A Rhodes fishing trip takes guests out on a local boat from the harbours of Rhodes into the open Aegean, with rods, lines and a fish meal cooked on board. It is one of the Greece tours on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Rhodes fishing trip includes, where it starts and the waters it covers. It also covers the fish, the fishing methods and the rules. Wind and sea, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Rhodes fishing trip or a nearby sea trip that can be booked online.
What does a Rhodes fishing trip include?
A Rhodes fishing trip includes rods, bait, a crew of local fishers and a grilled lunch on deck. The crew cooks the catch beside fresh gilt-head bream and sea bass of 250 g and up. Snorkel gear and a swim stop complete the day.
One Rhodes fishing trip sails a handmade wooden fishing boat, 10 metres long. It keeps a separate fishing area for 10 people. A toilet, a freshwater shower and Wi-Fi also come aboard.
A fish finder, GPS, depth sounder and radar sit aboard. The captain has fished professionally for over 35 years. His son, raised on the boat, is a certified chef.
Lunch grills the fish with olive oil and coarse sea salt. A Greek salad and charcoal-grilled bread with Rhodian oregano follow. Beer, soft drinks and water are unlimited.
Another Rhodes fishing trip serves one fresh fish of 500 g per guest, with salad and bread. It includes transport to and from the port.
- Safety: Father and son are both trained lifeguards.
- Kit: Life jackets and masks come aboard for every guest.
- Third boat: A 10.5-metre fishing boat seats up to 12.
On that third boat, lunch pairs the grilled catch with Greek salad and garlic bread.
Where does a Rhodes fishing trip start?
A Rhodes fishing trip starts in Rhodes town at Mandraki or Kolona harbour. Lindos trips use St Paul’s Bay. One boat meets guests at kiosk 2, beside the Evangelismos church on Mandraki. Another boat waits at Kolona port.
Mandraki serves mainly small craft: excursion and fishing boats, coastguard boats and tugs. Trip boards stand along its quay, a busy walking area lined with cafes. The main bus station lies close by.
The same quays launch boat trips from Rhodes. Kolona’s western side forms a small, enclosed basin full of fishing and tourist boats. A short walk joins that quay to the Old Town entrance.
A Rhodes fishing trip from the south leaves St Paul’s Bay at Lindos. Its crew has worked in tourism fishing there since 2018. On that boat, one reviewer landed a big barracuda.
A further Rhodes fishing trip meets guests on Akti Sachtouri, a seafront street in Rhodes town. One more listing offers hotel pick-up for an extra charge. Its crew speaks English on board.
- Marina: Rhodes New Marina is the island’s only yacht marina.
- Position: The marina has its own quay south of Akandia.
- Walk: The Old Town lies 30 minutes away on foot.
Kamiros Skala, a west coast harbour, gets a bus service only once a day.
Which waters does a Rhodes fishing trip cover?
A Rhodes fishing trip covers the east or west coast of the island, as the day’s weather allows. One town boat steers for Kallithea Springs, the quiet bay of Santa Marina or a sandy beach. Alimia and Halki lie offshore.
In Hellenistic times, Alimia served the Rhodian fleet as an anchorage and lookout post. Roman tombs and an early Christian basilica also survive on the islet.
Halki rises to 601 metres at its highest point. Tourism leads its economy, but fishing remains a substantial industry. Former islanders also settled in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
The Rhodes Gyre is a lasting cyclonic eddy in the Levantine Basin. Strong winter mixing feeds it nutrients, so it stays a productive patch in a poor sea. Its winter water sinks to about 130 to 400 m.
The eastern leg of the Hellenic Trench runs about 400 km and ends at Rhodes. It splits into the Ptolemy, Pliny and Strabo trenches. All three stop short of the island.
- Rhodian Basin: A gap past the Strabo Trench carries this name.
- Rhodian Fault: It forms the north edge of that basin.
- Link: Trending north-north-east, the fault meets the Anatolian Fault.
A solar park on Halki generates 1.8 GWh of electricity each year.
What fish does a Rhodes fishing trip catch?
A Rhodes fishing trip targets predators such as small tunas, mahi mahi, amberjack, barracuda, trumpetfish and great trevally. An evening trolling listing adds swordfish, skipjack and kingfish. A summer reviewer landed a tuna and a mahi mahi.
Little tunny reach about 12 kg in the Mediterranean. Their blue-green backs carry wavy, worm-like marks. Three to seven dark spots mark the white belly near the fins.
Mahi mahi rank among the fastest-growing fish and seldom live past four years. Adults gather under floating wood, buoys and palm fronds. Mature males grow a tall forehead, while females keep a rounded head.
Swordfish spend daylight deep and rise to the surface mainly at night. Heater cells warm their eyes and brain by 10 to 15 °C. Their bills slash prey rather than spear it.
The silver-cheeked toadfish now reaches Rhodes, having entered the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. Its toxin gathers mostly in the ovaries. Eating it has killed people in Egypt, Israel and Turkey.
- Tunny schools: One school can hold over 5,000 fish.
- Swordfish depth: They range down to about 550 m.
- Mahi colours: Dead fish fade to a muted yellow-grey.
Greek authorities issued an alert poster on the silver-cheeked toadfish.
Which methods does a Rhodes fishing trip use?
A Rhodes fishing trip uses surface trolling first and then ground fishing near the seabed. A Lindos crew adds vertical fishing. Crews show beginners how to bait the hook, hold the rod and reel in a fish.
Trolling drags lures behind a moving boat. Little tunny anglers troll small lures or feathers, or cast slender metal lures. In coastal waters, diving seabirds help anglers find a school.
Mahi mahi trolling on a Rhodes fishing trip needs only 30 to 50 lb gear. Bait-and-switch anglers throw ballyhoo or live sardines, then present a fly to the excited fish.
