Fishing on Sicily is mostly fishery business but not entertainment. For local citizens it is the main way to earn money. But for the tourists it is certainly a great pleasure and entertainment because of the exotics of the Mediterranean Sea and the shores with their villas, grottoes and ancient ruins.
The most attractive fishing trophy is considered to be a sword-fish. It is also considered to be a symbol of the Sicilian cuisine. You may order dishes from a sword-fish in the restaurants alongside the seacoast of Sicily but the best sword-fish is served in the provinces of Ragusa and Agrigento. Those who want to catch this kind of fish come to these provinces and especially to the place which is called Shakka in Agrigento where the most important fishing port is situated.
The most exotic way of fishing on Sicily is still fishing the blue tunny. This way of fishing is known as matanza, which is more a mystical act than fishing. The traditions of matanza have been known for some hundreds of years. Fishing is done with the help of a firm fishing net. In Spanish “matanza” means “to kill” and such way of fishing was known among the Arabs.
The manager of fishing who is called “rais” gives a signal to the other fishermen when the fish is in the net. The net is being drawn out under the accompaniment of an old Sicilian song. When the fish appear in the water the fishermen, who are called “tonarottie” are killing it with the help of tridents. Jaque Custo, a famous ocean explorer was very much impressed by matanza and described this mystical action in one of his books.
Fishing Charter in Sicily - Accomodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Feel the emotion of catching big fishes on the best shoals and banks of the Mediterranean sea. Night trolling for swordfish, trolling with live bait, tuna fishing, big game fishing, inchiku to big groupers, jigging, drifting and much more, sailing from the Egadi Islands (7km away from Western Sicily coast).
