Many people who see our adds or speak to us for the first time seem rather surprised to find out that there is some great fishing to be had over in Portugal! So many know the country for it's beaches and that is about all, which is a great pity.Very few have had the chance to see what lies beyond the well known Algarve. Untouched by the many tourists who visit the south, the areas where we go fishing, offer our clients a chance not only to fish in almost untouched waters, but also the chance to see the unspoilt areas of Portugal!

But, that is enough about that. It is the fishing that you are after, so let us get on with telling you about it!

To see what you can expect to catch take a look at our Carp Gallery

What there is

In the rivers you can find barbel, a wide variety of carp, Wels catfish, pike, nase, tench, lamprey and eels. The reservoirs hold tench (9.2kg), carp (34.5Kg) and large-mouth bass. You stand a good chance of hooking into something BIG! So, some thought should go into planning what sort of angling you will be doing and what sort of tackle to bring along with you. To find out more, click on the links below.

If you would like to have a complete list of the fish that are found in Portugal just click here and save the PDF file to your system. FISH-LIST

If you have not got Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system already, just click on the Adobe link to get your free copy:

Where most of the fishing takes place.

Between the region of Lisbon and the Algarve in the south lies the region of Alentejo. This thinly populated region covers a large area of Portugal (nearly a third of its total area) and is well worth exploring. The scenery is rural and hilly, with olive orchards, cork oak orchards, golden cornfields, and vineyards. The landscape becomes dryer and flatter towards the south. Alentejo has a beautiful rugged coast, with secluded inlets, cliffs, and sand dunes

It is also an interesting region for monuments and historic, fortified towns. There are remnants from prehistoric times, such as stone circles and dolmens. You will come across some walled towns on hilltops, evidence of past wars against the Moorish people. It's great fun spending some time in one of the historic towns, during your visit to Alentejo. Such as the Mediaeval Monsaraz or the white village of Marvão. The health resort town of Castelo de Vide is also well worth a visit. Here, you can walk through the steep, winding roads of the Jewish Quarter, visit the 13th century synagogue, or visit the Mediaeval fortress. And then there is, of course, the UNESCO town of Évora. There are some natural parks, such as the Parque Natural da Serra de S. Mamede in the North, from the peak of the S. Mamede (1025 m) you will have panoramic views across the region, the Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana, and the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina on the coast.

Beaches can be found near the seaside resort of Vila Nova de Milfontes, the picturesque fishing village of Porto Covo, the island Ilha do Pessegueiro, as well as near Praia do Malhão, Almograve, Zambujeira do Mar, Carvalhal, and Troia. Or you can cool off at one of the reservoirs further inland.

Alentejo is also a wine region, its fruity wines have a very good reputation. They come in three main white and 3 main red wine types. Roupeiro, Rabo de Ovelha, Antão Vaz, and reds: Periquita, Trincadeira, Aragonez. Other local produce includes cheeses, sausages, honey, and olive oil.

The Alentejo is also the region where most of the biggest and best lakes are and it is here that most of our clients end up for their angling holidays.

Night Fishing

At long last, some fantastic news. As of the 1st of January, 2018, the laws surrounding night fishing have been lifted, but not on all waters. Please go to our FAQ pages to find out more.

What to take

Just your fishing tackle, suntan lotion and a hat. There are three angling laws that will effect what tackle you take. Firstly, no night fishing is allowed, so no bivvies or beds are needed. Secondly, there is a limit of two rods per angler when fishing. And thirdly, keep nets must be at least 3m (10ft) in length and have a diameter or diagonal of at least 50cm (20in).

As mentioned in the on other pages and above, you stand a good chance of hooking something BIG. So if you are after something big, we suggest that you bring along tackle that will be able to handle the long hard battles that you will encounter! You have been warned!

Due to the long hot summers, it would be wise to bring along light clothes and a hat to protect yourself from the strong sun. Plus, it would be wise to bring along some sun-block, at least factor 30! It is no fun having to spend some of your hard-earned holiday in a hospital because of sunburn! Mosquitos do exist in Portugal, so to avoid any hassle from these little pests, make sure that you bring along some sort of repellant. "Johnson's Off" lotion is one of the most effective.

The winters are shorter and a lot milder compared to those of the UK. That does not mean that it does not rain or get cold. So, if your holiday is going to be during winter, make sure that you bring a good lightweight waterproof jacket/coat and a jumper or two. To get an idea of the weather throughout the year, take a look at the charts on the following page: 'What's the weather like...?'

By the way, do not forget to bring your camera!

Rod Transportation

A lot of anglers seem to be worried whenever traveling by plane about their fishing rods and we always end up advising them in getting themselves a hard-shell rod case. Nothing protects equipment like a hard shell case. Some airlines will no longer take responsibility for broken rods when packed in a soft nylon bag.

Breakage does happen, so why run the risk of having to deal with it on a sunny day when the fish are biting!? Why worry about damage to expensive rods and reels packed in a soft nylon case?

All Sportube cases are accepted by the airlines.

In fact, certain airlines are actually supporting the use of hard cases by including in their Contract of Carriage verbiage such as:
Liability release form required on plastic [bag]/ soft [nylon] ski bags only. Execution of liability release form not required on hard-shell cases. For more information check out the SporTube web site.