8/9/13

Snap your fingers and just like that the whole ocean changes; the whole picture so rosy and burgeoning with potential becomes clouded
and impossible to crack; the confidence so assured a week past is now weak at best - such is the beauty of fishing. This is rapidly
unfolding as a mystery that suggests anything and everything can happen. Predicting or waxing prophetic about tomorrow, next week, or
next month now has an onerous possibility of opposite consequence.

What I do know is that again, aside from brief periods when clarion certainty commands our instincts, we are still in the dark a hearty
percentage of the time. This is one of them. Of course this leads to the obvious question of should one still be optimistic? Should one
still venture a trip if the outlook turns vague or even bleak? To this question I will answer with an example seen many times past; one
that is particularly consistent this year.

Without question there have been more incredible days of offshore fishing this season that follow days or extended periods of dismal
production than the opposite. In fact it is almost as if heading toward reports of good bluefin fishing a day or two away guarantees
that the catching will be done by the time one arrives. Trying to get all fishy with online reports and manipulate success has produced
pretty poor results overall. It's the anglers that just go fishing, an old school notion unbelievably enough, that have made the big
hauls.

As maddening as the idea is, especially in today's age of having the world at your command with every electronic device imaginable
instilling often flawed confidence in one's brilliance, we can not predict and/or affect the fishing outcome of any voyage, from a
local half day to a Clipperton adventure, in advance. There is always fishing luck involved. And always will be.

Departing on this annual Izorline summer six day run we will see how the picture unfolds. A million bluefin, or likely many, many more,
scattered, spread out, and distributed themselves over a vast area. Mysteriously colder water is presently seeping west from the coast
invading numerous zones that were holding bluefin over the past month. Somewhat relentless wind and seas have hampered looking efforts
adding to the expanding, pervasive uncertainty that is riding all of us at this juncture. It is nothing we haven't seen before; time to
earn our keep and get fishing. Legends are not inspirtional because it is easy.

Today's first photo features long time Royal Star veteran Bob Allen with one of his nice bluefin landed during yesterdays long drift.
Photo number two I concede is a proud father's indulgence. My son Duke, on his final voyage of this season, shares the moment of
triumph with Captain Paul Caramao after landing this forty pound class bluefin. The little guy adds a lot of positive color to every
trip he makes. This run was no exception.

Tim Ekstrom



Photo Here...


Photo Here...