Big fish dreams not too far from home

Words by Andy Ford

There’s an impression that the dream of latching onto a big gamefish is a million miles from home, in some far-flung corner of the globe that will cost you thousands to reach. The truth of it is, that ultimate angling fantasy is a lot closer than you may imagine.

“We’ve had people leave their office in London on a Friday lunchtime, jump on a plane at Gatwick and by Saturday morning they’re sitting on our boat playing a blue marlin. Then they’re back at work Monday morning.”

That’s what Neil French and his wife Mick offer to those wanting to turn their big game fish hopes into an achievable reality. The reason, in part, is Madeira, the place they now call home.

Have some Madeira M’dear

Geographically, this stunning little island sits 250 miles north of the Canary Islands and is very Portuguese. Geologically, it’s on the same tectonic plate as Africa though - and that’s what makes it so special for the travelling angler.

“There’s everything here. The fish species are subtropical and the fishing can be incredible,” said Neil, who gave up his career as a charter skipper in sleepy Littlehampton, Sussex, to head for the sun and the drama of hunting monsters.

He and Mick moved here just before the COVID pandemic. Their boat ‘Flipper II’ sits majestically in the sunshine at Calheta awaiting the adventures they know will come.

It’s a far cry from his first experience as an angler, sitting aged six on the harbour wall in Mudeford with his dad and catching a flounder. All anglers remember their first fish. 

“I remember it like it was yesterday. I’ve always loved fishing and I feel really lucky to have made a career from being involved in the sport for so long,” said Neil.

A catch made in heaven

When he met Mick on a training course to get her charter skipper captain’s ticket 16 years ago the die was cast. A life as co-skippers of their successful Sussex charter saw them become one of the most respected boats on the water, catching everything from bass to bream, and lots more besides.

And when it came time for a holiday away from the business of sea fishing for a living… they went sea fishing.

“I'll be quite honest with you. I fished for marlin and sailfish in places like Kenya, one of my favourite places was Cabo San Lucas. Mick and I went there for about six or seven years. That probably put the seed in our minds that we'd actually like to catch a marlin not as a punter, but actually on our own boat, with our own spread of rods and our own lures” added Neil.

“We went to Mexico to fish for marlin. Around March, we came back to the UK having had a successful holiday there. The weather was atrocious in England, and I found myself cancelling the week's bookings ahead of me. So I said to Mick, where in the world can we go for a week to get a bit more sun and experience a bit more fishing - and that's how we ended up coming to Madeira. Wow. It wasn't until we actually arrived we saw the cost of the other gaming boats. They were mainly looking at the American market. Typically, they were charging anything up to 2000 euros a day to do it. Being a Brit, knowing the customer base I had in the UK so well, I knew that's not necessarily something that everybody who loves fishing could afford. So I saw that as an opportunity - and the whole thing fell together.”

A choppy start

All didn’t initially go according to plan after Neil and Mick decided to sell up and move from the UK to the volcanic paradise that is Madeira. It happened just before the pandemic struck. Having invested heavily in a new house and a new boat, they had to sit and stare at it gathering dust for months as lockdown forced the two marinas to close. Unable to fish, they spent the time completing hours of admin and navigating the troubled waters of bureaucracy.

Eventually, after seven months of worry, they were allowed to put Flipper II into the water - but had no idea whether what they’d dreamed of would deliver. Several hours later, their hopes were realised on day one - a blue marlin to their boat, caught on their very own spread of rods, with their very own lures. Since then, they’ve not looked back.

Now they have a successful charter big game boat which can cost less than a thousand dollars a day.

Big game fishing straight out of the marina

Their prime target is blue marlin - but they also regularly catch whites. The by-catch is Atlantic bluefin tuna, big-eyed tuna, and the occasional swordfish. “We had a 450lb sword to the boat last week,” said Neil. “We may never see a fish like that again, but the reality is they are out there”.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about Madeira is that the good stuff happens right on your doorstep.

“People who come to us often stay in a hotel on the marina. They walk for a couple of minutes out of the front door after breakfast, and straight onto the boat. We give them a safety briefing, show them some pictures of what’s out there, and we’re on our way. You’re trolling lures almost straight out of the marina. It’s possible you can go from the breakfast table to playing a marlin or another fish of a lifetime in under an hour. I know because we’ve actually done it,” Neil beamed.

Madeira's seascape

The shoreline on Madeira drops away to impossible depths close in, so there’s no need to steam for hours looking for the right ground either. The shield volcano itself is 3.7 miles high, but most of it is underwater, and just a couple of miles out it’s 3,000 meters deep. It last erupted 6,500 years ago.

“Close in, the fishing is amazing,” added Neil. His clients latch onto everything from barracuda to wahoo, grouper, bream, and trevally. There are dolphin fish, snapper, and bonito. There are also reports of hammerhead sharks patrolling the depths.

This place is a fishing paradise. “I call it Formula One fishing around here,” added Neil.

"The fish of an absolute lifetime"

While the marlin are released after capture, some of the other game species are taken - an added bonus for travellers wanting to experience the joys of hunting for the table.

“Male marlin rarely exceed 500 lbs. It’s the females that are much bigger and that’s what we find in these waters in large numbers. It’s not unusual for us to hook into fish averaging over 6 or 700 lbs. It’s not an easy fishery though - I don’t want people to get the wrong idea because we don’t catch fish every day. But if you do hook up, you’re very very likely to catch the fish of an absolute lifetime” he added.

The gear on board ‘Flipper II’ is top-level - no chances are taken. Strict rules dictate the maximum breaking strain allowed under International Game Fish Association regulations is 130 lbs to level the playing field. “We have a mile of line on the reel and often you’ll need it. These fish are huge and swim at 70mph. It can take three hours strapped into the fighting chair before we get them alongside” said Neil. 

Blank days - and there are a few, just like in any game fishing environment - are mitigated by the chance to watch turtles, numerous whale species and other incredible, sub-tropical wildlife.

'Blue Planet' stuff

“Recently, we had a German couple who were newly married. They came to the boat asking for a day trip and to have a go at fishing for marlin. He’d never been fishing in his life. She wanted to do some sightseeing. We had half a day spare so they came aboard and off we went. It was ‘Blue Planet’ stuff out there that day. We stuck the rods out and then just watched it unfold. Whales, turtles…amazing. Then as we turned to come back into the marina, one of the rods went and after a long fight, he landed a 600lb marlin. Amazing stuff. When I say whales… we had a blue whale just outside the marina a couple of weeks ago.”

The 'Marlin World Cup'

The flame for fishing burns brightly in both Neil and Mick. Birthdays for her are spent enjoying angling trips. Neil, who used to enjoy competitive trout fishing back in the UK, charters his boat to take part in the famous Marlin World Cup. It’s an event where boats, big and small, fish all over the world on a single day, sending reports of their catches back to a central hub. Biggest fish landed wins the money.

“We were half an hour away from winning the whole thing and a million-dollar first prize in 2022. We had a 630lb fish and no one else had caught one anywhere in the world. We were pipped by a fish that was landed in Bermuda.” 

For the love of fishing

That one still stings - but the love of angling that lives within Neil and Mick keeps them coming back for more, just as much as it does for their clients. Among those who’ve experienced the joys of ‘Flipper II’ are ex-Sheffield United player Bob Booker, and politician Nigel Farage.

“We love having people on board who love fishing, and also people who are totally new to it. It’s all year round here, the temperature doesn’t fluctuate that much from season to season and the island itself is just stunning.”

If this sounds like your thing, then Neil and Mick have odd days still available this year - and are taking bookings for 2025.