Fish Report for 9-1-2009

Royal Star Fish Report

9-1-2009
Royal Star

And for the grand finale - more jumbo albacore and another couple of handfuls of 20 - 30# offshore yellowfin to end this epic five day voyage on a high note. Grease calm weather didn't hurt either as balmy conditions complemented the albacore action while we searched in vain for the bigger bluefin. Of course that would have been the ultimate finish, a shot at trophy bluefin to send this already phenomenal voyage in to the stratosphere of long range standards. But, we just had to settle for four straight days of epic fishing for quality tunas less the bluefin. If this is the worst we must endure, sign me up for more.

By far this was the first "easy" trip of the summer that I have been a part of, if there is such a thing, where every move fell naturally into place, and every day produced very good fishing. Throw in four days straight of flat calm weather and it all comes together. Mind you when I say "easy" I am not referring to the work involved in making and/or processing the catch and maintaining our exceptional standards on board, such an animal does not exist on Royal Star. But there are those rare occasions in fishing when everything just seems to go the way you want. This was one of those voyages. I don't know what the percentages are but I can say that during the vast majority of fishing voyages the guy on the bridge is sweating bullets and employing every ounce of effort and ability he possesses to produce a worthy catch. It is simply the nature of fishing. There always seems to be something to create a challenge, considerable obstacles to surmount, and brain racking strategic decisions to be made. It makes these exceptional occasions, when mother nature opens the door and willingly relinquishes her bounty, immensely gratifying. Needless to say there was a lot of smiling and a lot less tension on the bridge as a result. We are thankful for it.

But this one is now over as the schedule marches on. We will see if Capt. Brian Sims a.k.a "Gerbie" can keep the ball rolling in the right direction on the annual Labor Day five day adventure that is filled with promise in light of what we are observing on the outside. As I mentioned the other day, the set up for more fantastic action to come is exceptional with very good quantity of beautiful quality albacore and yellowfin offshore, excellent sign of tuna at Guadalupe, and very good sign of yellowtail still on the inside. In addition there was a good showing of life on kelps offshore down below indicating even more good fishing for dorado and school size yellowfin tuna to come. I'm certain that there will be the occasional lull in the action due to weather and conditions during upcoming weeks, but my best guess is that we are going to see very good fishing both offshore and at the islands through the entire month of September and possibly beyond. There is just too much sign of fish around to believe otherwise. It is the ocean however so nothing will surprise me. Suffice to say though that I will be much more surprised if it doesn't happen than if it does. As I said there is just too much fish around. If you are on upcoming voyages prepare accordingly and fasten your seat belts. You are going to get them.

In closing we want to extend our gratitude to Ty Breitman and this fantastic group of anglers who did a stellar job at the rail this trip putting forth a tremendous effort while maintaining complete respect and courtesy. It makes a huge difference when every angler considers one another. Like all Royal Star voyages this group of anglers did a phenomenal job of making a catch and focusing on having a good time and a great vacation in the process. So again our thanks to all and we look forward to the opportunity to fish with you again. Enjoy today's photo of the man himself (Ty) with a jumbo albacore he obviously had a great time landing during one of today's plentiful stops. Job well done.

Tim

Photo Here...