Since Ecuagringo first started arranging custom fishing vacations to the Galapagos Islands in 2001 no other place in the Pacific Ocean or perhaps in the world has delivered almost every year the numbers of striped marlin raised by so few boats. From 2001 to 2007 Ecuagringo had a fleet of 1 boat fishing these waters and raising thousands of striped marlin each year. Today with our 3 boats fishing almost year round raising 10,000 plus striped marlin a year is not uncommon.
Striped marlin thrive on the large schools of sardines that concentrate in the Galapagos every year. Squid, yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna and bonita also provide a source of food for striped marlin. Our marlin are healthy and rather large in size with most fish averaging 150 to 200 pounds. We do catch striped marlin in the 250 to 300 pound range quite commonly. These fish light up like no other, are very acrobatic and pound for pound are arguably the strongest of billfish for their size.
Enjoying striped marlin on 30# and 50# standup is a joy but catching them on spinning and fly gear is an added fun challenge. While we catch many on small lures, bait and switch with circle hook rigged baits is an angler favorite. Stripeys will put on quite a display in the spread and often you will see multiple fish fighting over the same teaser.
There is no such thing as an average day in the Galapagos. Most days are filled with vast marine life in the form of birds, dolphins, whales, sea lions, sharks, manta rays, bait schools, marlin, tuna and more. All can show up on any given day or none as well. Each can be very different and full of surprises. The volcanic landscape of the islands, the sea bed and the currents make the Galapagos unique and the perfect habitat to attract a wide array of marine life.
If you want to experience one of the wildest yet not hard to get to fisheries in the world then you need to book your next trip of a lifetime to the Galapagos Islands. Good lodging, decent dinning, friendly people, safe for the whole family and some of the world’s best fishing and tours await you in the Galapagos Islands.
