We didn't find it today; no mother lode or definitive sign to report - yet. Sloppy weather again admittedly sapped any adventurous notions however as the past six days of like conditions, and a very successful catch in the number one and two RSW tanks provided plenty of incentive to make way up the line. The best news to report from our travels is the change in water temperature and color from what we observed on the run south that basically featured green, cold conditions; such is not the case now. Suffice to say that the door is open with plenty of pristine blue water in the perfect zone for this time of year in the sixty three degree Fahrenheit range.

What is now needed more than anything is coverage - boats out looking, hundreds of collective eyes scanning the surface, sonar's banging away, and jigs dragging. Combine such, and effort, with some good working weather and we should develop a much better picture in short order.We know there is at least one promising zone where the bluefin are gathered, but to me that is a likely indication that there are more. In fact, I know for certain there are at least a couple of additional zones where sign was reported, and a few were caught.

What it all boils down to is that as I was mentioning at the beginning of this voyage this is the historic transitional time of the year in both the offshore and coastal waters. Change is the theme established long before we had anything to do with it. One absolute certainty is that things evolve quickly at this time of year. This latest voyage was a perfect example - a little bluefin sign on the way down and four days later good fishing is on. At this time of year one week may as well be a month for how quickly conditions develop and changes occur. It is always fascinating to me to watch the grand mechanism turn. This time of year is like one of those time lapse sequences of foliage growing or weather changes relative to winter.

So we head into the next voyage with Captain Brian Sims assuming command with the traditional bluefin combination of both a full moon and forecast calm conditions on the horizon. We hope not too calm, for reasons already mentioned, or that the spots that do show are scattered and small - perfect for sport fishing. Regardless the set up is favorable and the timing could not be better.

To close for the day I want to pass along my best fishing advice to every reader following; and please share this with fishing friends - go fishing in June rather than waiting for thing to happen. I can list countless examples of these voyages producing the most incredible offshore fishing for bluefin, albacore, yellowfin, and bigeye dating all the way back to 1984. For whatever reason, regardless of how many consecutive years superb catching is the result of five to eight day voyages in early to late June, these voyages are less attractive to seasoned anglers who prefer to wait for things to get "better" in July, August, and September. Without fail, for at least seven out of ten years, the best offshore bluefin scores have come in June. It is a great time of year to roll the dice and be richly rewarded by meeting the freshly arrived, ready to eat offshore schools head on..

Finally, photo for the day features veteran Royal Star angler Dan Esmay doing what he loves with the mighty Alijos rocks providing the background in obviously sloppy sea conditions. Sloppy or not, the expression on Dan's face says it all. We love fishing, and will sacrifice an incredible amount of ease to do it. It is worth it; and then some.

Tim Ekstrom


Photo Here...