, choose small, shiny lures and vary speed to trigger strikes.
Pro tip: when you hook the first fish, keep retrieving. Often, the whole school attacks right after.
5. Tuna Fishing
While it’s possible along mainland Portugal, Tuna fishing shines in the Azores, where multiple species thrive. Powerful and fast, Tuna challenge both your gear and endurance, making them a pinnacle of sport fishing.
Where to Find Them
Tuna roam open waters, but approach shore when food is abundant. Diving birds, dolphins, and fleeing baitfish at the surface are sure signs.
Best Time to Fish
Peak season runs from May to October. The best catches happen on calm days with clear skies, when schools of fish tend to rise to the surface.
Top Techniques
For covering ground, Trolling fishing is king. Zig-zag through activity zones to simulate scattered bait schools. Gear up with high-capacity reels, progressive drags, and strong rods, lines, and terminals to withstand their brute force.
Pro tip: when Trolling, don’t stop the boat immediately after a strike. Maintain speed for a few seconds; this often triggers multiple hits from the same school.
Every species demands a different approach, that’s your advantage. Whether it’s the cunning of the Bass, the wariness of the Bream, the delicacy of the Gilt-Head, the speed of the Mackerel, or the sheer power of the Tuna, success lies in adapting your technique to the fish in front of you.
Whether it’s the power of the bass, the cunning of the bream, the sensitivity of the gilthead, the pace of the mackerel, or the brutality of the tuna, the secret is to adapt your style and trust your read of the sea.
And you? Do you have a must-know trick for these fishing species? Share your best tips in the comments, and don’t forget to post your top catches with us at @casafavais, we’d love to see them!