Recreational swordfish anglers drop baits deep, with weights reaching about 460 m. Mackerel, squid or lit lures serve as bait. At night, the same baits fish much shallower, under 90 m.
Ground fishing on a Rhodes fishing trip follows the trolling run. One crew plays a short tune whenever a guest lands a fish. Another boat then anchors in a quiet bay for swimming, as on snorkeling tours on Rhodes.
- Kathetí: Greek law names this vertical hand line.
- Syrtí: This is the Greek trolling line.
- Tsapari: Greek law lists this multi-hook line too.
Greek law sets no limit on these hook-and-line tools for leisure fishers at sea.
What rules apply to a Rhodes fishing trip?
A Rhodes fishing trip runs under Greek fishing tourism rules. Since 2015, only owners of professional fishing vessels up to 15 metres can offer this activity. Each trip carries no more than 12 people on board.
Each Rhodes fishing trip owner needs a licence for professional fishing gear; trawlers and beach seines stay excluded. The trips run alongside their regular fishing work. The ministry has granted 315 licences, with 150 holders active.
Greek law bans recreational fishing with light sources. The one exception is a hand harpoon with a diffuse lamp of up to 500 candles. Leisure fishing for sponges and corals is also banned.
Gear left at sea needs markers visible from at least 300 m. EU rules ban leisure longlines for tuna and other migratory species. Member states record those leisure catches separately.
A Rhodes fishing trip keeps no more than one swordfish per boat per day under ICCAT rules. Swordfish under 100 cm, measured from lower jaw to tail fork, go back. Live juveniles are released where possible.
- Groupers: EU rules set a 45 cm minimum size.
- Common pandora: The legal minimum is 15 cm.
- Sea bass: Fish under 25 cm go back.
Red mullets need 11 cm and gilt-head sea bream 20 cm under the same EU table.
How do wind and sea shape a Rhodes fishing trip?
A Rhodes fishing trip meets steady west winds in summer. At Kattavia, in the far south, westerly winds led every month from March to September this year. August averaged 20.7 km/h there, the windiest month so far.
July at Kattavia averaged 20.3 km/h, June 17.0 km/h and September 17.5 km/h. In the first half of October, the mean dropped to 8.9 km/h. North-west winds then took over.
Last year, June was the windiest month at Kattavia, at 21.1 km/h. January was the calmest, at 5.9 km/h. The strongest gust of that year reached 75.6 km/h on 5 December.
Off Rhodes town, a marine model put June waves at 0.31 m on average this year. Their peak reached 0.80 m. For a Rhodes fishing trip in January, waves averaged 1.15 m and peaked at 4.6 m.
Off Lindos, January waves averaged 1.47 m and peaked at 5.22 m. Summer waves there averaged 0.38 m in June and 0.46 m in August. Mid-October waves off Lindos averaged 0.39 m.
- Strongest gust: Kattavia logged 83.7 km/h on 21 January.
- Spring storm: 126.2 mm of rain fell on 17 April.
- April total: The month brought 199.8 mm at Kattavia.
Westerly winds at Kattavia also led every month from March to December last year.
When is the best season for a Rhodes fishing trip?
A Rhodes fishing trip runs from April to October on one listing. Off Lindos, the sea averaged 28.9 °C this August and touched 30.4 °C. June brought 1,093,044 passengers through Rhodes airport, up 3.6% on last June.
September held the sea off Lindos at 28.0 °C. In the first half of October, the water there still averaged 26.4 °C. This March, the coolest month, it averaged just 17.8 °C.
Off Rhodes town, the sea averaged 24.8 °C in June and 27.2 °C in September. Last October, a Rhodes fishing trip met water of 24.0 °C there. Last December still kept it at 21.1 °C.
International flights carried 1,007,567 of those June passengers, and domestic routes 85,477. Rhodes airport handled 7,341 flights that month. Last June, it handled 6,965.
January, outside the Rhodes fishing trip season, saw just 62,552 passengers at the airport. March rose to 89,862. Back ashore, the old town sets the scene for food tours in Rhodes.
- July heat: Kattavia peaked at 35.3 °C on 21 July.
- August highs: The mean high there reached 29.2 °C.
- September rain: Only 3.2 mm fell at Kattavia.
Last November, Kattavia still averaged 18.8 °C, with just 6.0 mm of rain.
What do travelers ask about a Rhodes fishing trip?
A Rhodes fishing trip welcomes beginners, and crews bring all rods, reels and bait. Two listings cap groups at 10 people. Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours ahead on three listings. A fourth lets guests cancel or reschedule for free.
Who is a Rhodes fishing trip not suited to?
One Rhodes fishing trip lists non-swimmers and people prone to seasickness as unsuited. Another rules out pregnant women and wheelchair users. That crew asks guests to eat breakfast before boarding.
What do guests pack for a Rhodes fishing trip?
One listing asks for a hat, swimwear, a towel, a camera, sunscreen and comfortable clothes. Another asks only for beachwear and a towel. An evening trolling trip adds sunglasses to its list.
Can children join a Rhodes fishing trip?
One Rhodes fishing trip includes crew help for children and adults alike. A family of five fished on it, with one boy aged 16 and twins aged 11. All of them caught fish.
Does weather cancel a Rhodes fishing trip?
One Rhodes fishing trip goes ahead in rain or shine, but storms keep it in port. If weather stops another trip, its guests choose between a later date and their money back.
When does an evening Rhodes fishing trip run?
One trolling trip leaves Kolona port daily in the evening, mainly for small tuna. Its boat is registered for fishing with the Greek coastal authority. Two alcoholic drinks per guest, rods, reels and bait come included.