Do You Fish while Sailing?

Do you like fishing? Either way, you can be a real fish lover. And who could blame you? Fish is not only delicios but very good for health too. It contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids which help your brain and heart to work properly. That’s why Mediterranean cuisine is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. If you’re going sailing and have trouble deciding what to eat on your sailing trip, we recommend reading this article. And if you want to learn more about Mediterranean cuisine such as Greek and Spanish, feel free to follow the links.

But if you want to learn more about fishing in Croatia, you’ve come to the right place. At the sea, fish is eaten throughout the year. Fish and shellfish. And that is obvious because the sea is right there. As a result, a lot of traditional Mediterranean specialties are made with fish. So, if you find yourself in Croatia, Greece or Spain, you just got to try local seafood recipes. And if you want to catch your own fish and prepare it the traditional way, here is everything you need to know.

Fishing And Sailing

Are fishing and sailing somehow connected? Is it self-explanatory that if you sail that you know how to fish? There are many questions about the connection between sailing and fishing but I think those are totally different categories. I have been sailing for some years but I have never been interesting in fishing so much to buy fishing gear and spend every moment at sea with a fish hook below the surface.

Personally, as a skipper, I do not like when customers occupy the entire transom and aft with their fishing gear and annoy helmsman (me) with questions such as: which fish is easy to catch in these waters? what is the best speed to fish with 0.7 nylon? how much weight should I put on the line today?…

Where to go Fishing in Croatia?

The best place to go fishing in Croatia is Dalmatia. There’s plenty of fish living in Adriatic sea so fisherman will have a blast. However, the best part of Dalmatia for fishing is Southern Dalmatia because the sea is usually warmer.

However, where ever you go in Croatia you will enjoy fishing. Throughout Croatia there are different kind of fish so depending on your taste you can choose your prefered region.

Types of Fish in Croatia

In Croatia (meaning Adriatic sea) there can be found pilchard, sprat, anchovy, tuna, pelamid, mackerel, dog’s teeth and other. Depending on the region there are different types of fish. But these are the most common ones and can be found throughout the Adriatic sea.

Fishing Permit in Croatia

Maybe one out of ten fishing enthusiasts ever asked me about a permit. Yes, fishing permit is required for every mean of recreational and/or sporting fishing in Croatia. Regardless whether you’re catching fish from the shore or from the yacht. In general, permits are available for period of one day, three days, seven days, one month or one year. They are issued by the Directorate of Fisheries within the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, through authorized dealers or online. All sorts of regulations and allowed fishing tools are listed at the same web-page.

Please do not take me as a hater of fishing; I just want to put some things in order. I deeply respect some of my customers who were true fishermen. They had their permits, they knew everything about catching fish in these waters, they respected regulations as well as the other crew members (including skipper) and their space; and last but not least, they did it for sport.

There were two times my crew catching respectful prey similar to tuna. We eat it that very evening as a delicious dinner. Still, most of the sailing is during the summer when fish usually go deep during the day and it is very unlikely to catch a trophy pray then. True fishermen know that very well.

Enthusiasts And Problems

Fishing enthusiasts I disagree with usually fix their rod at the aft and release few hundreds of meters of line behind. Usually as soon as the yacht catches the wind. Then they wait for few moments, afterwards they take a beer and then they finally go to sleep. In such cases the line usually gets in propeller of speedboat(s) passing by, stuck to underwater rock or most probably cut by skipper’s sailing knife.

Even if some poor suicidal fish finds it’s way to their rode it is so rare and a precious treasure. And the excitement of having a dinner with fresh fish usually ends when enthusiast realizes that the best fish is at the fish market. However, some of my fellow skippers use to tell stories about nice pieces that ended on their plates aboard, which I truly respect but do not believe completely; especially the part about the size and weight of those pieces.

I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind and a strong mast!