Rhodes fishing trips leave from Mandraki port in Rhodes town and from the east-coast resorts, on small boats with the tackle supplied, a swim stop in a clear bay and the catch grilled on board. Plan the whole trip with Greece Tours.
This guide covers Rhodes fishing trips in full: whether you need experience, where the boats depart from, the shape of the day, what you catch and the methods used, the barbecue, the trips that add snorkelling, how long they run, what they cost, the season, and how to book.
What are Rhodes fishing trips and what does a trip include?
Rhodes fishing trips are half-day and full-day boat excursions leaving the harbours of Rhodes to fish by hand line, bottom rig and trolling lure; the price covers the boat, the captain, the tackle, the bait and a swim stop.
The set price on Rhodes fishing trips covers the boat, the bait and the food. Rhodes fishing trips are booked ahead for a fixed, agreed price. The boat is a traditional wooden caique or a fibreglass day boat, licensed to carry passengers and to fish under the captain’s own commercial permit. A shared trip groups guests from hotels along one stretch of coast; a private charter reserves the whole boat for one group. Life jackets, a shaded canopy and a cool box of drinks are standard aboard.
For keen anglers, Rhodes fishing trips add a trolling run under way. Tackle runs from a hand line wound on a plastic frame to a rigged rod and reel baited with squid, prawn or cut mackerel. Lures trail behind the boat on the run to the grounds, putting a rod in a guest’s hand before the anchor drops. The captain gives a safety briefing on the jetty before the ropes come off.
Rhodes fishing trips leave from Mandraki port, Faliraki and Lindos. Operators are family businesses on the whole, the boat passed from a father who fished commercially to a son who carries paying guests alongside the nets. Local knowledge decides where the boat anchors, since wind, current and season move the fish between rocky points and open sand banks.
Do you need experience to join a Rhodes fishing trip?
No experience is needed: the captain rigs every line, baits every hook and shows each guest how to feel a bite and set the hook, so a first-time angler and a seasoned one fish side by side on the same boat.
Planning Rhodes fishing trips ahead beats the scramble for a summer date. For a first day on the water, Rhodes fishing trips start with the captain rigging the lines. The briefing at the start covers holding the line, waiting for the tug of a bite, and lifting steadily rather than yanking, which loses more fish than it lands. On a bottom set the captain drops the rig to the seabed and hands over the line once it sits at depth; on a trolling run the rod stays in a holder until a fish strikes.
The tackle is handed out before Rhodes fishing trips leave the quay. Children join the trip with an adult present, and the captain rigs a lighter, simpler line for a young angler while the adult fishes a full set alongside. Groups stay small, a dozen guests at the outside, so the captain has time to check every line and net a fish at the rail.
The price of Rhodes fishing trips covers the boat, the captain and the tackle. Non-slip footwear is the one real requirement, since a wet deck turns slick within the first hour. Beyond that the day asks nothing a first afternoon cannot teach: the tackle is set, the bait is cut, and the grounds are chosen by a captain who fishes them for a living.
Where do Rhodes fishing trips depart from?
Rhodes fishing trips depart chiefly from Mandraki marina and the working harbour in Rhodes Town, with a second cluster of boats running from Faliraki on the east coast and a smaller fleet operating out of Lindos further south.
Rhodes fishing trips are booked ahead for a fixed, agreed price. The choice of Rhodes fishing trips comes down to the harbour, the boat and the length. Mandraki, the old harbour beneath the Palace of the Grand Master, is the busiest departure point on the island and the base for the largest Rhodes boat trips fleet, reaching grounds along the north coast and the channel toward Symi, where deep water holds grouper and amberjack close to the drop-offs.
Rhodes fishing trips include the hotel transfer from the east-coast resorts. Faliraki’s boats fish the reef and sand mix off the resort’s own coastline, a short run that puts a rod in the water within twenty minutes of leaving the jetty; sea bream and picarel are the steady catch there. Lindos, with its own small harbour beneath the acropolis, sends boats south toward St Paul’s Bay and the rockier coast below.
Rhodes fishing trips run as a four-hour morning or a six-hour day. Pickup from the larger resort hotels is arranged with a coach or minibus timed to the boat’s own departure, so a guest boards close to their hotel. A guest staying in Rhodes Town simply walks to Mandraki or the working harbour on the morning of the trip.
What does a day of Rhodes fishing look like from start to finish?
The day opens with boarding at the harbour, a run out to the first grounds, lines down at anchor over reef or sand, a midday swim stop in clear water, an on-board barbecue of the catch, and a return to the jetty by mid-afternoon or at sunset on the longer trips.
