4/28/12

A somewhat bumpy ride toward lands end did nothing to dampen enthusiasm or draw down the exultant
atmosphere as these veteran anglers recognized, and celebrated, this voyage, this catch, as one in five
hundred; perhaps even more. In fact, while there were a number of giant hauls of two hundred pound
yellowfin in 2005, and a few more in the years that followed, I don't recall that any of them came from
the Revilla region. In light of that notion this catch may be more than a one in five hundred; it could
be, and very likely is, a new measure; the new measure.

But, we make no mistake in believing that such a standard will not be matched or exceeded in time; sooner
than later I expect. For no other reason than the advances in equipment and tackle these fantastic
numbers on giant yellowfin tuna boated are the new normal. All we have to do is get close to them, to the
ones that want to bite, and the rest falls into place. Where we experienced numerous like opportunities
in the past, the catching was not so reliable. On a good day, because of the short comings in our
equipment alone, we landed only around twenty percent of what was hooked; now it is closer to seventy or
eighty.

Between the short, Blackwater, fluorocarbon top shots, that entice even the most fickle tuna to bite, and
the rod and reel combos perfectly matched to absorb shock and deliver power, anglers grind these big fish
up in unbelievably short periods of time. It is not that the effort required is less, it is that the
effort required is now correctly focused through equipment perfectly designed and matched for the
challenge. From a guy who has been on the deck of long range vessels targeting these giant yellowfin for
twenty five years it is quite a revolution; and admittedly sweet revenge. For as many huge yellowfin that
I have seen escape during my tenure as Captain, for as many agonizing heart breaks I, and my anglers have
suffered, there is a long time coming before the score is settled. As of now they are still way ahead.

We did a fine job of attempting to balance the equation on this run though. The main reasons of course
being the quantity of fish available, and good timing. As mentioned above the technical aspects we have
down; none of that matters however if the fish aren't around or don't bite. So in this case I assign the
credit, and my unending gratitude, to them - the tuna that is; but also to this exceptional group of
individuals.

Photos for the day feature more of the East Coast representation. Greg De Felice, who has joined us on a
couple of prior tagging voyages, returned to try his hand at the previously elusive 200 pound yellowfin.
Among the many compliments I can give to Greg I am compelled to mention his extraordinary skill as a
fisherman. He is the real deal demonstrating mastery over every gear type, in every situation, always
producing at advance levels. And in doing so he does not miss the most important aspect of having fun. In
fact that is what he embraces most. Greg ended up with not only his first giant yellowfin over two
hundred this voyage, he captured his first four over two hundred! Congratulations from all of us at Royal
Star!

Photo number two features another East Coaster, and first time Royal Star angler, Billy Messler with one
of his deuces landed early on in the voyage. Not his first long range voyage, after this run Billy has
now found home. He fit in with this group like any other veteran absolutely stoked to be fishing with
fisherman, among fishermen. It is not something to take for granted as we are all not the same. We are
thankful that Billy discovered this on Royal Star, and look forward to many more voyages to come!

Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...


Photo Here...