This late September was a successful one. Last fishing sessions went very good. Fish are there in good numbers and this promises a great Autumn-Winter season for fishing in Sicily.
One of the techniques we particularly like in these waters, productive when practised in the right period and with correct bait, is live bait trolling, already described in this past article. This technique could also be considered a Deep sea fishing in Sicily, as is usually take place at -40m or deeper.
Target fish are usually Dentex, Amberjack and many species of grouper. Bluefin tuna or other species can always bite fishing with live bait.

Fishing in October
October and November are great months to find the right live bait, which is also a fun activity to do early in the morning if you don’t mind about waking up early during your holiday in Sicily. It is anyway possible to skip this part and jump on the boat when the live baits are already in the live tank, a couple of hours sleeping later! 😀

On the last fishing sessions, James first, Mandy and Sebastian after went fishing in Syracuse area with us this week. Apart from the good fishing visible on the pictures, we had really great moments aboard. Good weather and some interesting activities, after fishing, filled those perfect days.

​Extra activities on a fishing trip
In many places of Sicily, including fishing in Siracusa, some activities are possible after the deep sea fishing session or during a 3-day fishing trip.
One of them is jumping in the water to catch an octopus with barehand. Barehanded Octopus fishing. This is a family knowledge, a bunch of skills about spotting and catching octopus in their shelters, passed from my father, that I try to teach to my guests. Barehanded octopus fishing takes place from 1m to 4m of waters, in the daylight. Snorkelling gear and wetsuits are always available. It is always possible to catch and release them.

Another thing we add to our trips, when possible and in specific places, is preparing abord a special lunch, maybe with the caught fish. This is to fill up a complete experience that will drive you directly into the Mediterranean fishing and marine lifestyle.
In definitive, thanks to our experienced team, made of different skills, we can proudly say that for this specific season, and target fish, we can deliver, the best fishing in Sicily as an experience to remember.

Taormina is one of the most visited and touristy towns on the east coast of Sicily main island. In general, we do not encourage staying in Taormina to live an adventurous, authentic original and sea style trip to Sicily (check the best way to plan a fishing trip in Sicily).
However, if you already have booked accommodation and cannot move too far away from the Taormina area, it may be an interesting departure port for some specific techniques described here.

The fishing Ground
The bathymetric off Taormina coast are particular ones. The seabed jumps from 0 to -500 meters within 1 mile from the shore. Navigating 7miles distance, the bottom drops down to -1300 meters under the sea level. Going in the direction of Greece, this depth increasing of the sea bottom continues up to -4000m (4km) because of the position in between the African and the Euro-Asian rift.

The techniques
A fishing session in this area of Sicily, usually targets the beautiful Mediterranean Spearfish, the Albacore Tuna, the Dolphinfish (also called Dorado or Mahi Mahi) and less frequently Bluefin Tuna and Swordfish.
The specific fishing here consists of trolling some artificial baits on the surface, in different ways, similarly to the Big game for Marlin and the offshore trolling practised in the Oceans. This may be also called deep Sea fishing in Taormina.

The main species
The MEDITERRANEAN SPEARFISH is for sure the most beautiful and particular fish to fish and photograph. Its spectacular electric colors remind about the Sailfish and the Marlin. This is present mostly into the Mediterranean Sea and some areas of the eastern Atlantic. Can grow up to 50kg and over 200cm of length, with average size around 20kg.The ALBACORE TUNA, also called longfin Tuna, is a fast predator that loves to feed on cephalopods. It lives all around the world with a high migratory attitude. Its big eyes allow to deep dive when is necessary. Average size around is around 15 kilograms, but they can reach over 50kg weight.

Fishing for cephalopods
Another possible technique for fishing in Taormina area is fishing for the giant squid. This may be practised at night if the target is many but smaller squids (usually between 1 to 3kg) or during the day, targeting real monsters of the depth, squid of up to 15kg.

​The spectacular Barehanded octopus fishing is possible in specific spots, around Taormina and Messina area. Check the barehanded octopus fishing video.

In general, when it is not possible to reach other areas of eastern Sicily or to join our adventurous multi-day trips, Taormina could offer something interesting in terms of fishing. Checking the right season for the target species it may be a good place to go fishing in Sicily and spend a good day on the water.