For a first day on the water, Rhodes fishing trips start with the captain rigging the lines. A private charter keeps Rhodes fishing trips to one party for the day. Boarding starts thirty minutes before departure, time enough for the captain to run through safety and hand out rods. The run to the first grounds takes fifteen minutes to an hour, and trolling lures go out on this leg, so a fish is sometimes caught before the boat has stopped.
The barbecue of the day’s catch is the set piece of Rhodes fishing trips. At the grounds the captain reads the depth sounder, picks a patch of reef or seagrass edge, and drops anchor so the boat sits directly over the fish. Lines go down together, bottom rigs for bream and snapper on one side, a lighter hand line for picarel and bogue on the other, and the first hour on anchor is the busiest of the day.
The grounds on Rhodes fishing trips lie over rock, reef and seagrass. Midday brings the swim stop, the boat anchored in a clear bay away from the fishing grounds so the deck can be cleared. The captain cleans the morning’s catch while guests swim, then lights the grill. The afternoon leg returns to harbour on a half-day trip or moves to a second set of grounds on a full-day charter.
What do you catch on Rhodes fishing trips?
Rhodes fishing trips bring in sea bream, sea bass, red snapper and grouper from the bottom rigs, amberjack, bonito and mackerel on the trolling runs, and picarel and bogue on the lighter hand lines, with the mix shifting through the year as different species move onto the inshore grounds.
The choice of Rhodes fishing trips comes down to the harbour, the boat and the length. The morning departure on Rhodes fishing trips fills first in high season. Sea bream sits close to reef edges and seagrass beds year round and is the steadiest catch on a bottom rig baited with squid or prawn, while sea bass hunts the same broken ground but favours a moving bait. Red snapper and grouper hold deeper, along rock walls, and reward a heavier rig fished patiently.
Every one of the Rhodes fishing trips starts with a safety briefing on deck. Amberjack is the prize of the trolling runs, a hard-fighting fish that hits a lure travelling at speed over deeper water off headlands worked from Mandraki. Bonito and mackerel school in open water in the warmer months and strike a trolled lure in fast, repeated runs.
Booking Rhodes fishing trips ahead secures the date and the place on the boat. Picarel and bogue are the small, silvery fish that keep a hand line busy between the bigger takes, caught in number over sand and gravel bottoms close to shore, a reliable catch for a first-time angler learning to feel a bite.
What fishing methods does a Rhodes boat trip use?
These trips combine hand-line fishing, bottom fishing at anchor over rock and seagrass, trolling under way with a lure trailed behind the moving boat, and jigging a weighted lure vertically over deeper structure, the captain choosing the method to match the ground and the fish holding there.
A private charter keeps Rhodes fishing trips to one party for the day. Families take Rhodes fishing trips for the hand lines and the swim stop. Bottom fishing at anchor is the method used through most of the morning: the boat sits still on a chosen patch of reef, sand or seagrass edge, and a weighted rig carries bait down to fish holding near the bottom. This is the method behind sea bream, red snapper and grouper, and it rewards patience over a fast retrieve.
Rhodes fishing trips carry water, shade and life jackets for every guest. Trolling happens on the move, between grounds and along headlands where amberjack, bonito and mackerel hunt open water; a lure or strip bait trails behind the boat, felt as a sharp pull rather than the gentler tap of a bottom bite. Jigging works a heavier lure up and down over a wreck or rock pinnacle, kept for deeper marks and guests already at ease with a rod.
Rhodes fishing trips end with the run back to the harbour and the catch cleaned. Tackle aboard covers all four methods: hand-line frames and rigged rods for bottom fishing, trolling rods set in holders on the transom, and jig rods for the deeper marks, with bait running to squid, prawn and cut mackerel strip.
Is the catch cleaned and cooked on board?
The catch is cooked on Rhodes fishing trips that carry a barbecue: the captain cleans and grills the fish on board once the lines come up, serving it with salad, bread and cold drinks so the boat delivers a full meal alongside the day of fishing.
The morning departure on Rhodes fishing trips fills first in high season. Rhodes fishing trips leave from Mandraki port, Faliraki and Lindos. Cleaning is done at the swim stop, the captain working through the morning’s fish while guests are in the water, so the deck is clear again by the time everyone climbs back aboard. A small charcoal or gas grill fixed to the stern turns fresh sea bream, bass or mackerel into lunch within the hour, seasoned with oil, lemon and herbs.
The set price on Rhodes fishing trips covers the boat, the bait and the food. Salad, bread and chilled water or soft drinks round out the plate on most boats, and a cooler of local wine or beer sits alongside for guests who want it. Fish too small to keep, or caught outside the boat’s daily limit, go back over the side before the grill is lit.
