Fishing in Manta
Getting to Blue Marlin Lodge is a snap. The easiest route takes you through Guayaquil, a city reborn with a newly built waterfront full of shops, theaters and restaurants, new streets and a heightened sense of safety for travelers. It seemed there was an officer on every street corner.
Several airlines offer flights to Guayaquil. These flights take about four hours from Miami and cost $400 to $600. Most arrive late, requiring you to stay overnight in Guayaquil. I highly recommend the Hotel Oro Verde (011-593-423-27999 or
reservasgye@oroverdehotels.com). Blue Marlin Lodge will gladly provide transportation from the airport to the hotel and give you a tour of the city. The next morning, you depart for Manta and arrive with plenty of time for a half-day of fishing.
The lodge itself sits next to the Manta Yacht Club with a clear view of the harbor. Manta's tuna fleet is the second-largest in the world. I never realized the enormity of the tuna fishing industry until I visited Manta. Each day we saw purse seiners docked up, unloading their catch with cranes for the canneries in town.
The artesianal fleet is also large. "It's the pangas that do most of the damage to the fishery," says Luis Gómez, who is also an IGFA representative for Ecuador. "But it is difficult because they need to fish to provide for their family. It's a very difficult situation."
Once at the lodge, you have your choice of vessels. When I visited last November, three boats were available: the 35-foot Umiña, a 46-foot Hatteras named Maria's and a 31 Bertram, the Lady Rosita. In June, the Gómez family expanded their operation and brought three boats to Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands. They plan to run charters focusing on the action there -- potentially one of the best striped marlin bites in the world. To contact Blue Marlin Lodge, call 011- 593-562-6868 or e-mail reservations@bluemarlinmanta.com. For more information on prices and packages available, go to www.bluemarlinmanta.com. To learn more about the Salinas Yacht Club Invitational Billfish tournament, contact South Fishing's Rick Alvarez or Herb Rosell at 800-882-4665 or www.southfishing.com.
