We got the day started right with a couple of hours of very good action on 14 - 18# yellowtail. In fact, the action was such that we filled our limits in short order and left them biting as wave after wave passed through us. Even after we departed I continued to see schools of yellowtail one after another for several miles above the area where we were fishing. There are a lot of yellowtail around. Appropriate thanks for the "Yellowtail Triangle" on all our behalf. This zone has been the savior of so many voyages in the past twenty five years I have been fishing down here that I couldn't even begin to recall. Between the scenery, consistency of production, and protection from weather when it comes, it is the finest area to target California yellowtail in the world. No where else even comes close.

With our quota of yellows prime in the RSW tanks, the time to venture out was again upon us. Always up for the task, and never one to shy away from a looking expedition, we struck out in search of tuna sign in slightly choppy seas. It took some time, and I'm disappointed to report that the results of our afternoon in the hatch would have been identical if we found nothing, but we did bump into a couple of decent spots of bluefin that unfortunately exhibited the same behavior they have been confounding us with since the beginning of the month. No bites. Fish crashing right under the bow, fish on the fathometer, and fish on the sonar around us, but, no bites. As the afternoon progressed into evening, the signs continued to improve, but with daylight running out we couldn't quite make it up to the final spot of fish we were headed for that Capt. Gregg Tanji spotted no less that five miles away.

I am not exaggerating or embellishing in any way. Between Gregg, Capt. Sean Bickel, and Capt. Brian Sims' eyes and experience, we regularly run on fish spotted in the three to five, even six mile range. It is a huge advantage. So many catches we make are attributed to the eyes of Gregg, Sean, and Brian that I can't count. Crewmen Steve Gregonis and Blake Wasano are no slouches either. They put us on spots that pop up along side or behind us regularly. Throw in the legendary eyes of Capt. Randy Toussaint and my confidence in our ability to effectively cover the water we are passing through is tremendous. I was speaking with one of my colleagues a few days past and he made a comment that spoke volumes. We were discussing some area I was planning to look, or some zone where the signs of fish were extremely subtle and he said "You guys will get on them. Your crew is fishy." While this may sound remedial, or even corny to some of you I can not express how complimentary this statement is coming from a peer I highly respect.

As an angler considering a long range voyage this should be a significant part of your decision process when choosing a vessel to invest your time and resources with. I have probably said it a million times now - experience is the key to success. It is not about luck, bumbling into something, or following all the other boats to the "spot" and driving around until they latch on. Sure, any of the above stated can and will make the occasional catch. But, success out here is about consistency. Making the most from every day, every opportunity, and every set of conditions the ocean offers up, every time. Experience is the only advantage anglers can rely on. This is a bit of wisdom I picked up during the past twenty three years out here. Every one makes catches when the fishing is easy and/or wide open. When it gets tough the real fishermen with salt in their veins, and experience to draw upon, stand out.

Photos for the day feature the bow action during one of the hot rounds when the yellowtail hit us all at once. And, a nice dorado that fell for one of the Shimano "Wax Wing" lures that up to this point have proven themselves to be incredibly effective on everything we have fished for during this trip. More from the offshore grounds tomorrow where we hope to put our highly touted "experience" to good use finding some fish. It is not looking to be easy - just how we like it. If there was ever an opportunity to stand out, this is it. Have a great weekend!

Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...
Photo Here...