What a fantastic example this voyage has been of how dynamic offshore fishing can be, and how remarkable long range fishing is. Think about it. Just four days ago, we were suffering through hideously slow fishing getting tossed around in a relentless, sloppy sea, looking at tons of big tuna that would not eat anything to save our lives. Five entire days this drudgery continued and despite our best efforts to remain positive, even the best of us began to succumb to the tightening noose of defeatism. Then, in a matter of one day, the weather turned, and along with the change the tuna began biting a little; the rest is history. Through our reporting you all had the opportunity to witness the change and the escalation of the fishing from good to better to spectacular.

Our final morning was

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the icing on the cake as we searched to find only a couple of fish and ravenous sharks until just about departure time at nine a.m. Then it happened. One pass out into deep water produced exactly what we were hoping for - a good school of straight big yellowfin roaming in search of a mid morning meal. As it was our final stop, and our time was up, there was no reason to hold anything back, and all I can say is that these anglers, who have been witness to just about every face of the ocean this voyage, ended their trip with a memory of tuna one hundred forty to as big as three hundred pounds plowing around the boat, eating everything in sight, in crystal clear blue water and beautiful overhead sunlight. The sights around the boat were so spectacular that it was almost unbelievable as giant yellowfin erupted in every direction, flew from the water in champion leaps, and fearlessly cruised within a few feet of the hull asserting their authority as apex predators in this region. At one point during this well orchestrated melee, every single angler was tied into a mean, incredibly tough giant yellowfin tuna, that was made even tougher by the hoard of sharks that arrived on schedule to share in the spoils. Absolutely incredible. Honestly, I can't even begin to do the setting justice in my description; it was that good.

So we ended up with fifteen more trophies from our final stop, one of which tipped the scale at two hundred fifty six pounds. All the others were in the one hundred forty to one hundred eighty pound class. We definitely went through three or four more big cows that were lost to the usual reasons of pulled hooks and shark predation, but the percentage of big cows in our final stop was either a little lower today, or the younger fish were just more aggressive. Not that it mattered. It was an incredible note to end the trip on and needless to say every angler on board is presently on cloud nine.

Before I sign off, I have to mention my crew who during the past three days have demonstrated the finest, professional attributes and character that we take great pride in demonstrating on Royal Star. You all know we disdain self aggrandizement but these young men deserve immense credit for their spectacular performance. Take the incredibly high stakes of this type of fishing combined with the extreme intensity of giant yellowfin tuna biting with complete abandon, and you have a situation ripe for chaos complete with screaming and yelling, utter panic, and loss of control. Any breakdown on the part of the crew in these circumstance inevitably leads to disaster as anglers become punching bags for the big yellowfin that simply drag them around until the are lost from a thousand different possible calamities. These "real deal" scenarios, where the big fish get with the program and test our abilities may only happen a handful of times per season, if we are lucky, and on these occasions, anglers who have never witnessed a professional crew's capabilities in exteme circumstances, discover the value, and earn great respect for the professsional ability these men possess.

As an example of what I am attempting to express, I'll reference our final stop yesterday that is a perfect example of the type of situation I am describing above. During that stop, literally every angler on board, eighteen to be exact, were simultaneously pulling to the extent of their ability and doing everything in their limited power under the circumstances to follow their angry opponent, stay out of trouble, and prevail in the contest. There were times during that hour of unbelievable intensity, that twelve of the eighteen anglers were stacked in the bow, each one with a angry demon of a fish on the end of their line racing around, doubling back, and doing everything in their power to escape the pressure being applied on the opposite end of the line. Do you know how many fish were lost to tangles in this nightmare scenario, that at times with all the crisscrossing lines resembled one of those laser guarded museum statues or bank vault protection systems so dramatically projected in hollywood productions? Not one. Do you know how much shouting there was and how many tempers flared as the situation, barely in control, could have erupted from the sheer pressure and tension? None. This crew, with many years working together as a team, and extensive experience in these exact situations, kept their cool, maintained their composure, communicated with one another, and were solely resposible for an amazing catch coming aboard. As a part of the team, I can take some of the credit, but these guys, regardless of my presence, have it handled all the way.

So that is enough for now. We have three days of uphill travel ahead of us and fortunately have a beautiful forecast for cruising. I will likely have more thoughts to share so keep following along until our arrival on Saturday the 26th.