Fish Report for 11-19-2011
Royal Star Fish Report
11-19-2011
Royal Star
Five days of working in this zone; five full days of fishing hard, burning in the glasses ten hours straight; five days of evaluating conditions and trends, of building a big picture, all came together in a grand finale. Although there was a smidgen of doubt in the early morning, due to the erratic nature of the fish in this zone, we were fairly certain that we were located for the big push if it was to come. I kept mentioning to our anglers that the stage was set, that we were in the right place, knowing that with the indications we were seeing it was a gamble well worth venturing.
As we plowed around throughout the morning and early afternoon the area continued to develop. More birds began to fill in, more life became visibly active, a palpable sense of something building, an almost electric tension, was driving everything to an inevitable end. It was only a matter of time. And then, over the span of maybe twenty minutes, all hell broke loose.
It began with one spot carrying what appeared to be a decent handful of fish. We got a couple of fifty pound tuna from a stop, then one more, and then something hit the switch. A tremendous spot of trophy size yellowfin erupted from out of nowhere transforming the setting to a pure big fish, run and gun scenario. It was active fishing; a fisherman's dream, especially from the bridge perspective, but definitely also from below.
In the world of sport fishing there is nothing to compare with the excitement of running on a big foamer of breaking tuna, sliding into the spot while they are still crashing and jumping from water right next to the boat, then tossing a bait into the melee. It is a brand of pleasure that validates all of our passion - and purchases. This is the reason we come, this is what drives us to buy our arsenal of Shimano products, and tackle chests burgeoning with gear. The unending attraction of this moment, the insatiable yearning to live the dream again and again; it is actually somewhat sinister how it invades our soul, deeply, satisfyingly sinister.
It goes without saying that upon commencement of the afternoon show, that we were in the exact middle of when it began, we kicked into high gear employing every fishing skill we have acquired to our inexpressible delight. This was an afternoon/evening of fishing that I also live for. Again, zero luck involved. It was a matter of reading the sign, predicting where they would surface next, and placing the boat in the best position of advantage while adapting to an incredibly dynamic, constantly changing playing field.
These scenarios reveal everything about who is behind the helm. Settings like these expose the true fisherman. And I can say with certainty, even though we were far from loading up by long range standards, that I have never felt more like a fisherman, that I have never been more satisfied, in applying everything I have learned to produce exceptional results. We used to say something in an old marketing pitch like "Royal Star - Experience the Difference". Our anglers throughout this voyage, but especially this afternoon, most certainly did. This was an exceptional opportunity; laid out on a silver platter to compliment our approach. Justice was done.
Twenty six yellowfin, half from 40 - 60#, ten from 90 - 120, and a few 140 - 150's was the result for the final three hours of daylight. And speaking of daylight, I have to share this final story that ended our day on a perfect note. With darkness falling and our final stop cleaned up I took off upwind for a final, Hail Mary look in true Royal Star form. It was so dark that one could barely see anything without binoculars. West into the rapidly fading sliver of light was the only heading viable. Then, Chief Engineer Sean Bickel calls out breaking fish, in the dark, about a half mile to the east. I turned on a dime, jammed the throttles forward, and made the run peering into near blackness. As we approached I couldn't see a thing. Sean was still calling out the fish at one hundred yards, I was spitting flavorful language about not being able to see a thing, and then we see one fish boil, in total blackness, right out the door. I stopped, twenty angler's threw baits, and caught three more. There is no quit in us - never has been, never will be; many a Royal Star angler has discovered this over the years. It was our day; no doubt about it.
Photos for the day feature anglers Steve Ong and Roger Florian rightly satisfied with their 150# class yellowfin landed among our air breathing friends. They were right today - finally.
Tim Ekstrom
Photo Here...
Photo Here...
As we plowed around throughout the morning and early afternoon the area continued to develop. More birds began to fill in, more life became visibly active, a palpable sense of something building, an almost electric tension, was driving everything to an inevitable end. It was only a matter of time. And then, over the span of maybe twenty minutes, all hell broke loose.
It began with one spot carrying what appeared to be a decent handful of fish. We got a couple of fifty pound tuna from a stop, then one more, and then something hit the switch. A tremendous spot of trophy size yellowfin erupted from out of nowhere transforming the setting to a pure big fish, run and gun scenario. It was active fishing; a fisherman's dream, especially from the bridge perspective, but definitely also from below.
In the world of sport fishing there is nothing to compare with the excitement of running on a big foamer of breaking tuna, sliding into the spot while they are still crashing and jumping from water right next to the boat, then tossing a bait into the melee. It is a brand of pleasure that validates all of our passion - and purchases. This is the reason we come, this is what drives us to buy our arsenal of Shimano products, and tackle chests burgeoning with gear. The unending attraction of this moment, the insatiable yearning to live the dream again and again; it is actually somewhat sinister how it invades our soul, deeply, satisfyingly sinister.
It goes without saying that upon commencement of the afternoon show, that we were in the exact middle of when it began, we kicked into high gear employing every fishing skill we have acquired to our inexpressible delight. This was an afternoon/evening of fishing that I also live for. Again, zero luck involved. It was a matter of reading the sign, predicting where they would surface next, and placing the boat in the best position of advantage while adapting to an incredibly dynamic, constantly changing playing field.
These scenarios reveal everything about who is behind the helm. Settings like these expose the true fisherman. And I can say with certainty, even though we were far from loading up by long range standards, that I have never felt more like a fisherman, that I have never been more satisfied, in applying everything I have learned to produce exceptional results. We used to say something in an old marketing pitch like "Royal Star - Experience the Difference". Our anglers throughout this voyage, but especially this afternoon, most certainly did. This was an exceptional opportunity; laid out on a silver platter to compliment our approach. Justice was done.
Twenty six yellowfin, half from 40 - 60#, ten from 90 - 120, and a few 140 - 150's was the result for the final three hours of daylight. And speaking of daylight, I have to share this final story that ended our day on a perfect note. With darkness falling and our final stop cleaned up I took off upwind for a final, Hail Mary look in true Royal Star form. It was so dark that one could barely see anything without binoculars. West into the rapidly fading sliver of light was the only heading viable. Then, Chief Engineer Sean Bickel calls out breaking fish, in the dark, about a half mile to the east. I turned on a dime, jammed the throttles forward, and made the run peering into near blackness. As we approached I couldn't see a thing. Sean was still calling out the fish at one hundred yards, I was spitting flavorful language about not being able to see a thing, and then we see one fish boil, in total blackness, right out the door. I stopped, twenty angler's threw baits, and caught three more. There is no quit in us - never has been, never will be; many a Royal Star angler has discovered this over the years. It was our day; no doubt about it.
Photos for the day feature anglers Steve Ong and Roger Florian rightly satisfied with their 150# class yellowfin landed among our air breathing friends. They were right today - finally.
Tim Ekstrom
Photo Here...
Photo Here...
