After a well deserved night at the dock, the boys and I departed this morning on our next ten day voyage sponsored by long time Royal Star veteran John Pettey. Many anglers world wide are familiar with John's beautifully unique jewelry that features ocean themes in hundreds of varieties and settings. I am more familiar with John at the rail and know from over twenty years of voyages I have shared with him that a better individual is nowhere to be found.

We are presently headed south with a perfect load of bait well positioned for our first move down the line. We are keeping abreast of all developments, and have a fluid game plan as such, but we are certain at least for now that we will be traveling the full day tomorrow before our fishing begins in earnest. In the meantime I have to share some insight, if you elect to believe as such, following an eventful time on the beach that included a few hours reviewing a computer screen that provided plenty of material for lively discussion.

First off I was energized by and grateful for the level of enthusiasm I see for long range sport fishing. It is because of this passion in so many of you that we are successful; and by "we" I refer to all of us in the long range fishing business. That said in some individuals I see this passion manifest into fervent support of their chosen long range operation that resents competition and sows negative, minimally informed opinion that only serves to discredit what could be otherwise be valuable discourse. Too bad. As this is my or Royal Star's individual forum, let me share an opinion shaped by twenty three years and well over four thousand days at sea in this arena.

We, meaning all those who have invested their lives in this venue, are all fair, decent, hardworking individuals dedicated to our profession. There are no bad guys out here. There is competition - both daily fishing competition on the water and business competition shore side. The two definitely intersect. We all compete through our actions, promotion, and dialogue. We all believe that we are at the top of our game, have the best operation, and the best vehicle to perform what we believe is the best form of long range sport fishing. We have to believe and promote these attributes with confidence to maintain our advantage. There are, and have been plenty of individuals who do not conform to these standards during my tenure in the world of long range fishing. Those who are satisfied to be average, or to just be here going through the motions. They don't last long or the operations they work for suffer significantly.

The point of this is that we all promote and must if we expect to succeed. Everyone advertises that they are the best and must believe that they are. We all do have very distinct advantages with some possessing more than others. Whether it's the softest pillows, the best food, the most experienced crew, the best product, the best network or code group, or the biggest platform. They, and a myriad of other attributes, are all legitimate, promotional advantages to be resented by no one. The only bona fide measure of an operation however is a history of consistent results - both catching, if that is what anglers are here for, and customer satisfaction. At the risk of mimicking our contemporary politicians - it?s all about our records.

That is what I recommend to any and all anglers considering a long range voyage. Shop around and review the almost endless information available both on the websites as well as in tackle stores. Ask yourselves what you are seeking and how you wish to go about it. Make your decision based on the information provided by individuals in this profession as well as those who provide a healthy, positive perspective based on their experiences.

To those who already enjoy long range sport fishing and participate in the variety of available open forums, take a step back before you communicate and consider the topic in its entirety and the impact of your communication. I appreciate and admire the loyalty you express but not when it contains unnecessary, unfounded, or uninformed negativity. Don't be the fanatical sports fan that stands behind the opposing team spewing vitriol and obscenities. Such communication only serves to damage the credibility of the forum and limits productivity.

Now I suspect that plenty of you out there will read this, take aim, and let fly. Good for you. Fortunately, my perspective and confidence is founded in a very long history of innovation and success that most of us in long range sport fishing enjoy or realize in one form or another. My credibility is not suspect nor is my history or experience. That doesn't mean that you must agree or accept the opinions and direction I share, but it may serve one well to consider it. On that note would one of our dedicated anglers reading this do me a favor and post this on the boards. It is about time for a lively, positive discussion on this topic. Thanks in advance and look for reports to continue throughout the voyage.