Most Wanted : Menorca.

With a week long fishing trip to Menorca with my mate Lee in October to look forward to I've been thinking about what I'd like to catch. Four species that are possible targets, flying gurnard, common dolphinfish, streaked gurnard and Atlantic stargazer, are already on my "Most Wanted" list but as it's a hardcore fishing holiday I've decided to add a few more.

The one thing I didn't really do enough of whilst on Crete last year or have much success with whilst on Lanzatote in May was fishing hard lures or metals to try and catch some powerful, hard fighting fish that will really test my tackle. Whilst I still plan to have lots of ultra light fun I really want to catch some bigger, faster, more powerful fish from the Mediterranean when I visit the Spanish Balearic Islands for the first time. With this in mind here are a couple of potential targets that would fit the bill nicely.

Greater Amberjack.

A golden stripe down its flank and a dark line across the top of the head make it quite distinctive.

Leerfish

Big and aggressive. A very distinctive lateral line makes it fairly easy to identify. Line being stripped from your reel is another giveaway!

As I've already said however I'll still be targeting mini species on ultra light tackle as well and I thought I'd add one to my "Most Wanted" list as well. It's a member of one of my favourite groups of fish, blennies. Not another blenny I hear you say! Well if you didn't realise already I have a bit of a soft spot for them and this may just be the coolest looking one I've added to my "Most Wanted" list so far!

Peacock Blenny.

Males (top) and females (bottom) look slightly different. Males are deeper bodied, have a crest on their heads and have deeper fins. Both sexes have a similar colouration with rather striking electric blue markings.

I can't really describe how much I'm looking forward to this trip. Lee's a good friend and I really enjoy fishing with him. I'm sure it will be an epic, action packed week and we'll no doubt catch a lot of fish. I've set myself a target of thirty species including ten new ones.

Tight lines, Scott.

Most Wanted : Zakynthos.

I'm off to Zakynthos for a week at the end of this month for what will be first and foremost a relaxing trip spending quality time with my girlfriend Lillian. On the fishing trips front I get away with murder really and she puts up with no end of my fishing related shenanigans so I shall do my best to limit my fishing sessions to sneaking off early in the mornings when she is asleep and if I'm lucky I can perhaps squeeze in an additional one or two very short sessions if I am given permission. I am also not going to add any new species to my "Most Wanted" list for this holiday. There are however a few species already on my "Most Wanted" list that I may encounter.

Atlantic Stargazer.

My mate Andy has caught a few of these now whilst on holiday on Crete. Surely there must be some hiding in the sandy seabeds around Zakynthos?

Common Dolphinfish (Mahi-Mahi).

I saw some of these cruising past a harbour when I was on Crete last year. I'll try for them early in the morning using small metals or soft plastics fished in conjunction with a caro. Should be fun if I hook one on my ultra light travel setup!

Flying Gurnard.

Like the stargazer these will most likely be found over fine sandy areas. The rocky peninsula I'll be fishing from every day looks like it has some of those around it.

Streaked Gurnard.

The only fish of the five featured that can also be caught around UK waters, the colourful streaked gurnard will hopefully be more common in the Mediterranean.

Tentacled Blenny.

I have no doubt that a few species of blenny and goby will be amongst the fish I catch. I'd really love to catch one of these funky little fellows though.

So, whilst I may be limiting my fishing time, I'm still confident that using the techniques I employed on Crete and Lanzarote as well as trying a few others I can still rack up a few species. Hopefully I can catch some of the species above and as a bit of fun I have set myself a goal of catching twenty species including five new ones.

Tight lines, Scott.

Most Wanted : Crete.

Having recently booked a holiday to Crete in October I am rather excited by the prospect of a bit of ultra light fun in the sun and hopefully I can catch some weird and wonderful mini species in the process. Having done some research into what fish can be commonly found around the island from the rocks and around harbours I've picked out a few I'd really like to catch. No doubt those who know me won't be surprised to see the inclusion of a wrasse and a blenny in my Greek island hit list of most wanted holiday species but what can I say, they are probably my favourite two families of fish. Obviously I am spoilt for choice with a multitude of colourful mini species to choose from, it was very hard to narrow it down but I've ended up with a total of six "Most Wanted Mediterranean Mini Species" so here goes and in no particular order.

Ornate Wrasse.

As I've said above I love wrasse and whilst there are quite a few new wrasse species I can potentially encounter, this one, as its name suggests, is perhaps the most ornate. Beautifully resplendent in shades of deep reddish brown, electric blue, lime green and yellow these wrasse are simple stunning.

Tentacled Blenny.

Creatures with tentacles are cool. Blennies are cool. Therefore simple logic dictates that this fish is cool.

Black Scorpionfish.

Hopefully they'll be just as obliging as the sea scorpions I catch here. Unlike our resident sea scorpions however these are covered in poisonous spines. Danger is my middle name though so I will seek them out and if I catch one I'll totally crap myself whilst handling them very carefully indeed! Alternatively I'll get Lilly the Ghillie to deal with them.

Painted Comber.

Another rather colourful fish this one is aptly named as it looks rather like some rubbish graffiti artist spray painted a light blue spot on it. They also rather bizarrely look to me like a little bit of a weird cross between a perch and a pike which is quite odd because as everyone knows a cross between a perch and a pike is actually a zander! It's not really. Unless you are Dutch.

Wide Eyed Flounder.

If you had loads of lovely regular flounders at home throwing themselves at your Isome would you try and have a fling with a squint eyed flatfish whilst on holiday? Of course you would! What's caught on tour is released on tour after all.

Flying Gurnard.

With those huge wings you'd think they probably could fly but this gurnard uses them to confuse and scare off predators.

Well, I've set myself an ambitious goal of catching fifteen species during my two week holiday and I'd really like it if I caught some of the fish featured here whilst I'm away regardless of what my final tally is. I may have a few other little species hunting trips to enjoy closer to home before heading to Crete but I really can't wait to have my first taste of ultra light fishing in the Mediterranean!

Tight lines, Scott.