Travel to Colombia to go fishing — are you kidding me? That was my first reaction when Carlos Londoño invited me to fish in the Cartagena de Indias International Fishing Tournament, his marina's annual event. Like many Americans, when someone mentions Colombia, I envisioned drug cartels and guerilla warfare. Unfortunately, this negative image masks the true beauty of this country, which has deep roots in South America's history and some of the Caribbean's best blue water.

After doing some research on the city of Cartagena and speaking to a few captains who had fished its waters, I finally decided to take a chance and visit last October. It was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time.

I feel obligated to mention that the Department of State warns U.S. citizens against traveling to Colombia, citing violence by narcoterrorist groups and other criminal elements. However, I never once felt threatened or compromised during my weeklong stay. In fact, Colombia seemed like a breath of fresh air, compared with the time my car broke down in a less-than-desirable neighborhood in Hempstead, New York. 

Many countries in this part of the world fall victim to political unrest, but rarely does this affect the fishing or the towns that cater to anglers. Cartagena is no different.

The city itself reminded me of New Orleans with an island attitude. Everywhere you look there are reminders of Cartagena's swashbuckling past. Considered a prize by pirates and settlers alike, nearly all the gold and goods from the Latin world flowed through this harbor, making it one of the most desirable ports of the New World. In 1586 the English buccaneer Francis Drake became the first plunderer to sack the city. Colombians might even be speaking English today if it wasn't for an outbreak of yellow fever that sent Drake packing. 

To protect Cartagena from such looters, the citizens built a wall around the city and several major fortifications from huge blocks of limestone and coral. The wall and many forts stand today, complete with cannon armaments and intricate tunnels.  

The modern-day city is divided into two areas, the Ciudad Nueva, or New City, and the Ciudad Antigua, or Old City. The narrow cobblestone streets of the Old City are lined with the balconies of colonial Spanish mansions, numerous cathedrals, and many parks and plazas. The New City houses the contemporary hotels, casinos, marinas and most of the city's 600,000-plus inhabitants. The old and the new mix together flawlessly, and Cartagena now ranks as Colombia's largest tourist spot. Visitors from the country's larger interior cities as well as Europe and other Latin countries come for the amazing diving, beaches and the growing sport fishery.

A Fishy Coastline
There's no doubt that Colombia gets its fair share of billfish and tuna — the country is sandwiched between Panama and Venezuela. Cartagena sits on the northern tip of the country on the Caribbean coast and attracts a solid bite of sailfish, blue marlin and whites. A 530-pound blue won the 2002 Cartagena tournament and remains the country's largest marlin to date. 

You can count on plenty of action from dolphin, tuna, wahoo and kingfish along the weed lines all year, but the best time to target sails and marlin is September through April. October marks the best marlin bite, and the sailfishing peaks in December.

Nokomis Bank, just 8 miles off the harbor's north entrance known as Boca Grande, is a great starting-off point. Most captains use a mix of rigged ballyhoo and artificial lures to catch dolphin and tuna, as well as the occasional billfish. Moving south, the next hot spot, called the Bubbles, lies off the Rosario Islands. The area gets its name from the seamounts that rise up quickly and resemble bubbles on a chart. Two more areas, known as the North Bean and the South Bean, sit 40 or so miles off Cartagena and represent about the farthest point to which the local fleet travels. 

On the first day of the tournament, we left the dock early on the Gabimar, Londoño's 38-foot Bertram. We headed about 20 miles due west and found a weed line. Londoño had just hired a new mate. He was a bit green, so I helped him rig some ballyhoo and we managed to rouse a nice bull dolphin. Unfortunately, the young mate dropped the fish right next to the boat before I could even snap a photo. Londoño followed the weed line, and we spotted a sailfish but never got it to hit.

When we returned to the dock that afternoon, we heard that the bite proved best at Nokomis. Capt. Fernando Mogollon and the crew aboard his Bertram, Circe II, managed to raise five blues and land one. Mogollon, a second-generation Cartagena angler, was recently named the local IGFA representative. His father, Jose "Pepino" Mogollon, caught the first sailfish in these waters on rod and reel in 1957. His first white marlin came in 1969, and the first blue showed up in 1971.

This fishery developed much more slowly than those found Stateside, but in the past decade, it has taken off. The two marinas in Cartagena are lined with sportfishing yachts. And these fishermen are eager to learn more. Each angler I met asked me a slew of questions about lures and rigging. I brought some dredges and showed them how Florida skippers set up their slow-trolling spreads. 

Most of the anglers here are weekend fishermen. But I think a full-time crew could truly open this place up and post some serious numbers in the process.

Everywhere I went, the people treated me like some sort of celebrity. The local newspaper printed a photo of me, and a television crew threw me in front of the camera and stuck a microphone in my face. 

Colombia may not enjoy the best reputation right now, but that's changing. Cartagena is a safe and wonderful city, and the people I fished with made me feel like a king.

GETTING THERE Avianca Airlines offers direct flights from Miami to Cartagena on Wednesdays and Sundays. Other airlines such as Copa and Continental will also get you to Cartagena via a connection in Panama City or Bogota. I suggest taking the direct flight if at all possible. The flight from Miami takes just under three hours. The airport in Cartagena is small, but completely modern. The screening process is extremely thorough, so be prepared to open your bags three or four times when arriving and departing. Contact Avianca at 800-284-2622; www.avianca.us. The city offers travelers a wide range of accommodations, from the Cartagena Hilton Resort in the New City (www.cartagenainfo.com/hotelhilton) to the many charming Old World hotels found within the walled portion of the Old City. I stayed at the Hotel Santa Clara (www.hotelsantaclara.com; 011-57-5-664-6070), an amazing hotel with a rich history. It was built in 1671, originally as a convent. In the early 1990s, a massive renovation began. It would take nine years to transform the historical building into a five-star hotel. The Santa Clara is elegant and full of legend and lore — and just a short drive from the marina. The next Cartagena International Billfish Tournament takes place September 29 through October 2 at the Todomar CHL Marina, a full-service facility with fuel, rack storage, docks, utilities and a complete boatyard that also builds a line of catamarans and jet boats (www.marinetodomar.com; 011-57-5-665-4177). The marina can also schedule charter boats. The Cartagena Fishing Club hosts a tournament December 6-8 (fmogollon@enred.com; 011-57-5-660-8018). When you're not fishing, Cartagena offers plenty of attractions, from touring the massive Fort of San Felipe de Barajas to a visit to La Popa, a monastery high above the city. A day trip to the Rosario Islands about 20 miles offshore provides quiet beaches and great diving. For travel services, contact Gabriela de Londono at Gema Tours, gabrielalondono@gematours.com. For general tourist information, visit www.cartagenatravel.com.