Fishing Gran Canaria 2026: prices, deposit, what's included

Fishing on Gran Canaria is sold in two different units in 2026, and mixing them up is the main reason groups get their budget wrong. A place on board costs €80 per angler: that figure is multiplied by the number of people. The whole boat costs €750 per trip: that figure is multiplied by nothing, and it is the same for one person as for six. Until those two units are separated, comparing the prices means nothing.

The operator is the same in both cases — Cavalier & Blue Marlin Fishing Charters, out of the Porto Novo harbour at Puerto Rico in the south-west of the island. It runs two boats, the Cavalier and the Blue Marlin 3: 12 metres long, 4 metres wide, twin 325 hp engines, a top speed of over 30 knots and a toilet on board. Six hours from 9 am to 3 pm is the same day at sea either way; what changes is whether you buy a chair or the deck. Both prices below are as published by the operator on 22 September 2026, with every surcharge it states.

A place or the boat: why the unit of price matters

The operator uses its own words for the formats. A 'Part Charter' is one place on a boat that may carry up to ten people, spectators included. A 'Full Charter' is the whole boat for a group of one to six. The difference is not only the price but what you control: on the shared trip the captain decides each day whether to troll or fish the bottom, while on the private charter that choice belongs to the client.

That gives a simple rule for the arithmetic. The place price of €80 is linear: two people are €160, four are €320, six are €480, ten are €800. The boat price of €750 is a step: it stays flat up to and including six people, and from the seventh the operator adds €120 per trip. So the private boat looks its best with a large group — and still never undercuts the shared places at any size.

The third unit people forget is the rod. On the shared trip the price is tied not only to the person but to the number of rods: €80 for one, €150 for two, €230 for three. On the private charter that ladder disappears: €750 covers the deck, and how the rods are shared out among your own people is your business. For a group of three or four keen anglers that is a real difference, and it has its own section below.

What does a place on board cost in 2026?

The operator's September 2026 price page divides rods, not people. The six-hour trip from 9 am to 3 pm goes like this:

Read that as follows: a second rod costs €70, a third adds another €80, and with the third rod the operator lets one spectator aboard free. A separate spectator place is €70. The cap on the shared trip is ten people, and the operator makes a point of it — the ten include spectators, and the exact number of places depends on how many rods everyone else has taken: 'The number of persons aboard the Part Charter will be a maximum of 10. (including spectators)'.

In the catalogue it is the same trip: a place on board costs €80 — one angler, six hours, a maximum of ten people aboard. The operator holds 4.0 from 125 reviews as of 3 September 2026. The reviews split: some describe a tuna of around 350 kg, others give three stars and say six hours is short for a genuinely big fish. Read both kinds before you book.

What does the whole boat cost and how are the hours priced?

The private charter is not one price but a ladder of hours, and the six-hour trip at €750 is only one rung of it. The operator publishes the whole ladder, with the time windows:

Per hour, the steps show where the value sits: an hour of the ten-hour trip costs €115, an hour of the five-hour trip €130, and an hour of the three-hour family trip €150. The logic is plain — the boat has to be taken out and brought back either way, so longer trips spread the same fixed effort over more time. One more detail: the operator will only mix bottom fishing and trolling in the same day if the boat is booked for eight hours or more, which means from €950.

The surcharge for a seventh person is €120 per trip. It is the same on the private and the family charter, and the operator words it as a single amount per trip rather than a price per extra head: 'From 7 pers 120 € extra per trip'. There is no separate line for eight, nine or ten people, so the table below keeps €120 as one flat surcharge and we suggest confirming that when you book. Tournament days are whole-boat only, up to six anglers, price on request.

The family format deserves its own note: it is shorter and starts in the afternoon. Three hours from 3 pm to 6 pm cost €450, four hours from 3 pm to 7 pm cost €550. The operator explains why in plain words: five hours or more is usually too long for the youngest. In winter these trips fish the bottom with lighter tackle; in summer they usually troll.

What works out cheaper for groups of two to ten?

Here is the main table. The first column is the group, the second the cost of places at €80 each, the third the whole boat for the same six hours from 9 am to 3 pm, the fourth what the boat works out at per head, and the fifth what is cheaper in the end. From the seventh person the €120 surcharge is added to the boat price.

The conclusion is one-sided: the private boat never becomes cheaper, at any group size. But the gap closes fast. For two people the boat costs €590 more than the places, for four €430 more, for six €270 more — and for ten only €70 more, which is exactly the price of one spectator place. In other words, a group of ten pays less for privacy than one non-angler pays for a seat.

One caveat the price page is silent about while the trips page says it outright: on a full charter the operator treats one to six people as the norm. Ten on a private boat is a question for the operator, not a line in the price list, so read the bottom four rows as arithmetic from the published €750 and €120 rather than an offer on the shelf.

The practical guide runs like this. Two, three or four people: take places — €160, €240 and €320 against €750 for the boat, and it is not close. Six: €480 against €750, so €270 buys a deck with no strangers on it and the right to choose trolling or bottom fishing. Eight or more: €640 against €870, a gap of €230 or less, and at that point the decision is not about money but about whether you want to share the boat.

