I booked this trip specifically to target blue marlin, and Captain Alex and mate Jamie delivered. Both were friendly, communicative, and genuinely professional, true anglers who clearly love what they do. Sorted is set up properly for the job, with brand new Shimano Tiagras and top of the line marlin lures. Alex had been reporting the catches in the days leading up to our date, so expectations on catch probability were set accurately.

Late in the day we hooked up and landed a 375 lb blue marlin. It put up a great fight. Unfortunately it got tail wrapped on the way in, and despite the crew’s attempts to revive it boatside, we weren’t able to release it. This fish was a bucket list catch for me, and the crew is the reason it happened.

A nice bonus: a Bryde’s whale surfaced near us while we were trolling.

Fresh drinks, fruit, and snacks were offered throughout the day. As far as I’m aware, we were the only boat out of the Calheta marina fleet to land a marlin on our date.

Huge thanks to Alex and Jamie. If I’m ever back in Madeira, I’ll fish with them again without hesitation. Highly recommended.