Thunnus thynnus
Bluefin Tuna
Season
Jun – Sep
Depth
20–200 m
Best bait & lures
Live mackerel, trolling lures
Fight difficulty
Extreme
Species Guide
Know what swims below.
A field guide to the Mediterranean species you'll target around the Maltese islands.
Coryphaena hippurus
Dolphin Fish
Season
Aug – Nov
Depth
0–50 m
Best bait & lures
Trolled feathers, ballyhoo
Fight difficulty
High
Seriola dumerili
Amberjack
Season
Apr – Oct
Depth
30–150 m
Best bait & lures
Slow-pitch jigs, live bait
Fight difficulty
Brutal
Epinephelus marginatus
Grouper
Season
All year
Depth
10–80 m
Best bait & lures
Live squid, soft plastics
Fight difficulty
Heavy
Xiphias gladius
Swordfish
Season
Jun – Oct
Depth
100–600 m
Best bait & lures
Squid, drifted at depth
Fight difficulty
Extreme
Sphyraena viridensis
Barracuda
Season
May – Nov
Depth
5–50 m
Best bait & lures
Long-cast minnows, surface lures
Fight difficulty
Fast & sharp
Dentex dentex
Dentex
Season
Apr – Oct
Depth
15–100 m
Best bait & lures
Live picarel, casting jigs
Fight difficulty
Powerful
Sarda sarda
Bonito
Season
Aug – Nov
Depth
0–40 m
Best bait & lures
Small trolled lures, metal jigs
Fight difficulty
Fast runs
Sparus aurata
Gilthead Sea Bream
Season
All year
Depth
5–30 m
Best bait & lures
Shrimp, mussel, fresh strip baits
Fight difficulty
Steady
Diplodus sargus
White Sea Bream
Season
All year
Depth
2–25 m
Best bait & lures
Crab, urchin, peeled prawn
Fight difficulty
Sharp bites
Oblada melanura
Saddled Sea Bream
Season
May – Oct
Depth
0–20 m
Best bait & lures
Bread paste, sabiki, small worms
Fight difficulty
Lively
Pagellus erythrinus
Common Pandora
Season
All year
Depth
20–100 m
Best bait & lures
Worms, squid strips on paternoster
Fight difficulty
Light
Pagrus pagrus
Red Porgy
Season
All year
Depth
30–150 m
Best bait & lures
Cuttlefish, squid, bottom rigs
Fight difficulty
Strong
Diplodus vulgaris
Two-banded Sea Bream
Season
All year
Depth
5–40 m
Best bait & lures
Worms, mussel, light float rigs
Fight difficulty
Wary
Mugil cephalus
Grey Mullet
Season
All year
Depth
0–10 m
Best bait & lures
Bread, dough, fine float gear
Fight difficulty
Surprising
Sepia officinalis
Cuttlefish
Season
Mar – Jun
Depth
5–40 m
Best bait & lures
Egi jigs from shore or boat
Fight difficulty
Pulsing
Scomber scombrus / colias
Mackerel
Season
Sep – Mar
Depth
0–50 m
Best bait & lures
Sabiki rigs, small metals
Fight difficulty
Quick & feisty
Sparisoma cretense
Mediterranean Parrotfish
Season
May – Nov
Depth
5–40 m
Best bait & lures
Bread, urchin, light bottom rigs
Fight difficulty
Stubborn
Dicentrarchus labrax
European Sea Bass
Season
All year
Depth
0–30 m
Best bait & lures
Live shrimp, surface lures, soft plastics
Fight difficulty
Hard runs
Octopus vulgaris
Common Octopus
Season
All year
Depth
2–50 m
Best bait & lures
Octopus jigs, white rags
Fight difficulty
Tugging
Loligo vulgaris
European Squid
Season
Sep – Mar
Depth
10–80 m
Best bait & lures
Egi jigs, illuminated squid lures
Fight difficulty
Light