The terms of the deal: deposit, payment, inclusions

No deposit is required. The operator states it in one line on the price page: 'A down payment is not required', and the catalogue card says the same as of 22 September 2026. There is a flip side: if you have booked several trips, the whole amount is due on the first fishing day.

Cash only. 'You can pay only in cash. We don't accept debet or credit cards' — debit and credit cards are not taken at all. For the six-hour private trip that means €750 in cash on the day; for the ten-hour one, €1,150. Draw the money in advance: Puerto Rico has cash machines, but a daily withdrawal limit can be lower than the charter price.

What the price includes. The fishing licence, rods and bait on every trip: 'The fishing license, rods and bait are included in all our fishing trips'. Free hotel transfers in the south, also on every trip. Trips of six hours or more include a ham or cheese sandwich and a chilled drink; three- to five-hour trips, the drink only.

What it does not include. Card payment, the €120 surcharge above six people, a separate spectator place at €70 on the shared trip, and the second and third rods (€150 and €230 instead of €80). Your own food and drink are welcome — the operator says bringing them is no problem. Passenger insurance is not mentioned anywhere on the site.

Who is liable for damaged tackle. The operator does not say. Nothing on the price page, in the conditions or in the FAQ mentions a tackle deposit or a sum payable for a broken rod or reel. There is no published rule, so ask before you leave the quay.

Minimum age. Also unpublished. The answers only say that children can fish and that the three- or four-hour family charter exists for them. There is no figure on any page as of 22 September 2026, so name the child's age when you book.

Is a licence needed. Nothing to arrange separately: the licence is included in every trip — in the €80 place and in the €750 boat alike. Both the catalogue card and the operator's site confirm it.

Times and check-in. The standard trip runs 9 am to 3 pm and you must be there 30 minutes before departure. Private trips also come in 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 hours; family trips start at 3 pm. One rule catches people out: shoes and sandals are not allowed on board, with an exception for proper boat shoes.

Why 'no rod sharing' is the decisive line

On many shared trips ten people take turns on four or five rods: while someone else's rod is working, you watch. Not here, and the operator says so in capitals: 'NO fishing rod sharing, 1, 2 or 3 rods for each occupant!'. Every paying occupant fishes their own tackle. The rule holds on the shared trip just as it does on the private charter.

That is what the price ladder is about. For €80 you get one rod for the full six hours, not a share in a rotation. If you want to fish two ways at once — trolling and the bottom — a second rod is €150, which is cheaper than two places at €80 each. Three rods at €230 also carry a free place for a companion that would otherwise cost €70; together that is €300, the same as two places plus two spectators.

The operator names its tackle. Trolling runs on two-speed Shimano and Penn International reels in the 30, 50, 80 and 130 lb classes, with mostly Tiagra rods. Bottom fishing uses 12, 20, 30 and 50 lb gear with Penn Senator and Shimano reels. On board there is sonar, GPS, a plotter, a Lees fighting chair and outriggers. There is a record behind all that: the world record mako of 488 kg (1,075 lb) was taken on the Blue Marlin, by a man who had never held a rod in his life and fought the fish for four and a half hours.

What is caught, and in which season?

The operator sets the year out month by month, which is a rare chance to plan a trip around the fish rather than the other way round. From November through March the boats mostly fish the bottom: rays, moray eel, breams, snappers, barracuda, amberjacks and congers. The rays, the operator says, weigh between 10 and 300 pounds. In March and April shoals of tuna move along the coast — skipjack, albacore, bigeye, yellowfin and bluefin; nobody will name the exact weeks.

From May through October the chances for trolling rise clearly. May and June bring white marlin and spearfish, June to September is the blue marlin window, and through those same months wahoo, dorado and all the tuna species come aboard regularly. The operator's own news log bears it out: on 17 and 19 September 2026 both boats landed a wahoo.

The season also decides the method. In winter the three- and four-hour family trips fish the bottom with light tackle for sea bream, Atlantic bonito, garfish and rays; in summer they usually troll for wahoo, skipjack and dorado. Mixing both methods in one day on the private boat is only offered from eight hours upwards, that is from €950 per trip.

The tournament calendar is worth checking against your dates: the Corona Cup at Puerto Rico in the first week of July, the Puerto Rico Tournament in the third week of July, the Pasito Blanco Tournament in the fourth week of August and the Las Palmas Tournament in the third or fourth week of October. On tournament days no more than six anglers fish from a boat, entry is whole-charter only, price on request.

Who keeps the catch?

Two rules apply here and both are worth knowing before you sail. The first is the law: in Spain the sale of fish caught by anglers is prohibited. The second is the operator's own principle: the crew releases blue and white marlin, spearfish, sharks and rays immediately after the catch, and all other fish belong to the crew for personal use.

