Salinas & the Ecuador Pacific Coast Fishing Guide

Salinas is Ecuador's best-known sport fishing town, with blue water close to shore because of the Humboldt Current. Charters troll for striped, blue and black marlin, plus sailfish, tuna, dorado and wahoo, and some boats fish inshore for roosterfish and snapper. Farther north, the waters around Isla de la Plata and Machalilla National Park are protected, and the Galápagos have their own strict fishing rules.

📍 Salinas, Santa Elena Province, the westernmost city on mainland Ecuador. Charters run from the Salinas waterfront. Farther north on the Manabí coast, boats run from Puerto López toward Isla de la Plata, part of Machalilla National Park. The Galápagos Islands lie far offshore and have their own rules.

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Pacific Colombia & Ecuador map →

Quick facts

Salinas is the westernmost city on mainland Ecuador and the country's largest coastal resort.
The cold Humboldt Current brings upwelling that feeds a food chain up to marlin and sailfish off this coast.
One visiting angler reported striped marlin grounds only about 10 miles off Salinas.
Isla de la Plata is about 40 km by boat from Puerto López and is part of Machalilla National Park, created in 1979.
The rod-and-reel record black marlin, 1,560 lb, was caught in August 1953 about eight miles off Cabo Blanco, Peru, in the same Humboldt Current waters south of Ecuador.

What you can catch

Striped marlin
The main marlin caught off Salinas; one visiting angler fished them in November.
Blue marlin
Caught offshore from Salinas.
Black marlin
Caught offshore from Salinas.
Pacific sailfish
Found along the coast; plentiful around Isla de la Plata.
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna
Offshore catches from Salinas charters.
Dorado (mahi-mahi)
Offshore; said to peak in the June-November dry season.
Wahoo
Offshore trolling catch.
Roosterfish
Inshore target, along with snapper, grouper and amberjack.

Month by month

January	Warm, wet season (Dec-May); calmest seas of the year; more inshore fishing.
February	Wet season; calm seas; inshore and offshore trips.
March	Wet season; calm seas.
April	Wet season; calm seas.
May	End of the wet, calm season.
June	Dry season starts (Jun-Nov): cooler water, good offshore fishing.
July	Dry season offshore trolling; dorado peak period.
August	Dry season offshore trolling.
September	Dry season offshore trolling.
October	Dry season offshore trolling.
November	Dry season; striped marlin reported; quiet month for beach tourists, so charters are easy to book.
December	Calm-season start; warmer water.

Tips

Ask your charter whether a fishing license is included and what paperwork you need; some Salinas charters include it.
If you hook a manta or mobula ray, release it at once; Ecuador bans keeping them.
Ask before fishing near Isla de la Plata or inside Machalilla National Park; fishing in protected areas follows each park's management plan.
Galápagos fishing is only through licensed local Pesca Vivencial operators; do not plan to bring your own boat or gear trip there.
Agree with the captain before the trip on whether marlin are released or kept.

Rules and license

Ministerio de Producción, Comercio Exterior, Inversiones y Pesca (MPCEIP), Viceministerio de Acuacultura y Pesca; Ministerio del Ambiente (protected areas); Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos · Official rules page ↗

Ecuador's 2020 fisheries law (Art. 124) says the fisheries authority authorizes sport fishing and may set gear, species, minimum sizes, areas, seasons and catch limits. Individual license and fee details: check current rules.
Sport spearfishing (marine or freshwater) needs prior authorization and registration with the fisheries authority.
The first mile from the low-tide line along the mainland coast is a breeding reserve zone: industrial fishing is banned there; sport fishing with hand line or rod is allowed.
Ecuador reserves the first 8 nautical miles for artisanal boats; industrial fishing is banned there.
Manta and mobula rays: no targeted fishing; any caught by accident must be released at once and cannot be kept (Acuerdo 093, 2010).
Sport fishing inside protected areas (such as Machalilla National Park and the Cantagallo-Machalilla Marine Reserve) is regulated by the Ministry of Environment under each area's plan.
Galápagos Marine Reserve: since 1998 fishing rights belong only to local small-scale fishers; tourists fish only through licensed Pesca Vivencial trips.
A legal catch-and-release rule for marlin was not confirmed: check current rules.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 1 boat ramps and 2 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Puerto Lucía Yacht Club / La Libertad harbor
Salinas Yacht Club (ramp)
Santa Rosa fishing port (Salinas)

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.