I recently took a vacation to Peru with my wife and some family members. I'll get right to the fishing report, and then share some travel info. and photos I thought you might enjoy.

When I knew we'd be staying in Mancora, Peru, I was very excited. This is region where the world record black marlin (1,560 lbs.) was caught in 1953.

Here's a display of the fish in the IGFA Hall of Fame in FL:



Here are some maps to help you picture where I was in the world. Peru is on the northwest coast of South America:



I stayed in Mancora -- a great beach (more on that later.) I fished just a few miles south of Mancora in Los Organos. Just south of there is Cabo Blanco, where the record marlin was caught. Ernest Hemingway caught a 700-pound marlin in Cabo Blanco, and it's said he was inspired by it to write his 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea.



From all of the online searching and phone calls I made prior to my trip, I realized most of the big marlin had vanished from the area. It was a hot area in the 1950s and 1960s. There are only a handful of boats who fish recreationally in the area. Most fishermen are either fishing commercially or for themselves with nets for various species.

I fished on the boat "Cristina" with my wife and father-in-law.

Sunrise as we head from the pier to the main fishing boat...





The surf is rough along the pier, so some boats don't pull right up to it. We took a smaller boat out to meet our fishing boat.



The boat was a 32-footer built in 1962.

We made a run 15 miles offshore to where we began fishing.

We set up six rods for trolling...