The practical consequence is simple: if you expect to take some of the catch home, say so before departure. The operator puts it plainly — 'If you like to keep some fish, you can ask the crew before departure'. That conversation belongs on the quay, not on the way back in.

Tag and release is not a slogan here: the site carries its own guide to placing the tag near the base of the dorsal fin and to reviving a fish before release by running the boat slowly so water passes over the gills. Reviving takes about 30 seconds. For blue marlin and spearfish the rule always applies — a photo on board is possible, a trophy on the wall is not.

Where do the boats leave from, and how do you get there?

The boats lie in harbour Base, also known as Porto Novo, in Puerto Rico: Calle Puerto Base, 35130. Puerto Rico sits in a bay ringed with apartments, the beach lies between two harbours, and the boats are in the one on your left as you look out to sea. The other quay in the same resort is Puerto Escala, where the catamarans and yachts go from.

Hotel transfers in the south are included on every trip, and the operator names the areas: Puerto Rico, Bahía Feliz, San Agustín, Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas, Meloneras, Tauro, Playa Taurito and Puerto de Mogán. The car collects you at reception and brings you back after the trip. Pickup times are confirmed when the booking is taken, so give the hotel name straight away.

If you are not staying in the south there is no transfer and you make your own way. The operator also has its own accommodation five minutes' walk from the boat — the Sirena apartments, from €57 a night for two in the one-bedroom and from €68 a night for three in the two-bedroom. An airport transfer to them costs €130 for one to three people and €160 for four or five, pickup and drop-off.

Book early: the operator says the boats are usually full a week ahead, and takes bookings by email, phone and WhatsApp. Four languages are spoken on board and at the harbour desk: English, German, Spanish and Dutch.

What does it cost to bring someone who does not fish?

A spectator on the shared trip is not a free passenger but one of the ten places, and it costs €70. There is, however, a combination that makes the companion free: an angler who takes three rods for €230 brings one spectator at no extra charge. Here is how the usual line-ups add up:

Note the coincidence: €230 buys either one angler with three rods plus a free spectator, or two anglers with one rod each plus a €70 spectator. The same sum buys different things — three rods for one person, or three places for three people. Choose by who in the group actually fishes.

The operator does not promise the spectator an empty wait: there is a large sun deck, and the run out often passes dolphins, flying fish and turtles, sometimes whales. On the private charter the question disappears: €750 covers the boat whoever holds the rod.

What else sails from Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán?

Fishing takes the whole day, so nothing else fits into the same date. Both harbours, though, keep a busy timetable, and there is plenty to choose from for the days either side. The prices below come from the catalogue cards, checked September 2026:

Puerto de Mogán is also the home of the Atlántida submarine — 44 seats, a dive to an artificial reef, €38 per adult with taxes, and a free bus from the south on reservation. It is the only format on the list that does not care whether you get seasick.

If you simply want the sea without tackle, the Princesa Ico catamaran leaves Puerto Rico with an underwater viewing hull: four hours, an anchorage in a bay for swimming, and lunch, at €55 per adult and €35 for children aged 5 to 10.

The arithmetic across the neighbours looks like this: the short trips at €25 to €38 fill half a day for two people within €76, the catamarans and yachts at €55 to €125 fill a whole one, and the dearest item on the list, the yacht to Güigüí beach at €125 per person, comes to €500 for four — still less than the €750 private fishing boat. The full lists are easier to browse in the fishing charters and boat trips sections.

Is a catch guaranteed?

No, and the operator does not promise one. Six hours offshore is six hours of fishing, not a fish in the cool box. For €80 you buy the place, the rod, the bait, the licence and the crew's work; for €750 the same thing with the deck to yourself. The reviews as of 3 September 2026 reflect it: 4.0 from 125, with stories of a tuna of about 350 kg and of an empty day alike.

Is experience needed, and what about seasickness?

No experience: 'Experience is not required', and everything is explained on the day in one of four languages. On seasickness the operator gives concrete advice — buy Biodramine with caffeine at the pharmacy, take two tablets an hour before the trip and a third halfway through if needed. It also explains why the odds are better than you think: the wind in the Canaries blows from the north and north-east, and Puerto Rico sits in the south-west, in the lee of the mountains.

How far ahead should you book?

A week at least, and earlier in high season: the operator says outright that the boats are often booked out for days and even weeks. No deposit is taken, so an early booking costs nothing — the money is handed over in cash on the day. If you have several trips booked, the whole amount is paid on the first fishing day.

What should you bring on board?

Cash for the full amount — €80, €150, €230, €750 or whatever your line-up comes to. Then sunscreen of factor 30 or higher, a hat and sunglasses. In winter a sweater or windbreaker is worth packing. Leave your shoes ashore: shoes and sandals are not allowed on board, boat shoes excepted. Food and drink may be brought along, although trips of six hours or more already include a sandwich and a chilled drink.

Updated: 22 September 2026. The prices are the operator's own, from the Cavalier & Blue Marlin Fishing Charters price page and the catalogue cards as of September 2026; the per-group figures are those same prices multiplied out. Confirm the final cost and conditions when you book.