Ecuagringo Looks Forward To 2021 Giant Blue Marlin Season
Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands is the largest island in the Archipelago. The island sits 62 miles long North to South and has a total of 1,790 square miles. It’s very unique in that it is one of the few islands in the world that sits both in the North and Southern hemispheres on the Equatorial line. The local population is about 3500 full time inhabitants.
Besides the extensive marine life and wildlife the waters are teaming with tuna, mahi mahi, blue marlin, swordfish, squid and nutrients. The island’s Southern and Western sides are some of the deepest drops in all of Galapagos going from 600 feet to 9000 and 12,000 in some areas.
Isabela is becoming the holy grail for anglers wanting to chase the biggest marlin in the Pacific. In recent years with very limited charters blue marlin over 1000 pounds are being hooked more and more. The 2020 season was postponed due to Covid19 but we are actively gunning for 2021.
The fishing starts as close as 8 miles from port so runs are quite short. Most days birds, sea lions, dolphins, whales, manta rays can be seen frolicking above and in the waters off Isabela. Whale sharks, swordfish and sharks are also seen swimming these waters with regularity. Most days anglers can expect to raise 1 to 3 marlin on average with 5 fish raises in a day not uncommon.
130# All Tackle Destination
In the 2019 season we were under line classed by the shear size of some of these giant blue marlin. We used standup and conventional 80# gear for the most part. Considering that most of the fish we target on San Cristobal Island are striped marlin and with blues averaging there 300 to 600 pounds we thought 80# tackle would be enough. How wrong we were!
While fishing with angler Steven Hurt we hooked up mid-morning onto a fish estimated to be 1400 to 1500 pounds. One of the biggest marlin we have ever seen in the Galapagos. This fish was an absolute monster. After a serious of jumps it sounded and Hurt could not budge this fish for about 45 minutes. With almost 40 pounds of drag and the angler using his own rod and reel the line gave.
Unfortunately he had not changed the line in over a year and that was a costly mistake. For 2021 we are moving up our gear to Avet 80 and 130 reels but spooling everything with 130# line the maximum allowed by IGFA standards. Some anglers prefer to pitch baits while other like to use lures. This is a place where you can do both if you so want.
Other Fishing & Tour Options
Isabela offers some fantastic top water tuna fishing and great bottom fishing. Ecuagringo provides electric reels for those interested in targeting daytime swords, grouper, tilefish, scorpionfish and more that are found in the deep. For those who want to jig there are plenty of areas under 100 to 300 feet deep to try your luck. Isabela is also know for giving up large bigeye tuna every now and then.
For those who prefer to stay back and enjoy adventure the Sierra Negra Volcano is an awesome experience. The snorkel tour of Los Tuneles is one of the best water tours in all of Galapagos. Isabela also has beautiful beaches and is perfect for surfing. Kayaking, biking, hiking and camping are also options with local guides. Ecuagringo will put it all together when you are ready to book.
