I love the draw of unexplored waters; the thrilling idea that the unknown represents immense fishing opportunity; being the first to tap that fresh potential is an enticement straight from the fountain of youth. It is an attraction that must be tempered though; too many times have Captain's been victims of over enthusiastic expectations; of emotionally investing in the outcome before it occurs. That is one of those rookie errors that follows a fishing Captain in the form of disappointing memories eternally recalled. Those memories of when everything so right turned out so contrary to the obvious. I have my share. But if no boats visit an area for almost a year, historical trends and present conditions suggest a perfect set up, and one is first on scene for the harvest, the catching part is built in, isn't it?

The big question of what is happening at Isla Guadalupe; that nagging unknown, especially in the face of difficult offshore results and last week's dicey action down the line, motivated us to take the plunge. First off let me say that the entire process of clearing through Ensenada was trouble free, relatively swift, and professionally executed by officials who understood that time is of the essence to our operations. Beyond that we passed through excellent, but unproductive waters on the way in to the august volcanic haven arriving to find conditions well and almost beckoning, almost. There were a few immediate portents suggestive of something awry; little details I have seen all too many times, but nothing in sufficient strength to spoil the moment.

Of course I could go into a lengthy diatribe about my sixth sense in high overdrive but honestly I loathe when it calls from the negative for fear of manifesting the result. Let's just say that we made the afternoon tour, found one small spot of yellowfin that mercifully produced the sole tuna accounted for today, and spent a wealth of additional time scouring an island devoid of further tuna signs. Ouch! How's that for a reward.

To the contrary of all expectations we bombed out on the yellowfin tuna at Guadalupe today. The wheels were set in motion, we followed the new protocol to perfection, we paid the extra cost for the high roller seats, and were the butt of an epic cosmic irony for the effort - fishing at it's finest.

Now, looking forward, as is the only obvious option, we have not eliminated all possibilities for tuna production yet - time of day around here often plays a key role; I'll also add that a little less breeze, that is forecast to come, would likely advance the cause. And thankfully, we have a wealth of yellowtail fishing options to parry our present terror of failure - fortunately they came through to save the afternoon for us today. But, we are under no illusions here; it would have been far better to be reporting big schools of biting yellowfin. Perhaps that is still to come. Stay watchful for tomorrow's report carrying news of all that will be. We are here for the duration, and will report accordingly.


Tim Ekstrom