Overall I would venture that what we see here is consistent with a typical Guadalupe pattern. Going back eight or ten years I assigned a special title to this island that well describes the bridge perspective - "The Crucible". That moniker sums it up pretty well. The incredible potential this island has to offer is rare to come easy. Not that we are expecting life on easy street all the time, but this place in particular has a way of turning the best effort one can muster into a confounding series of questions rather than answers.

And naturally this is where we fall back on all the other attractive attributes, namely flat calm conditions the vast majority of the time and fishing amidst breath taking scenery, that this incredible island has to offer. That and the fact that any typical day of fishing around here results in a wealth of time at the rail, targeting straight trophy class game fish, is really what makes this place a fishing destination without equal.

The degree these offsets play into the individual's narrative takes us into the gray; especially on days like today when the catching hits the wall. It really depends on what kind of angler you are. I know my impatience and perpetual thirst for major production are often out of sync with the general perspective. I find that there are many times when I am chomping at the bit ready to do anything - run three hundred miles in any direction, anything, to change the pace from slow scratch to frenzied production, but that sentiment is not always shared by anglers on deck. It boils down to the simple question again: would you rather sit and fish for one, two, or three bites a day on 60 - 90 pound tuna enduring the occasional bruised ego of catching zero? Or would you rather fish in a destination with zero potential to produce large tuna but major potential of loading up on smaller grade tuna and yellowtail?

If the fishing to you is more important than the catching Guadalupe is your kind of place. If your preference is otherwise not so much. Of course there are enough days, even whole trips, out here to refute my generalizations, but anyone who has accumulated enough experience fishing out here knows better.

Needless to say our day was on the slow side with only an occasional opportunity despite seeing at least a little bit of fish everywhere we tried - and we tried plenty. The good signs of tuna observed during the previous voyage were no where to be found - today. It is not a write off, or time for pilgrimage to the wailing wall, but it was tough and disappointing. But, as I have already detailed, not surprising. The fish move in and out, conditions vary significantly, the moon changes, etc. With sloppy weather on the outside we are clinging to all the positives advancing into tomorrow. At this point it will not take much to change the atmosphere from dire to well - say twenty or thirty nice tuna. Regardless we are all in; make or break; welcome to Guadalupe.

Photos of the day feature first time Royal Star angler Ron Radsick who jumped in the saddle right out the gates on day one with this fine seventy pound class Guadalupe yellowfin. Photo number two features father son team Roger and Kevin Hegyi (pulling on tuna) providing a ideal example of the scenic element this island has to offer. Needless to say this setting speaks volumes; even more so when the fish are biting.

Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...

Photo Here...