The captain on Rhodes fishing trips reads the ground and sets the anchor. A handful of shorter morning trips skip the on-board barbecue and return the catch to the guest instead, cleaned and bagged for cooking at the hotel or a nearby taverna. Confirming whether a barbecue is included is worth doing at booking.
Which trips combine fishing with snorkelling and swimming?
A number of Rhodes fishing trips carry snorkel masks and fins alongside the rods, building a swim stop in a clear bay into the middle of the day so guests move between fishing on anchor and snorkelling over the same rocky shallows before the boat moves on.
Families take Rhodes fishing trips for the hand lines and the swim stop. The price of Rhodes fishing trips covers the boat, the captain and the tackle. The combination works because the grounds that hold fish, rocky points and reef edges, are the same water that rewards a snorkeller: sea bream and picarel shelter around the same boulders and weed beds a mask reveals up close. Boats that build in this stop anchor for an hour in a sheltered cove, lower a ladder, and hand out gear while the captain rests the lines.
Planning Rhodes fishing trips ahead beats the scramble for a summer date. Guests wanting a fuller snorkelling experience, rather than one stop folded into a fishing day, are better matched to a dedicated Rhodes snorkeling trip that spends the whole outing moving between bays; the fishing boats keep the stop shorter, thirty to sixty minutes, before lines go back down.
Rhodes fishing trips carry rods, hand lines, bait and the licence cover. Families favour the combined format, since a child who tires of holding a line still has the swim stop and the mask to look forward to, and the same short break lets an adult angler cool off between busier stretches of fishing.
How long do Rhodes fishing trips take?
Rhodes fishing trips run from a four-hour morning outing to a full six-hour day, with a private charter set to whatever length the group books and a small number of boats offering a dawn start for the sharpest fishing or a shorter sunset run timed to the evening bite.
Rhodes fishing trips leave from Mandraki port, Faliraki and Lindos. Rhodes fishing trips run as a four-hour morning or a six-hour day. The four-hour morning trip is the standard shared departure, long enough to reach the grounds, fish two or three spots and take a short swim stop before a late lunch on shore. The six-hour day adds a second set of grounds, a longer swim stop and, on most boats, the full on-board barbecue.
Rhodes fishing trips are booked ahead for a fixed, agreed price. A private charter is booked by length rather than a fixed package, so a group can agree eight hours, a full day out and back, or a tighter three-hour window built around one set of grounds the captain recommends for that morning.
For keen anglers, Rhodes fishing trips add a trolling run under way. The dawn start, boarding before sunrise, reaches the grounds while the water is still cool and the fish are feeding hardest, and captains who run it rate it the sharpest fishing of the day. A sunset run trades early fishing for the golden light, a shorter outing of two to three hours.
What does a Rhodes fishing trip cost and what is included?
Pricing runs per person on a shared boat and per boat on a private charter, the figure agreed at booking and covering the boat, the captain, the tackle, the bait and the fishing licence cover, with food and drinks included on the trips that carry a barbecue.
The price of Rhodes fishing trips covers the boat, the captain and the tackle. The grounds on Rhodes fishing trips lie over rock, reef and seagrass. A shared morning departure charges each guest a flat rate for a seat on the boat, the simplest way to book for one or two people. A private charter is priced for the boat as a single unit regardless of the number of guests aboard, cheaper per head for a larger group and putting the grounds and the pace in that one party’s hands.
For a first day on the water, Rhodes fishing trips start with the captain rigging the lines. Every quoted price on a licensed boat covers the captain’s own commercial fishing permit, along with the tackle, the bait and the fuel for the run. Trips advertised with a barbecue fold the fish meal, the salad, bread and soft drinks into the same figure.
The tackle is handed out before Rhodes fishing trips leave the quay. Extras outside the base price are limited on most boats to drinks beyond a first round, and to a photo package on the boats that offer one. Confirming what is included, the barbecue, the pickup, the equipment, at booking avoids any surprise once the boat is under way.
When is the best season for Rhodes fishing trips?
The season runs from April to November, with calm early mornings across spring and autumn producing the steadiest fishing, summer holding warm-water species such as bonito close to shore, and the meltemi wind keeping boats in harbour on its stronger days through July and August.
Rhodes fishing trips run as a four-hour morning or a six-hour day. Booking Rhodes fishing trips ahead secures the date and the place on the boat. April and May bring sea bream and sea bass onto the inshore reefs as the water warms, fishing that stays productive on calm mornings before the wind builds later in the day. Summer months add bonito and mackerel to the trolling runs, while grouper and red snapper hold steady on the deeper bottom grounds.
