OIFC Travelling Fisherman 2011- Galapagos

[Fishing Report]

[Fishing Report]

"Galapagos Wrap Up" | OIFC World Cat / Carolina Cat | 02/11/11

Though we didn't get any fishing in on our last day of the adventure to the Galapagos we still got a pretty awesome experience. On the final morning before we had to get on a plane for Guayaquil we all loaded up in taxis at the hotel and drove 30 minutes through the island to the highlands. It was cool seeing the countryside of San Cristobal and then ultimately getting to the giant tortoise sanctuary. We toured around the farm and saw many giant turtles and were able to get close to these enormous reptiles that were nearly 100 years old. Fun fact: Steven Spielburg was inspired by the appearance of the giant tortoise when visiting the Galapagos and the result was the creation of his biggest film to date E.T.

We made it back to the airport in time for our flight to Guayaquil where we said our good byes to Captain Braden and his crew. In Guayaquil our guide Julio Rosas was there to meet us once again. Julio is the man. He was truly a unique character that none of us will soon forget. He took several of us on a tour of the city and it seemed like he knew everyone and everyone knew him. If you ever needed to get something done and get it done quickly in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Julio, the future mayor, is the guy. We all had dinner together at a local restuarant that last night with Julio as our guest. The next morning we were off to the airport and back to the good ol USA.

Man, what a trip. I'm still knocking on wood at this point but it's hard to believe you can travel half way around the world with all kinds of unknowns and at the end everything exceeds expectations and generally runs smooth.

The fishing was phenomenal by most standards. However from those who have experience fishing the Galapagos, I understand the action we found was relatively slow. If that's as slow as it gets, I can't imagine what hot fishing would be like. For the 4 days of fishing our crew managed to raise approximately 148 striped marlin, catch and release 31 and all 16 anglers in our group caught at lease one stripe marlin. 6 of our anglers caught their first marlin in the Galapagos.

Guayaquil, Ecuador was a pleasant surprise. The city was big, very clean, and the people were extremely courteous and prideful of their country. Our guide in the city, Julio Rosas, was superb. We had no problems at the airport or getting around town thanks to him. The hotel Oro Verde was extremely nice resembling a 5 star US hotel. Everything and everyone was on time. No unmet expectations.

The Galapagos was incredible. The wildlife, climate, and people were all first class. The hotel Miconia couldn't have been positioned better overlooking the harbour and fishing fleet that were being guarded by dedicated sea lions. The hotel had everything we needed including a great restaurant and quality rooms. Captain Braden runs one heck of a fishing operation. Even in such a remote location with supplies at a premium he managed to put together top knotch equipment and crews. The boats are perfect for the style of fishing that is most common there. This is a unique piece of dirt in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that remains undisturbed by human habitation. I feel like we just scratched the surface of what the Galapagos has to offer as there are several other islands in the chain that I understand are equally impressive.

There is little I would change about our trip to the Galapagos. I would be interested in seeing more of the islands and maybe I'd add a day to explore in between the fishing. On the fishing side, I would once again bring a few tricks from home as sometimes when you go to a place where the fishing is so good on average that the locals don't have to try too hard with their techniques to produce. However, if the fish aren't cooperating it may take a little convincing to get them going. We've always said some of the best fishermen in the world come from Ocean Isle Beach, NC for the simple reason that we have to try a lot harder to catch fish here than most anywhere else.

The Galapagos is a MUST SEE destination in my book. If you enjoy adventure, billfishing, and amazing wildlife you owe it to yourself to visit this place. I am currently working on plans for next year's Traveling Fisherman. The plan is to have several different trips planned to various locations in order to give potential travelers a choice. While I'm excited to find new exotic fishing destinations I am confident it will be difficult to top the Galapagos. I would like to hear from anyone out there who has an input or an idea on a good location for us to consider for next year. With the success of the last couple Traveling Fisherman trips abroad I hope we have built a reputation for organizing quality fishing adventures to unique locations. Next year will be a banner year for the Traveling Fisherman so if you have interest in joining our groups please stay tuned for destination announcements and then contact me with interest. Email captbarrett@oifc.com for trip information or ideas for future destinations.

Lastly I want to acknowledge and once again thank the group of Traveling Fisherman we had this year. All but two anglers from last year's Panama trip made the Galapagos trip this year. This has become a tight knit group and your company has been joy to be around. We've seen some pretty incredible sights together, told a lot of stories, and even managed to catch a few fish in between. This year we added a few new faces to the gang and you guys certainly provided an energetic spark and entertainment for everyone. I hope everyone enjoyed this adventure as much I and I can't wait to experience the next adventure with you.

That's it folks, the story of the Traveling Fisherman Galapagos 2011. I hope you enjoyed the step by step recap of our adventure. Next time instead of reading about it, hopefully you can join us and be part of it. Signing off. Pics and vids to come next week.

-Capt. Barrett McMullan

[Squidnation]

great report barrett. thanks for the pics, videos and taking the time.