Fish Report for 1-17-2011
Royal Star Fish Report
1-17-2011
Royal Star
About as good of traveling weather as one can hope for thus far with flat calm seas, calm wind, and a gentle two to four foot northerly swell. With just a slow little rise and fall to the ride we could not be more pleased. Somewhere, sometime the bill will come due for this stretch of almost unusually calm weather. Until then however we will take all of this and then some.
Taking full advantage of the travel conditions anglers passed the day breaking down equipment and putting their terminal tackle in order for the still distant day of return. That accomplished the remainder of the day was dedicated to R and R under a warm, beckoning sun. A fine catch in the RSW tanks, and the unique sense of triumph that accompanies fishing success has a calming effect that lends to easy going and time trouble free. Though the time when anglers can let go and enjoy relaxation in pure form is short relative to our real lives, such an opportunity to stop the world, if embraced, can be amazingly cathartic. Just think of how many times you have said to yourself "if I could just have one day to let it all go and truly relax".
On a completely different note, and back to the subject of fishing, earlier in the voyage I mentioned the opportunity anglers had to test drive a prototype Shimano Talica 50 reel pulling on mid grade yellowfin tuna. My preliminary assessment of the Talica 50 in this application is that the tuna were severely outmatched. It is going to take a lot more than a 150 pound yellowfin to get the most out of this reel. On these mid grade tuna the machine barely broke a sweat. Smooth as silk, so smooth in fact that winding on a fish, or simply winding in a bait is noticeably different. There is almost no resistance. Even when a tuna is pulling on the end of the line the resistance is minimal.
The other standout feature is how light the Talica 50 is overall. I didn't place it on a scale and compare but by feel I would venture the weight is half to three quarters of reels in a similar size class; for a full day of flyline sardine fishing this is a big deal. As we have a very crude prototype the finished external features are still to come. I can offer that I like what I see so far with simplicity appearing to be the thrust of the design focus. While we did get a good idea this voyage of the basics, all of which are impressive to say the least, I still await the true test of a big two or three hundred pound yellowfin to demonstrate the Talica 50's ultimate ability. However, based on what I observed, I have zero doubt that this reel will outperform expectations. Typical Shimano.
Today's photo features long time Royal Star veteran Ted Gustin who ventured his first longer voyage in the hope of besting his personal record of a yellowfin tuna in the one hundred pound class. As it turned out, good fortune, good rigging, and good timing combined for a hearty 213 that Ted subdued like an old pro. The photo features Ted in action minutes before the battle reached it's successful conclusion.
Tim Ekstrom
Photo Here...
Taking full advantage of the travel conditions anglers passed the day breaking down equipment and putting their terminal tackle in order for the still distant day of return. That accomplished the remainder of the day was dedicated to R and R under a warm, beckoning sun. A fine catch in the RSW tanks, and the unique sense of triumph that accompanies fishing success has a calming effect that lends to easy going and time trouble free. Though the time when anglers can let go and enjoy relaxation in pure form is short relative to our real lives, such an opportunity to stop the world, if embraced, can be amazingly cathartic. Just think of how many times you have said to yourself "if I could just have one day to let it all go and truly relax".
On a completely different note, and back to the subject of fishing, earlier in the voyage I mentioned the opportunity anglers had to test drive a prototype Shimano Talica 50 reel pulling on mid grade yellowfin tuna. My preliminary assessment of the Talica 50 in this application is that the tuna were severely outmatched. It is going to take a lot more than a 150 pound yellowfin to get the most out of this reel. On these mid grade tuna the machine barely broke a sweat. Smooth as silk, so smooth in fact that winding on a fish, or simply winding in a bait is noticeably different. There is almost no resistance. Even when a tuna is pulling on the end of the line the resistance is minimal.
The other standout feature is how light the Talica 50 is overall. I didn't place it on a scale and compare but by feel I would venture the weight is half to three quarters of reels in a similar size class; for a full day of flyline sardine fishing this is a big deal. As we have a very crude prototype the finished external features are still to come. I can offer that I like what I see so far with simplicity appearing to be the thrust of the design focus. While we did get a good idea this voyage of the basics, all of which are impressive to say the least, I still await the true test of a big two or three hundred pound yellowfin to demonstrate the Talica 50's ultimate ability. However, based on what I observed, I have zero doubt that this reel will outperform expectations. Typical Shimano.
Today's photo features long time Royal Star veteran Ted Gustin who ventured his first longer voyage in the hope of besting his personal record of a yellowfin tuna in the one hundred pound class. As it turned out, good fortune, good rigging, and good timing combined for a hearty 213 that Ted subdued like an old pro. The photo features Ted in action minutes before the battle reached it's successful conclusion.
Tim Ekstrom
Photo Here...
