What a day of fishing; and a great start. Fantastic surface action on 25 - 40 pound yellowtail began the moment we settled in producing non stop catching for the majority of the day. At the height of the action big yellows were churning in spots all around the boat consuming sardines with ferocious intent. So amped up were they that I actually saw three or four jump completely out of the water while chasing fleeing baitfish. No feat of mention when it comes to wahoo or tuna those of us who fish for yellowtail know that such behavior is far from their normal approach. And is one they reserve for those rare times when they go completely nuts. 
Forging through those first couple of crazy hours with an impressive success ratio we settled in to a more leisurely late morning/afternoon keeping one to three on our lines at all times. Not only was the pace more manageable the time between bites allowed anglers to work on the finer points and adjust their approach. Combined with weather that can only be described as sublime the day closed in the column of pure success. Such is a rare combination this far offshore. As we are fond of reciting - "it's always something" that challenges that gold ring we chase known as perfection. Today it wasn't. As such our gratitude is immense.
Long time Royal Star veteran and friend Doug Zercoe grabbed photo honors today with a fine example of the beautiful grade yellowtail all enjoyed.