GearLever Drag vs. Two-Speed: Which Reel Actually Fits Your Fight
Lever drag or two-speed? After a Bluefin nearly cooked the first stage of his drag off Madeira, our author breaks down when raw line capacity wins and when a second gear saves your arms on a long standup fight.
Nov 3, 20266 min read
TechniqueAmberjack Fishing in the Strait of Gibraltar: Reading the Current
The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the most brutal amberjack fisheries in Europe. Here's how tidal current, wreck structure, and heavy knife jigs combine to produce some of the biggest amberjack you'll ever hook into — and how to keep them from winning the first ten seconds of the fight.
Oct 27, 20267 min read
artenkundeHow to Identify Tuna Species: Bluefin, Yellowfin, Albacore and Bigeye Compared
Every autumn, four tuna species cross paths in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic, and telling them apart at the rail matters, especially with Bluefin's strict ICCAT quotas. Here's the field method I use: pectoral fin length first, then body shape, then fin color, to call Bluefin, Yellowfin, Albacore and Bigeye correctly before the fish ever comes aboard.
Oct 20, 20266 min read
TechniqueDaytime Swordfish: Deep Dropping with Electric Reels in the Strait of Gibraltar
Forget night drifts under the moon — in the Strait of Gibraltar, swordfish feed in total darkness five hundred meters down even at noon. Here's how electric reels, heavy breakaway leads, and glow rigs turn deep dropping into the most reliable swordfish technique in the European Atlantic.
Oct 13, 20266 min read
TechniqueStand-Up Fighting Bluefin Tuna: Harness, Stance, and Pump-and-Wind Technique
Master the stand-up fight against bluefin tuna: why a properly worn fighting belt saves your back, the low wide stance that keeps you anchored on a rolling boat, and the pump-and-wind rhythm that actually gains line instead of burning you out in ten minutes.
Oct 6, 20267 min read
Fishing GroundsMadeira in High Summer: Chasing Grander Blue Marlin in the 1,000-Pound Class
Why Madeira's near-shore drop-offs make it the most honest grander ground in the East Atlantic — edges, lure spreads, tackle, and the six-week window when 1,000-pound blue marlin really show up.
Sep 29, 20266 min read
TechniqueFishfinder & Side-Scan Sonar: How to Find Baitballs and Tuna
Offshore trolling for tuna comes down to reading your fishfinder right. Learn how frequency choice, baitball shape, CHIRP settings, and real-time temperature readouts help you spot bait schools and the tuna feeding beneath them before anyone else on the water does.
Sep 15, 20266 min read
SafetyPlanning Your First Offshore Tuna Trip: Crew, Safety, and the Emergency Checklist
Before you ever cast a line offshore, the real work happens at the dock. A veteran captain breaks down weather windows, EPIRB and life jacket basics, crew roles, and the five-minute safety briefing that separates a great day on the water from a story you'd rather not tell.
Sep 10, 20266 min read
TechniqueKite Fishing for Tuna: Presenting Live Bait Free on the Surface
Kite fishing lifts your bait clean off the water on tuna grounds, letting it swim free on the surface with zero line drag. Here's the full setup: kite rig, release clips, the right wind range, and how to keep live bait kicking until the strike.
Sep 8, 20266 min read
DestinationsCharter or Own Boat in the Adriatic: Planning Your Big Game Entry
Thinking about your first Adriatic bluefin tuna trip? Here's how a Croatian big game charter compares to buying your own boat — costs, permits, the Jabuka Pit, and the best time of year to fish between Vis and Palagruža.
Sep 7, 20266 min read
reviereAegean Bluefin in High Summer: Prime Tuna Grounds Around the Cyclades
Chasing bluefin tuna through the Cyclades in high summer is less about the calendar and more about reading the Meltemi wind, the drop-offs between the islands, and the grey light at dawn. Here's how to find the window when the surface boils and the birds start falling.
Aug 18, 20268 min read
TechniquePopping for Yellowfin Tuna: An Azores Primer
Casting poppers and stickbaits for yellowfin tuna over the Azores seamounts is big game at its most honest. Here's how to pick the right lure, work a fast retrieve, and read the birds so you're ready when the surface erupts.
Aug 13, 20268 min read
praxisWater Temperature and the Thermocline: Where Tuna Really Hold
Stop hunting for fish and start hunting for temperature edges. Learn to read SST charts, find the thermocline with your temperature probe, and use a downrigger to put your bait right where the bluefin are feeding.
Aug 4, 20267 min read
reviereWhite Marlin in the Azores: Late-Summer Lure Trolling on the Condor Bank
White marlin are the twitchiest, fastest billfish in the Atlantic — and the Condor Bank off the Azores fires for them in late summer. Here's how a smaller, livelier spread, a well-run teaser, and one calm drop-back turn frustration into hooked fish.
Jul 28, 20268 min read
TechniqueJigging for Dorado: Wreck Fishing and Vertical Strategy
Wrecks in 25 to 50 metres of water hold dorado schools for weeks. Speed jigs, the right tackle, and aggressive vertical technique turn these structures into some of the most reliable summer spots in the Mediterranean. A hands-on guide to wreck jigging for mahi-mahi.
Jul 21, 20267 min read
praxisCatch and Release for Big Game Fish: How to Give Every Fish Its Best Chance
The fight doesn't kill big game fish — the handling does. From fight time and glove choice to boatside recovery, here's how thirty years of offshore experience taught me to release bluefin tuna, marlin, and yellowfin the right way.
Jul 14, 20266 min read
TechniqueDrone Scouting Offshore: Spotting Schools from Above
A drone can reveal what hours of blind trolling cannot: baitfish activity, tuna schools, colour breaks, and feeding zones. Here's what three years of offshore drone scouting taught me about regulations, realistic range, and the four aerial signals every big-game angler should know.
Jul 7, 20267 min read
Fishing GroundsBluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean: Where the Giants Hunt and How to Find Them
From the Balearic shelf edges to the Strait of Messina — a veteran big-game angler's guide to finding and fighting giant bluefin tuna across the Mediterranean. SST charts, trolling spreads, seasonal patterns, and three decades of hard-won wisdom.
Jun 30, 202610 min read
TechniqueBonito Off Sicily: Light Spinning for the Little Harbingers
When bonito schools flood the Strait of Messina in June, they bring more than fast action on light tackle. They signal the arrival of the bluefin. A hands-on guide to finding bait, reading current lines, and working metal jigs from a boat off Milazzo.
Jun 23, 20269 min read
