Cornwall, England · April–November · bluefin mid-July–November · 2 nights · Private group · 12 guests
The fish came back. Feel the pull.
We have shaped a private two-night weekend at Talland Bay Hotel for 12 guests. A bluefin conservationist sets the scene on Friday night; two boats go out on Saturday; Sunday brings a market-sourced tuna breakdown and a generous lunch. Proper fishing, proper grub, all taken care of.
Six guests per boat, with two boats on the water for this 12-person experience. For a larger group, we can discuss additional boats and a tailored format.
Ask about this weekend
Atlantic bluefin were once a familiar sight in British waters. Overfishing drove them away by the 1960s; tighter quotas, size limits and protected spawning grounds have helped them return to the South West in remarkable numbers. The local recreational fishery is permitted, trained and catch-and-release. The global species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but this local recovery is recent and carefully managed.
A fish with a past
Britain once had a celebrated big-game tuna fishery. Anglers travelled to the North Sea to meet these huge Atlantic predators, until the fishery collapsed and the tunny largely disappeared from British waters. Cornwall is now part of a different story: a return made possible by international management, local care and a fishery that puts the release first.
The stay is part of the story: a private booking at Talland Bay Hotel, close to the water and the harbour, with the group together from Friday night through Sunday lunch.
Rooming and availability are confirmed for your dates before commitment. This is a hand-crafted weekend, rather than a menu of separate packages.
This is a single story across two nights: arrive and understand the fish, spend Saturday offshore, then see a bluefin opened up and shared around the table before you leave.
Friday
Arrive at Talland Bay Hotel and settle in. That evening, a conservationist and bluefin tuna expert talks through the fish, its history and its return to Cornish waters. The captains join the meal afterwards.
Saturday
After breakfast and a proper briefing, two boats head out with six guests on each for a full offshore charter. Around 10 hours is a guide from one approved operator; the skipper sets the exact timing. Work the water for a bluefin, weather permitting: one guest fights at a time while the crew clear the deck and the rest watch, help and wait for the next take. Back on the docks, a private chef cooks a seafood BBQ, then the group heads to the local fishermen’s pub for drinks with the captains and other fishermen.
Sunday
A full bluefin tuna sourced from a local market is broken down in front of the group. It is separate from the fish caught and released at sea. Then sit down to a generous lunch including tuna before departures.
At sea
This is big-game fishing, not a sightseeing cruise. Plan around a long day offshore: one of our approved South West operators describes its bluefin charter as a 10-hour outing, with the exact departure and return set by the captain, harbour and conditions.
The search
The crew tow a spread of lures behind the boat and work the water for signs of tuna. You scan the surface, birds and bait; you listen to the crew; you wait. Then a rod folds over and the whole boat changes pace.
The rod
Six guests share each boat, but only one person fights a hooked bluefin at a time. The crew clear the other tackle, put the rod into the stand-up harness or holder and keep the deck safe. Everyone else watches the line, helps the crew and stays ready for the next take.
The fight
The fish takes line and the skipper follows it. You keep the rod loaded, lean into the harness and win back line when the fish turns, then do it again when it runs. It is a physical, full-body exchange on a moving boat, measured in pressure and patience rather than a single dramatic pull.
The release
There is no gaff and no fish brought aboard. The crew leader brings the tuna to the waterline, controls it with a fish-friendly grip, measures it when safe and revives it in moving water. Recovery can take five minutes or more; the skipper decides when the fish is ready to swim away.
Seasonal guide. Bluefin dates follow each year's permitted season; shark and reef fishing can be discussed around the rest of the April–November programme.
Private dining is part of the weekend. Captains join the first-night meal, an extraordinary chef cooks on the docks after the boats return, and Sunday closes with a market-sourced tuna demonstration and lunch.
The seafood in the weekend is sourced separately from the fishing. Bluefin caught at sea is released. The tuna used for Sunday’s demonstration is bought through a local market so the group can understand the fish without confusing the catch-and-release experience with a landed catch.
The food is part of the crafted weekend. These are the scenes we will arrange around the fishing, the weather and the group.
A conservationist and bluefin expert open the weekend at Talland Bay, followed by a generous meal with the captains.
The boats come back to a chef-led seafood BBQ on the harbour, then drinks at the local fishermen’s pub with the people who work these waters.
A full bluefin tuna, sourced from a local market, is broken down for the group before a generous lunch including tuna.
A seafood platter or simple lunch can be arranged on the boat when the vessel and conditions support it.
Pairings can be arranged around the private meals; the pub remains exactly what it is, a proper local fishermen’s pub.
We work with a range of excellent chefs. Adam Purnell (Shropshire Lad) and Stéphane Delourme are two of the many chefs we can discuss: the final chef is matched to your preferences, the shape of the meal, the dates and availability. The food is part of the experience, not a bolt-on.
Fire cooking
Adam builds meals around flame, smoke and good ingredients. The chef behind Embers in Shropshire, he has won on Crazy Delicious, appeared as a guest critic on MasterChef: The Professionals and fronts Food Network’s Secrets of the BBQ Kitchen. A fire-cooked feast is the sort of evening we could explore for your group.
