Galapagos deep sea fishing, snorkeling, mountain biking, hiking, and exploring…read more
Where do I even begin... I can't say enough good things about Braden, his team, and our experience with Ecuagringo!
I went with my family and trying to get the right balance between fishing, for me, and other activities for my wife and kids is not easy. Braden expertly and patiently crafted our itinerary. My wife and kids are not fans of boats, so we went through a few revisions to get everything just perfect.
As we made our way through Guayaquil, Baltra, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabella, and back, the Ecuagringo team was there each step of the way. The guides on each island were spectacular. They all spoke English and made us feel relaxed and at home. Ronnie, in particular, was incredibly helpful and looked after my family when they snorkeled and mountain biked while I fished.
When flights were canceled due to a supply ship having troubles. Braden and crew seamlessly rearrange our travel so that we were not inconvenienced and we did miss a beat. They handled everything so well! Braden texted me frequently to make ensure things were goint smoothly.
Now for the fishing.... Braden set me up with a great boat, Captain, Mate, and Guide for fishing. I have been on many charters and personal boats, this was one boat was one of the cleanest and nicest fishing boats I have been on. The Captain and crew were expert and put me on many fish. I fly fished the majority of the time and landed a few dozen 40 to 50 lbs mahi-mahi. By the 3rd day, my casting arm was so sore I couldn't even make a fist. I switched to conventional gear and landed a few 50 to 60 lbs yellowtail tuna and nice wahoo using casting poppers.
When I broke a rod, and the boat had backup gear and flies. I forget the rod type, but the reels were all top of the line Tibors. I have found that many times a lodge or charter outfit states that they are equipped for fly fishing only to find out that the equipment is either garbage or non-existent when you get there. This was not the case with Ecuagringo!
By the 3rd day, my casting arm was so sore I couldn't even make a fist. I switched conventional gear and landed a few 50 to 60 lbs yellowtail tuna and nice wahoo using casting poppers. We also did some reef fishing for hogfish, groupers, amberjack, etcetera. The crew and I landed 50+ fish in an action-packed few days!
Each day the mate would expertly prepare Sashimi and Ceviche there on the boat with the morning's catch. At night I took the fish back to Rosita's or the hotel where they prepared it as sashimi, poke, ceviche and grilled. It was all delicious. It really doesn't get any fresher than this!
I went with stripped marlins in mind.., but mother nature did not cooperate. The seas were unseasonably rough and this reduced the number of opportunities we had to troll for marlins. However, fishing was still great! The captain and crew made sure of it. Braden texted me regularly for the daily fishing report.
For the avid fly fisherman and fisherman, in general, I would wholeheartedly recommend Braden and Ecuagringo!!!
