What Fish Can You Catch in Side? An Honest Guide to the Catch
The sea off Side has its regulars, and it helps to know them before you cast. Here is what tends to come up on the line, what turns up now and then, and what nobody can tell you in advance.
Short answer
On the shared deep-sea fishing morning out of Side, the common catch is red mullet, sea bass, sea bream and shrimp, along with small, brightly coloured species and, now and then, a larger fish. These are wild fish in open water, so no species, size or number is ever promised — what you can count on is the gear, the bait and the captain's help.
The regulars on the line
Four names come up again and again when the rods are wound in off Side. They are the fish you are most likely to meet, and the ones worth learning to recognise before you board.
- Red mullet — a small, rosy fish with two whiskers under the chin; easy to spot the moment it breaks the surface.
- Sea bass — silver and streamlined, with a darker back; it pulls with more spirit than its size suggests.
- Sea bream — a deeper-bodied, flatter fish, sometimes with a faint golden or dark band; a familiar sight on Mediterranean lines.
- Shrimp — not a fish at all, and a pleasant surprise when one comes up clinging to the hook.
Small colour and the occasional bigger fish
Between the regulars, the line brings up small, vividly coloured species — the kind children crowd round to look at and adults reach for a camera to photograph. They rarely weigh much, but they are what makes each turn of the reel a small surprise.
Now and then, someone feels a heavier pull and the rod bends further than it has all morning. A larger fish does come aboard from time to time. It is a possibility, not a feature of the trip, and we would rather you were pleased by it than disappointed without it.
Why we never promise a catch
Fish in the open sea are not stocked or fed; they come to the bait or they do not. Calling a catch certain would be a guess dressed as a fact, so we would rather tell you plainly what is common and let the morning speak for itself.
What is within our control is everything around the bite: rods, lines and fresh bait for every guest, a captain who anchors over the fishing ground and teaches the knack of hooking bait, dropping a line and bringing a fish up, and a boat carrying at most 12 guests, so there is room to fish rather than queue for the rail.
No species, size or weight is promised on any of our trips — shared, private or big game.
What happens when something bites
You feel it first as a tug or a series of small knocks through the rod. The captain shows you how to strike and reel in steadily, and once the fish is out of the water, the captain handles it — taking it off the hook and dealing with anything spiny — so nobody has to grab a wriggling fish if they would rather not.
If you have never held a rod, the rods, tackle and bait guide explains what is handed out and how the captain helps from the first cast.
Shared morning, private boat or big game?
The fish described here are those of the shared morning, which costs €45 per person, the same for every age, plus the €5 sea fee per person paid in cash on the boat. You can see the whole morning and reserve seats on the deep-sea fishing trip page.
A private deep-sea fishing boat puts your party alone over the water at €650 per person, again with the sea fee in cash on board. Anyone hoping for something larger can ask about big game fishing, which is arranged on request; tell us what you hope for and we answer with what is possible. The shared, private or big game guide sets the three side by side.