Big-game fishing from Horta: the marlin season, the banks and what a charter costs in 2026

Horta is the home port of the Azores' big-game fleet. The boats go after blue marlin from July into October, a full day costs thousands of euros for the boat, and the fish are big: a Horta captain told Marlin magazine in January 2026 that the average marlin there now weighs around 600 pounds (about 270 kg). Below is when to go, where the boats fish, what a day costs and includes, and what to ask about the licence. Seasons and prices change, so check with the operator before you book flights around a trip.

Captain Les Gallagher, who has fished for blue marlin in the Azores for nearly forty years, puts the Horta season at July to mid-October (Marlin magazine, 2026). The charter he co-owns lists July, August, September and October as the marlin months on its 2026 price page. A 2014 Marlin magazine feature on Horta found the sea calmest from August to early October, which matters because the boats often fish 20 to 25 miles offshore.

Tuna come earlier. The same charter says bluefin are good in May and June and turn up now and then from July to September, while bigeye run from May through October. Its list of other catches includes white marlin, spearfish, swordfish, yellowfin, albacore, dolphinfish, skipjack, wahoo and several sharks. Visit Azores points to the waters between Faial, Pico and São Jorge as the archipelago's big-game area.

With one week to spare, aim for late August or September, when the season and the calmer sea overlap.

From Horta the fleet works the Azores Bank, the north coast of Faial and the area around the Condor seamount. Condor lies about 17 km west-southwest of Faial and rises from about 2,000 m of water to within 185 m of the surface. Bottom fishing on it has been banned since June 2010, and scientists use it as a reference area. Blue marlin, bigeye tuna and swordfish are among the open-water fish recorded there.

Blue marlin over 900 pounds (about 410 kg) do get caught here, Marlin magazine wrote in 2026. According to the same article, boats averaged 1.5 marlin a day in 2023, and in 2024 there were fewer fish but they stayed large.

At the time of that article the Azores held six IGFA line-class records for blue marlin. The newest was an 850-pound fish on 50-pound tackle, caught by Maria Magalhaes Smith in 2024 aboard Uno Mas. In 2023 Andrea Beuter set the women's 50-pound record for bigeye tuna with a 292-pound fish aboard Sensei, out of Horta. The Double Header charter claims the largest blue marlin ever landed in the Azores, 1,310 pounds, and the most blue marlin caught by one boat in one season, 112, both with Gallagher at the helm.

The marlin in the 2014 feature were unhooked at the side of the boat and swam off, and the Double Header's site talks about catch and successful release. If keeping a fish matters to you, ask about the policy before you book.

You pay for the boat, not per angler. The Double Header, a 43-foot Daytona based in Horta, charges EUR 3,000 a day for 2026 and 2027, with two mates on board and four guests at most. Its rate for 2028 to 2030 is EUR 3,600. A day runs from about 09:30 to 18:30, roughly nine hours at sea. Tackle, food and drinks are included, the page says it has never added a fuel surcharge, and the crew expects a tip on top.

From 10 October the same boat sells four-day bookings on which you commit to fish at least two days, and six-day bookings with at least three, so you pay for the days the sea allows.

Marlin magazine's 2026 article lists five Horta operators with ten boats between them, so compare a few before you settle on one.

Recreational sea fishing in Azorean waters is licensed by the regional government. RIAC, its public service counter, sells a licence for fishing from a boat by the day, month, year or three years, online or at its offices. Ask your charter whether the licence is included or whether you need to buy your own before the trip. Spearfishing has a separate licence.

Nine hours on a sport-fishing boat in Atlantic swell is a long day if you get seasick. Take something before you leave the marina, not once you feel ill. With four guests, EUR 3,000 comes to EUR 750 each, and a couple pays the full rate between two. If you mainly want to see big animals at sea, a whale-watching trip from Horta or the summer blue shark snorkel on the Condor seamount costs a fraction of the price.

Getting to Horta is covered in flights to Faial. Keep a spare day or two at the end of your stay in case the wind keeps the boats in.

When is marlin season in Horta? July to mid-October, according to a Horta captain in 2026. The sea is usually calmest from August to early October.

How much does a big-game charter from Horta cost? The Double Header listed EUR 3,000 a day for 2026 and 2027, for up to four guests, with tackle, food and drinks included and a tip expected.

Do I need a fishing licence? Recreational sea fishing in the Azores needs a regional licence, sold by RIAC. Ask the charter whether it is included.

Are marlin kept or released? The charters described here release marlin at the boat. Ask the operator about its policy before you book.

• Marlin magazine, The Azores named Editor's Choice for best big-game fishing in the North Atlantic (January 2026)
• Marlin magazine, Catching big blue marlin in the amazing Azores (2014)
• Oceanic Fishing (Double Header), pricing and charter info
• Oceanic Fishing (Double Header), home page
• Visit Azores, big game fishing
• Wikipedia, Condor Seamount
• RIAC, licence for fishing on board a vessel