Dentex fishing

The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca.

Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or drifting with live bait. Squid or cutle fish are irresistable for these predators. A downrigger is a must to fish close to the bottom. Trolling artificial lures with intense colours (yellow, pink...) close to the bottom can also produce great fish. Drifting, a big weight can keep the bait close to the bottom. Jigging is another technique to fish for detex. They live around rocky areas, wrecks and reefs. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).

Dentex fishing

Top Dentex Fishing destinations

Distributed throughout the subtropical waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal, the dentex live in inshore waters up to 100m deep. The best dentex fishing destinations are Spain (Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Costa del Sol, Alicante area), France (Mediterranean), Italy (Sardinia, Sicily, Imperia...), Montenegro and Croatia.

How to fish for Dentex

You can fish for Dentex from the boat or from the coast, using trolling live bait and vertical jigging techniques on the boat and spinning and live bait from the coast especially from the cliffs.

Spinning and live bait from the shore is a common technique in the warmer month, probably the cheapest way to fish for Dentex.

Strips of squid, cuttlefish together with the tentacles and the shrimps are good for Dentex that do not exceed the kg, and live bait is more suitable for adult fish.

Good to eat Dentex

Dentex is very good to eat and there is high market demand in popular fishing locations around the world. In Europe, it's a highly valued table fish in the Mediterranean regions such as Spain, France and parts of Italy.

Regulations for catching Dentex

The regulation for catching a dentex is 30cm (12 inches) or 15 fish in some places and you don’t need a license for fishing in the sea. There is no proper regulation for this species although there should be because the population has declined at least 50% within three-generation and fishing effort is not expected to decrease in the near future.
 

Other Fish Species similar to Dentex

Best Dentex Fishing Charters

Wellcraft 232 Fisherman_BLANES

4 22,97 ft

Blanes, Costa Brava (ES)

From $958
Deposit non-refundable

Sensei

10 42,32 ft

Vila Franca do Campo Marina, Azores (PT)

From $861
Deposit non-refundable

Predator III

5 32,00 ft

Jezera, Croatia (HR)

From $1211
FREE Cancellation 14 days notice

Grand Monarca

10 39,37 ft

Fuengirola, Malaga (ES)

From $484
FREE Cancellation 7 days notice

Her du Large II

4 19,69 ft

Le Lavandou, French Riviera (FR)

From $511
Deposit non-refundable

Charter Pescamar

4 24,61 ft

Denia, Alicante (ES)

From $161
FREE Cancellation 30 days notice

Luna

10 41,01 ft

Puerto Banus, Marbella (ES)

From $511
FREE Cancellation 14 days notice

MainShip 34

12 34,00 ft

Capri, Italy (IT)

From $2692
Deposit non-refundable

Bravo

8 33,46 ft

Puerto Banus, Marbella (ES)

From $511
FREE Cancellation 14 days notice