Fish & seafood
Stéphane spent 21 years as Head Chef at Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, followed by four years as Group Chef. Now independent, he brings a deep knowledge of fish and shellfish to private dining. Think of a seafood dinner planned around your group, the ingredients and the table.
The battle
Bluefin are fast, warm-bodied and built to keep moving. The day begins with a briefing, then long quiet stretches, a sudden run, the crew working together and the fish close beside the boat. You will feel the power of it without taking the fish home: the encounter, careful handling and release are the point.
Make it a quick escape, or give yourselves another day by the coast.
The two-night weekend is the complete version. If your group needs one night, ask Tommy to discuss a compressed format around the expert talk and offshore day.
Add a slower morning, a reef-fishing day or another Cornish activity. We can build extra time around the same hotel, captains and table.
A day on the water, and something good on the fire.
Saturday’s two-boat day is weather permitting. The skipper decides whether conditions are right to go out. If the sea changes the plan, Tommy will talk through the best land-based version with the group; any fishing change, alternative activity, rebooking or cancellation terms are set out in writing.
Before commitment, we give you the exact plan in writing: Talland Bay Hotel, room allocation, expert talk, named captains and vessels, joining time, food, transport if requested, cost, what is included and excluded, and the cancellation terms.
Ask about this weekendAround the weekend
Travel sits around the adventure. We can arrange the journey in by private or luxury minibus, local transfers, or a helicopter quotation from Battersea, Biggin Hill, Farnborough, Luton or Brighton. Tell us what would make the weekend easy and we will build it around the fishing.
If you want a slower edge, we can arrange something restorative around the fishing and food — perhaps a beach yoga session, a massage or another local practitioner. Tell us what would help and we will work it into the weekend.
These are supporting arrangements, discussed after the fishing, food and dates are in place.
The core weekend is already shaped: two nights at Talland Bay Hotel, a conservation talk, two boats on Saturday, catch-and-release bluefin fishing, dockside seafood and a Sunday tuna table. Use the controls below only to flag alternatives or additions for Tommy.
This version is designed for 12 guests, with six people on each boat. Larger groups can be discussed with additional boats.
Bluefin tuna is the core weekend; alternatives are open to discussion
Private dining, the Talland Bay stay and the Saturday fishing day are core to this experience. Mention any travel or wellness support in the note below and Tommy will shape the edges around it.
Tommy
Tommy will help put your Cornwall weekend together.
Tommy receives the core weekend, your trip details, any fishing alternatives and the note you add below. Leave anything open and he'll talk through the right version with you.
A private two-night weekend at Talland Bay Hotel for 12 guests: a Friday conservation talk and captains’ dinner, two boats on Saturday for permitted catch-and-release bluefin fishing, dockside seafood BBQ and drinks at the local fishermen’s pub, then a Sunday tuna breakdown and generous lunch.
The wider Cornwall programme runs April–November. The permitted English bluefin catch-and-release season currently runs from mid-July to 30 November; we check the rules and dates for the chosen year before proposing the weekend.
No. The Saturday fishery is catch-and-release. The Sunday demonstration uses a full bluefin sourced separately from a local market, so the group can see the fish broken down without landing the fish caught at sea.
This crafted version is for 12 guests, with six guests on each of two boats. Larger groups can be discussed with additional boats.
Plan on a full offshore charter, typically around 10 hours with one of our approved operators. The crew tow a spread of lures and watch the water, birds and bait. When a bluefin takes, one guest fights the fish at a time while the crew clear the other tackle and the rest of the group watches, helps and waits for the next take. The fight is done standing, with the boat following the fish; it is brought alongside, revived and released without being landed.
The skipper decides whether conditions are right to go out. If they are not, Tommy will talk through the best land-based version with the group and the written proposal will explain any alternative, rebooking or cancellation terms.
No. Bluefin caught on the recreational outing is handled and released under the permitted fishery. Food for the weekend is sourced separately.
A conservationist and bluefin tuna expert leads the opening talk, and the captains join the meal afterwards. The final names and availability are confirmed before commitment.
Private dining is part of the weekend: the first-night meal, a dockside seafood BBQ after the boats return, and Sunday’s tuna demonstration followed by a generous lunch. We will agree the chef and menus with your group.
Yes, on request. We can discuss a private or luxury minibus, local station transfers, or a helicopter from Battersea, Biggin Hill, Farnborough, Luton or Brighton. You can also make your own way and ask us to arrange local transfers.
Yes, as a supporting extra around the core weekend. We can discuss yoga, massage or another local practitioner once we know the timing and where the group is staying.
Wear soft-soled shoes and bring layers and waterproofs. Your skipper supplies the fishing tackle; wet-weather clothing is not provided. We send a packing list for the chosen outing before you travel.
Toilets, shelter and access vary by vessel. We will talk you through the proposed boats before commitment and help choose the arrangement that works for your group.
