The time could not have been better…….The current change, the new temperatures, the return of the dorado, added to the Salinas´ Anglers eagerness to start the fishing season, all combined into the success that was the 2007 National Angling tournament that took place at the Salinas Yacht Club, sponsored by Seguros Rocafuerte.
The new season is just starting for Salinas with temperatures averaging 90 F, and water temperatures at 75 F, which brings all of our Billfish guests to our shores for the next 5 months. A total of 26 boats registered in the event that has become a classic for every November in Salinas. The organizers took care of all the angling details in order to make this a special time, and they triumphed. Sixteen IGFA Members were amongst the anglers that tested their skills during the event. On 3 days of fishing, the strike average per boat per day was 4 Marlins, half of them releases along with the known companion of the Wahoo, Dorado and Tuna. Actually, on the first day the total number of strikes reported was 200!!. The Wahoos caught surpassed the 50 pound mark as usual. Once again, no Billfish was sacrificed by our local anglers which clearly demonstrates the Conservation culture that has established along our angling community. It was Salinas at its best.
But the real success of this event came from an extraordinary catch......., on the last day of fishing, Thomas Hollihan, on board the Mar Azul caught a Giant Big Eye tuna. The fish weighed 388 pounds. Actually, the fish weighed more and its measurements suggested that it could have gotten over the 420 pound mark. However, since it was caught at 10 am and the boat stayed fishing until 5pm, it lost a lot of water and blood which would have made the total weight greater than the one we saw. The weighting was supervised by IGFA Representatives Luis Eduardo Gomez and Jose Anton who also took part in the tournament. Ecuador has been known by its giant tuna and this time, it was no exception.
The winning boat was Paco Sola´s ¨Sea Baby¨, who fished this tournament with his two grandsons (junior anglers) and his son Ricardo. It was a real family team. There were a number of other Junior anglers present at the tournament like Thomas Hollihan Jr. and Santiago Vallarino. They all went out as a family team and were the ones who enjoyed the tournament more than everybody due to the special circumstances.
We are now looking at an exciting beginning of the 2007-2008 Salinas season. This past weekend, Salinas saw almost 20 boats out, which accounted for 42 Marlin releases, mostly Blue and Stripped, some Black. We also got our fair share of Wahoo and the infinite number of Dorado that visit our coasts during this time of the year.
We expect this season to go on until April 2008. With first class hotels and all the comforts that any modern city can offer, we are eager to share this beautiful Ecuadorian destination with all the fellow anglers from around the world. This tournament has kicked off one of the most waited fishing seasons in the country and we can only imagine what to expect after the results we have seen.
For information and photos of the giant tuna visit www.bluemarlinmanta.com or contact [email protected]
Capt. Luis Gomez Jr.
BLUEMARLIN ECUADOR .
