As I was saying we headed inside behind the ball seeking justice in the form of good yellowtail action. Thus far the voyage has produced at least a little bit of action every day, but two of the three offered only quick hits that although were exciting, did not add up to much in the hatch at the end. So again we pushed a long way to the southeast hoping to spend the better portion of the day engaged in action that distributed among the entire group of anglers and lasted for more than a blink of an eye.

During the past round of voyages there has been very consistent, very reliable, incredible yellowtail action with a few tuna in the mix on the inside so we headed for the glory grounds with anticipation and confidence that we would remedy the missing element of wide open action this voyage in the hot zone. We arrived in the promised land just after breakfast to find perfect conditions just like the previous day and week that produced six consecutive phenomenal catches. The weather was perfect, we were fired up, all was ready for the shot of yellows that we were depending on to make the day and close out the final full day of fishing on a high note. The result - nothing. They weren't there. To our complete disgust the incredible school that has been camped out here for at least the prior ten days moved on and once again we were left holding the bag; another round in the crucible. Remember when I was commenting on an "easy" trip a few weeks back where everything just seemed to fall into place. On that voyage everywhere where we went the fish were there and eager to bite. This voyage not so much. Payback time.

So, after a depressing hour and a half of jockeying around desperately looking for the fish that weren't there, we threw in the towel recognizing that one more minute in this area was one less to dedicate to looking somewhere else. Not much choice in the matter, go looking and find them or sulk around with the disposition of someone carrying a load of crap in their drawers - the latter not even being an option in my book. Again I reference one of my favorite sayings - "when the going gets tough, the tough double down". It was definitely time to double down so we set to it working our way around in search of the glory that had craftily avoided us. It didn't take too long.

Three hours later, just after a hearty lunch, we stumbled upon them locating a couple of boomer schools that were absolutely voracious biting everything that hit the water in a couple of different stops that lasted over an hour each. As the fourteen to twenty two pound yellowtail poured on board anglers reveled in the opportunity to empty the tackle box throwing anything over the side to produce an instant bite from the waves of yellowtail surrounding Royal Star. The end result was a sated group of anglers and complete satisfaction and relief that combined to form the euphoric afterglow that is palpable and understood only to fishermen who have lived this moment. This is certainly among the many reasons anglers select long range fishing. There is no feeling like it.

So we ended the day working up the line enjoying the moment as well as spectacular scenery both in the surrounding ocean and along the rugged Baja coast. From our observations, and results, it appears that the main body of fish relocated to this new zone. We will find out soon enough as the cavalry is on the way. This time it was our turn to do our part and we are glad of it. Our final day tomorrow will be spent in transit but may include a couple of quick stops to snag a fish taco lunch if time permits. We have an epic forecast to travel up the line with calm winds and seas projected for at least the next couple of days. Needless to say we are grateful for it as well as our good fishing fortune. The satisfaction we feel in making it happen for such a fantastic group of anglers is immeasurable. It never gets old.

Photos of the day feature anglers Willy Cloyes and Bill Henry pulling to their hearts content amidst the red hot afternoon action. In addition, David Toepher does the honors displaying the nice size average of the yellowtail that made our day. Thank goodness!

Tim

Photo Here...
Photo Here...