Wow again. Capt. Toussaint worked his magic setting up an all day drift on straight trophy class yellowfin that diligently maintained vigil around Royal Star mopping up any and all forms of potential nutrition that went over the side. As much of our effort was occupied preparing these regal beasts for the RSW tank, we were regularly humored by the offal returning in the stomachs of giant yellowfin caught later. Appropriately coined "Giblets" by long range veteran Don Louchios, many laughs were had, and more than a few anglers were awakened to the fact that the opportunistic feeding habits of these giant yellowfin likens them to swimming garbage cans as much as, or perhaps even more, than marauding predators.

Okay. Now for the highlights. Undoubtedly the pinnacle of the day's success was Royal Star angler Roger Nies' triumph that deserves special mention. Roger's fish of a lifetime can not be classified as anything other than destiny as he was unable to make the prior voyage due to a last minute insurmountable difficulty. The stars aligned for this voyage however obviously in more ways than one. As the slate gray surface was broken by a bomber slab of tuna on the outside none of us predicted that it would turn out to be the behemoth three hundred forty five pound monster it was. Yes, we knew it was big, but man what a beast! Roger is now among the elite fraternity of long range anglers who have joined the three hundred pound club. He certainly earned the privilege through an epic battle that required everything he had, and then some. Congratulations to Roger who will likely spend a good portion of his time deservingly reveling in the glory of his accomplishment.

Throw in another five yellowfin over two hundred, a few more missed opportunities on jumbos from the usual list of challenges, and the gaps filled by an entire day of steady scratching on 150 - 190 pound yellowfin and the day can not be considered anything other than a huge victory. Overall, with the exception of sporadic rain, the weather was agreeable, though a building swell put our tackle to the test in plenty of battles. On that note I again want to mention the Blackwater fluorocarbon that held up to some unbelievable pressure on a variety of occasions today. Although it was not really one of those days when the fluorocarbon was a necessity, it is comforting to know that when using the Blackwater anglers are not sacrificing anything in the way of line strength or performance. As a devout skeptic when it comes to new products, I have been subjecting the Blackwater fluorocarbon to intense scrutiny. After watching numerous battles with giant yellowfin during the past two voyages, I can recommend this product with confidence. Although it is not always necessary, If I were departing on a future long range voyage I would definitely add a few rolls to my arsenal.

So, needless to say we are on cloud nine down here with plenty of time to continue focusing on trophy yellowfin and a group of anglers that is well prepared for the challenge. With plenty good enough weather in the forecast tomorrow, we will don our rain gear and be hard at it come daylight with visions of glory again tomorrow. Let us hope the fish gods continue their generosity as we are well aware of the "luck" factor in this equation. It is not all luck however...

Tim