Publication date: 10/01/2025
Stéphane Velazco owns a Cap Camarat motorboat, which he takes out to sea on a very regular basis. His boat has been stored on racks in the dry port at Port Adhoc Leucate for over 10 years: ever since then, he’s been going out to sea every week, whether for short trips or longer excursions!
On board his Cap Camarat, either alone or with friends, and all year round, he enjoys leisure fishing around the port – in coastal waters, offshore areas, and even on the Leucate lagoon.
What Stéphane loves, besides sailing and catching fine species, is sharing his passion! That’s one reason why he also shares fishing tips and experiences on the YouTube channel Ganguise Pêcheur.
When we asked him to present a fishing technique for the Port Adhoc blog, the enthusiast couldn’t say no… and in fact he decided to introduce not one, but two styles of fishing!
Tenya and madai: two easy fishing techniques
“Everyone more or less knows about tenya and madai fishing. But very few people actually practise them! Yet almost everyone already has the equipment needed in their tackle box,” Stéphane begins.
He explains that both are easy fishing techniques to put into practice:
“You don’t need much kit: just a rod, a reel, a few bait holders, madais or tenyas, a small lure and a few prawns.”
In addition, these methods don’t require any special preparation before heading out to sea: “You take five or six baits from the freezer, a rod, two or three lures, and off you go! You’re ready to fish.”
How to fish successfully with madai and tenya
The madai technique
In madai fishing, the madai is designed to imitate a small squid.
“The technique is to drop the madai to the seabed, always keeping contact with the line. You let it down, reel it back up 3 to 4 metres, then lower it again… and repeat! This is what we call the elevator,” Stéphane explains.
The tenya technique
Tenya fishing is another method highly appreciated by the Port Leucate fisherman: “This time, for tenya fishing, you use a lead hook, a skirt, and a prawn – either whole or shelled.”
The technique consists of lifting the bait slightly off the bottom, about 20–30 centimetres, and letting the boat drift. From time to time, you make contact with the bottom again.
What fish can be caught with these techniques?
“Tenya and madai are both multi-species fishing techniques, which we use here at Port Leucate, but which can also be used, for example, in the Atlantic,” explains the keen angler. “The fact that they’re multi-species techniques makes them ideal for occasional leisure fishers, those who don’t want to commit to long fishing sessions, or who don’t want to invest in too much specialist equipment.”
Both styles, whether in the Mediterranean or elsewhere, often target sparidae or noble species such as blackspot seabream, pink dentex, gilthead bream, white seabream, or sea bass.
“Dentex, blackspot seabream, white seabream, bass or something else… with madai or tenya, it’s always a bit of a surprise! Wrasse, being very greedy, also go for these methods: usually, you’ll catch nine wrasse for every one noble fish… a bit annoying, but that’s part of the game!” Stéphane laughs.
He reminds us: “Once you’ve landed your catches of a good size, don’t forget to cut off the caudal fin of each fish to comply with regulations!”
Equipment for tenya or madai fishing
For fishing with tenya or madai, Stéphane uses:
- A versatile rod between 2 and 2.40 metres in length
- A size 3000 to 4000 casting reel
- A fine PE1 braided line, 0.14 mm
- Light monofilament leader.
“I always recommend using light gear, rather than large heavy rods: the finer the gear, the more sensitivity you gain. As for weights, count 1 to 1.5 grams per metre of line – so, for example, 10 to 15 grams for 10 metres.”
What about the best baits?
- For madai fishing, Stéphane explains you can attach a small piece of squid to make it more attractive.
- For tenya, he suggests using a prawn (shelled or not), small grey shrimps or, as he does, small frozen king prawns: “They’re easy to find everywhere, and you can always keep some at home in the freezer!”
Best conditions for practising these techniques
For ideal conditions, Stéphane advises going when the drift is not too strong: ideally between 0.3 and 0.8 knots. “Too much wind, too much current, too much drift… in fishing, that’s never good!”
Madai and tenya: Stéphane’s records and favourite spots
“With tenya, my record is a huge bass, weighing 5 to 6 kilos, caught last spring. With madai, I often land very big dentex, 4 to 5 kilos. But those I catch far offshore: you need an offshore licence and a well-equipped boat. In coastal fishing, you can regularly catch smaller dentex, usually between 500 grams and 1 kilo: still very enjoyable!”
Around Port Leucate, he recommends the cliffs as the best spot: “Where there are rocks, there are always more fish!”
Stéphane’s final tip for leisure fishers
In this article, Stéphane wanted to share one last piece of advice: persevere!
“At sea, it’s incredible: some days, nothing will bite. But if you go back to the same spot with the same technique the very next day, you might land fish. Conditions at sea change so quickly, and every outing is a surprise.”
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