The choice of Rhodes fishing trips comes down to the harbour, the boat and the length. The meltemi, the seasonal north wind that builds through the middle of summer, pushes swell onto the exposed east coast and keeps a portion of the fleet at anchor on its roughest days, a handful of mornings each month rather than whole weeks lost. Captains switch to sheltered grounds on the lee side of the island when the wind is up.
Rhodes fishing trips include the hotel transfer from the east-coast resorts. September and October, the autumn run, bring calm seas alongside strong late-season fishing as fish feed heavily before the water cools, a favourite window for anglers who plan around the fishing rather than the school-holiday calendar.
What do you bring, and is seasickness a problem on the boat?
Bring a hat, sunglasses, sun protection, a light jacket for the run out, non-slip shoes, water, a towel and swimwear for the stop; seasickness is manageable for most guests with a tablet taken before boarding, a seat amidships and eyes kept on the horizon rather than the deck.
Rhodes fishing trips end with the run back to the harbour and the catch cleaned. Sun exposure is the bigger practical risk on the water, since the open deck offers only partial shade and the glare off the sea adds to direct sun overhead. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses with a strap, and sun cream reapplied after the swim stop cover the morning; a light jacket earns its place on the run out, when the boat’s own speed turns the air cooler.
A private charter keeps Rhodes fishing trips to one party for the day. Non-slip shoes matter once seawater and fish blood reach the deck, and sandals with a grip sole outperform a smooth base. A towel and swimwear go on even a fishing-focused trip because of the midday stop, and a dry pouch keeps a phone safe from spray.
The barbecue of the day’s catch is the set piece of Rhodes fishing trips. Seasickness responds well to preparation: a tablet taken the evening before works better than one taken once queasy, a seat toward the middle of the boat rides the swell more gently than the bow or stern, and keeping the gaze on the horizon settles the inner ear faster than looking down.
Are Rhodes fishing trips suitable for families and children?
Rhodes fishing trips suit families well: most boats set a minimum age around five or six, carry child-sized life jackets alongside the adult ones, keep the morning trip short enough for a young attention span, and give the captain time to rig a simple hand line for a child fishing alongside a parent.
The captain on Rhodes fishing trips reads the ground and sets the anchor. The minimum age exists chiefly for safety around moving lines, hooks and a deck that pitches with the swell. Life jackets sized for children sit in the same lockers as the adult sets, checked and fitted before the boat leaves harbour.
The morning departure on Rhodes fishing trips fills first in high season. The shorter morning trip, four hours rather than a full day, matches a child’s patience better than the longer charter, and the midday swim stop breaks the day exactly where a young guest’s interest in fishing tends to fade. A shaded section of deck, under the canopy at the stern, gives a child somewhere cool to sit out a stretch of fishing.
Every one of the Rhodes fishing trips starts with a safety briefing on deck. The captain rigs a lighter, simpler hand line for a child, wound on a frame rather than a full rod and reel, and stays close to help with the first bite or a tangled line. A parent fishing alongside means the family shares the same stretch of rail.
How do you book, and where does a fishing trip fit into a stay on Rhodes?
Book ahead of the date wanted, since the morning departure fills first through the high season; confirm the pickup point, the group size and any dietary requirement at booking, and plan a half-day trip so the afternoon stays free for the old town.
Rhodes fishing trips carry rods, hand lines, bait and the licence cover. Booking a week or more ahead secures the preferred morning slot on the busiest boats, since a shared departure caps its guest numbers and a private charter needs the boat held clear of other bookings. Confirming the exact pickup point, a named hotel lobby or a specific harbour jetty, at booking avoids confusion on the morning itself.
Families take Rhodes fishing trips for the hand lines and the swim stop. A half-day trip leaves the whole afternoon open, which suits a stay based in or near Rhodes Town particularly well: the boat is back at the jetty by early afternoon, giving time to shower, eat, and still walk the cobbled lanes of Rhodes old town before the shops and squares fill for the evening.
Rhodes fishing trips carry water, shade and life jackets for every guest. Guests splitting a stay between the coast and the old town tend to place the trip early in the visit, leaving later days free for the castle walls, the museums and the harbour cafes. A full-day charter suits a stay with fewer fixed plans either side of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need experience for Rhodes fishing trips?
No. The captain rigs the lines, supplies the tackle and the bait, and shows every guest how to drop and work a hand line. Children come aboard with an adult and fish beside the crew.
Is the catch cooked on Rhodes fishing trips?
Yes on the trips that carry a barbecue. The captain cleans and grills the day’s catch on board, and it comes with salad, bread and drinks while the boat sits at anchor.
Where do Rhodes fishing trips depart from?
Mandraki port in Rhodes town is the main departure point, with boats also running from Faliraki and from Lindos on the east coast. The pickup from the resorts is confirmed at booking.