The Best Fishing Spots in Dubai


Dubai in the UAE is a popular spot for recreational fishing, offering everything from shore and jetty trips to inshore flats and offshore sportfishing charters. Close to the city you can target reef and wreck species like hammour (groupers), snappers and trevally, while fast predators such as kingfish, barracuda and queenfish are common around structure and current lines. On deeper water trips anglers may encounter cobia, occasional yellowfin tuna, mahi‑mahi and billfish on the edges of the Gulf; shallow sand flats can hold bonefish and small trevally for sight‑fishing. Popular methods include bait fishing, spinning, jigging, popping and even fly fishing on the flats, and local charters serve anglers of all skill levels. Fishable conditions are often best from October–April, though early morning or night trips work in summer.

Top Cities For Fishing

Sea Fishing

Abū Hayl (2 km to coast)
Al Bada'a (1 km to coast)
Al Furjan (5 km to coast)
Al Karama (1 km to coast)
Al Mizhar First (12 km to coast)
Al Murar al Qadīm (0 km to coast)
Al Muteena (2 km to coast)
Al Qusais 1 (6 km to coast)
Al Qusais Second (7 km to coast)
Al Safa (1 km to coast)
Al Waheda (2 km to coast)
Al Warqaa (10 km to coast)
Ar Rāshidīyah (6 km to coast)
As Saţwah (1 km to coast)
Bur Dubai (0 km to coast)
Business Bay (3 km to coast)
Dayrah (1 km to coast)
Downtown Dubai (3 km to coast)
Dubai (14 km to coast)
Dubai Festival City (3 km to coast)
Dubai Internet City (1 km to coast)
Dubai Investments Park (7 km to coast)
Dubai Marina (0 km to coast)
Dubai Silicon Oasis (12 km to coast)
Dubai Sports City (10 km to coast)
Hawr al ‘Anz (3 km to coast)
International City (10 km to coast)
Jebel Ali (3 km to coast)
Jumayrā (0 km to coast)
Knowledge Village (0 km to coast)
Mankhūl (1 km to coast)
Mirdif (9 km to coast)
Nadd al Ḩumr (6 km to coast)
Nāyf (1 km to coast)
The Palm Jumeirah (3 km to coast)
Umm Suqaym (0 km to coast)
Warīsān (10 km to coast)

Top Saltwater Fishing Spots

Port Rashid
Breakwaters and deep berths create rips where barracuda, queenfish, and trevally feed; cast heavy spoons and stickbaits into current lines or soak sardine baits along the stones for grouper, with best action around tidal swings; its proximity to Dubai Creek keeps bait moving through the area.
Khor Al Mamzar
Tidal lagoon and channels straddling Dubai and Sharjah where current edges gather queenfish, safi, and needlefish; micro‑jigs and small spoons excel on the drop‑offs, and soft crabs or prawn baits produce steady bites around bridges connecting to Al Mamzar Beach Park.
Jumeirah Beach
Long, open sandy shoreline producing kingfish, Spanish mackerel, trevally, and bream from dawn into early morning; cast metal spoons and long‑cast minnows beyond the breakers in winter for pelagics, and use bottom rigs with squid for emperors and grunt in summer; the stretch links seamlessly with hotspots at Kite Beach and La Mer Beach.
Palm Jumeirah
Rocky fronds and the Crescent breakwater create bait‑rich edges where boaters and careful rock‑hoppers target hamour (grouper), cobia, barracuda, and snapper; slow‑pitch jigs and live bait excel around structure, while shore casters work the calmer pockets at first light, and boats staging from Dubai Harbour or Dubai Marina can quickly reach deeper drop‑offs.
Dubai Marina
Launch point for countless charters targeting offshore kingfish, cobia, mahi‑mahi, and reef snapper/grouper; trolling diving plugs or slow‑trolling live bait along nearshore ledges is productive in winter, while vertical jigging and baiting wrecks remains consistent year‑round, with proximity to Bluewaters Island and the open Gulf allowing quick transitions between pelagic and reef bites.
Al Sufouh Beach
Known as the ‘Secret Beach’, this open stretch faces the Palm’s Crescent with clean water and roaming trevally, queenfish, and barracuda; fan casts with 20–40 g metals at first light, then switch to bottom rigs for sheri as the sun rises; views toward Palm Jumeirah help you locate feeding birds and surface boils.
Jebel Ali Beach
A broad, less crowded shoreline south of the city where spinning for queenfish and trevally shines on moving tides, and bottom fishing picks out sheri, hamour, and ray; long casts with 30–60 g metals cover roaming baitballs, and evening sessions see barracuda sliding into range along the outer bars near Jebel Ali Port.