There was a brilliance of color today; a distinct radiance of light and contrast that made every image scream in colors rich, crisp, and real. And, being Guadalupe, everything was huge; the scale of perspective in this Jurassic coliseum of giants is unchallenged. The vision is not that of a sole romantic idealist either - from whatever realm of thought one navigates the stark proportions of this island, the magnitude of thought invoking natural beauty, strikes a primal chord - in varying degrees of course.

This morning though, wow! It was absolutely impossible to not take at least a moment of pause in pure appreciation of the surroundings; such a call could not be ignored. The crisp, richness of colors combined with another heaven sent spell of flat calm was magic. The stage was set; the gauntlet was paved in gold; the opportunity at trophy yellowfin we set in motion from the beginning of the voyage would be graced with the most perfect conditions imaginable. The ocean's little gifts stand in such proportion out here. With a penchant for sowing challenge the vast majority of the time the favorable offerings are to be snapped up, coveted, and savored. So many analogies supporting this idea come to mind I could probably spend several hours penning serious and humorous versions. I'll save them for when the time comes.

And the fishing was thankfully at least up to expectations. Mind you in this case our expectations were consistent with the pattern out here over the past month or so. We didn't have visions of grandeur or illusions about the potential. We were well prepared for a scratch scenario where every single opportunity, if there was to be any, was made good on. Between the unsavory behemoth local hooligans, shifty, inconsistent conditions, and an overall lacking significant quantity of fish, nothing has come easy in the way of fishing really since late July.

By the noon hour it appeared that we were well on track to suffer the fate of most others during the past week as scant sign at best, despite good conditions, was the result of our dogged searching. Never being one deterred by adversity however the anchor was more akin to a yo-yo as spot after spot was exhausted in fruitless efforts. By 1330 hrs. one single tuna was the result of our trials. But, as the methodical check off process progressed into the afternoon we finally struck upon what we favored in the way of conditions. It was immediately obvious. And, just like the book says it should be, there they were. As we came loaded for bear with plenty to share we were extremely generous broadcasting the bounty of our offerings far and wide. The response, especially pronounced in the continuing flat calm, was incredibly convincing.

Sixty to one hundred pound yellowfin tuna erupted in furious commotions ripping the tranquility from the calm spell. It was as if an incoming round of cannon balls struck as everywhere anglers focused one, two, or three violent eruptions broke the surface in cascades of flying spray and an unmistakable violence of sound. It was game on - almost. For certain the results did not nearly match the incredible show that was practically worth the price of admission alone. Regardless we managed to scratch out ten of the dandies before they settled into the familiar behavior of continuing to cream countless fleeing baits in mouth watering explosions maddeningly close to the boat, but refusing to fall victim to our choicest offerings.

So, following a couple of hours of steady scratching keeping one or two fish on the line, we passed the remainder of the day being taunted and tantalized focusing our best fishing techniques for only few more bites. And, speaking of a few bites, almost unbelievably we spent a full four hours affixed to the bottom before one of our many nemesis' finally arrived to mete out the usual misery on only one of our hooked tuna - another miracle gift to add to the growing list during this fantastic voyage.

All things taken into consideration we depart for our final day offshore fully satisfied with our goals met thus far. We have enjoyed fortune enough to know better than to ask for more. If it comes our way however we will be happy to accommodate the opportunity. On the weather front it appears that we may have finally reached the end of our good fortune. Tomorrow promises to be a little sloppy as we finish up on the offshore grounds. We'll see how it factors into our overall plan. Needless to say with a good catch already in the hatch our effort tomorrow will be affected by the grade of the sea state. There are those times when we take the opportunity to heed the obvious call.

Photo of the day features Royal Star veteran Bob Remeika and Blake with Bob's seventy pound Guadalupe prize. Take in the whole picture and it is easy to understand why the mystique of this island calls.

Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...