{"id":677,"date":"2026-10-10T02:38:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T02:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reelzy.co\/blog\/malta-fishing-charter-with-kids\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T20:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T20:45:09","slug":"malta-fishing-charter-with-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reelzy.co\/blog\/malta-fishing-charter-with-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta Fishing Charter with Kids: Ages, Boats and What to Ask"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, you can take kids on a fishing charter in Malta, and every boat listed for Malta on Reelzy says children are welcome. What decides whether the day works is the trip, not the boat: a few hours of bottom fishing or light trolling close to the coast suits most children from about six, while a full day chasing bluefin tuna is a different thing, and one Malta skipper who runs tuna trips asks for kids of about 10 and older.<\/p>\n

The short answer<\/h2>\n

Book an inshore or reef trip, keep it short, and ask the skipper three things before you pay: the minimum age they take, whether there is a toilet on board, and how much shade the deck has.<\/strong> Malta’s waters are calm for much of the year, the harbours are close to the fishing grounds, and the bottom species bite often enough to keep a child interested. Most of what goes wrong on a family trip is about comfort, not fishing.<\/p>\n

You do not need a fishing licence to fish with rod and line on a charter in Malta, so there is no paperwork for the children either.<\/p>\n

Which trip suits which age<\/h2>\n

Malta charters fall into three broad kinds of trip. They suit children very differently.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Trip type<\/th>\nWhat happens<\/th>\nSuits<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Bottom fishing<\/a> over reefs and ledges<\/td>\nBaited rigs dropped near the seabed, steady bites from bream, scorpionfish, small snapper and similar<\/td>\nMost children from about six, beginners, mixed groups<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Light tackle<\/a> and trolling for bonito, little tunny or lampuki<\/td>\nLures pulled behind the boat or cast at surface fish, short bursts of action<\/td>\nChildren from about eight who can hold a rod for a few minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Big game for bluefin tuna and amberjack<\/td>\nHeavy gear, long runs offshore, waiting, then a hard fight<\/td>\nTeenagers and older children who already fish, around 10 and up at the earliest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Bottom fishing is the reliable choice for younger kids. Something takes the bait every few minutes on a good day, the fish come up quickly, and a child can feel the bite through a light rod. It is also the kind of fishing where a child can catch something to show you at dinner.<\/p>\n

Trolling for lampuki in late summer and autumn is the next step up. Lampuki (dolphinfish or mahi mahi) are fast and colourful, they jump, and the reels screech, which children love. The catch is that trolling involves stretches of waiting between strikes, so it works best for kids who are happy to watch the water for a while. See the lampuki species page<\/a> for what these fish look like and when they run.<\/p>\n

Bluefin tuna fishing is for older children. The rods are heavy, the fights can be long, and the boat may run a long way offshore. Hooked Malta, who run a 25 foot Ranieri boat out of Gzira, say on their listing that kids are welcome “ideally from 10 years and older”, which is a sensible line for this kind of trip.<\/p>\n

Malta boats that take children<\/h2>\n

Every Malta charter on Reelzy lists children as welcome. They differ in what makes a day with kids easy.<\/p>\n