Good Times Enjoyed - Great Times Ahead in the Galapagos

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Between Christmas and New Year, Galeodan hosted Judy Regan and 3 generations of her family from Alaska. The trip was the latest installment in a family tradition in which each of Judy’s grandchildren gets to pick their dream vacation, anywhere in the world! They are all keen anglers and for their last outing, they were at the barrier reef in Australia. This year, Oscar Jones (13) made the inspired choice of a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

On December 29th, we all boarded Leodan and headed out towards the traditionally favoured banks of Rosa Blanca, ESE of San Cristobal. Normally, we don’t take out more than 4 anglers on the one boat, but we make an exception for families and there were 9 of us (including crew) on Leodan for the next 3 days.

As reported previously, the weather has been unusually cold and the water late in warming (69F). Although we saw plenty of tuna action, the striped marlin have yet to show up at Rosa Blanca.



Next day, we set out a little earlier for the longer haul to Ochento y Ocho (88) which is NE of San Cristobal, at the limit of the Marine Reserve. As on our previous excursion, the temperature (73F) was higher than at Rosa Blanca but still somewhat below normal. Still, we hadn’t been there long before we were joined by the usual pods of dolphin and prospecting sea-lions indicating the presence of bait.

Soon we started to spot striped marlin, in groups of anywhere from 2 to 8 swiveling in to check out our mixed spread of lures and bait and we took several hits before the one held fast for Oscar’s first striped marlin release - A nice one at around 200lb.

As on some previous trips to “88” the marlin were plentiful but tentative on the lures and bait. Despite several more hits, we release only one more marlin that day.

A highlight of the day came when one hit turned out to be a sizable shark. We don’t look for shark and would rather not have those teeth anywhere near our mono-rigged lures. We were just about to grab the leader when a feeding frenzy erupted between 5 of his buddies and a sea-lion - just off the transom! It was like something out of National Geographic. But then a fishing trip to Galapagos is pure Nat Geo after all. Miraculously, we were still able to haul him in and retrieve the lure.



Despite only two releases, it was non-stop action and it was a weary but happy party that returned to dock that night.

The last day of 2011 saw us indulging in some snorkeling and “Pesca Chica” (inshore fishing) at the neighbouring island of Espagnola. Espagnola is worth the trip for the spectacular scenery alone. Throw in 7 or more different species taken that day, hordes of wild wahoo and lunch anchored in a bay straight out of paradise and you have the family-fishing outing to beat all.



The next few weeks should see more of our colleagues opening their seasons. The weather has begun to warm dramatically in the last week and judging by the numbers of marlin we saw, the fishing at “88” is soon going to be pretty spectacular. Of course we are all hoping that Rosa Blanca returns to its former glory - it’s a shorter trip and gives us a bit more time for breakfast.

Galeodan is now in its 4th year of operation and looking forward to hearing from anyone looking for the adventure of a lifetime. Make time in your plans for some snorkeling, diving and-touring or let us book a cruise for you. As a full-service agency, we can get you the best deals. Visit us at www.Galeodan.com.