No doubt about it, the ocean made a complete transformation in a matter of two days with water temperatures rising two to three degrees and the greenish, off color water we encountered while traveling down replaced by pristine blue. What a difference a couple of days can make. Along with the change in conditions came the bluefin, yellowfin, and albacore that are not yet in a biting mood but were certainly ready to show themselves in the form of scattered spots of jumpers spread across sixty miles of ocean. We did manage to convince a few handfuls of each species to make the passage to San Diego with us but suffice to say that if even a miniscule portion of what we looked at and stopped on decided to bite, we would have been returning with pure glory. Perhaps the time is coming soon as conditions promise to improve and the fish move up the line. On that note, the trend is definitely favoring the local zone as we looked at spots late yesterday that were much closer to home and obviously pushing to the north. Lastly, and perhaps most encouraging, is the overall quantity of fish that is thankfully spread out over a vast area rather than concentrated in a small zone to be throttled by the relentless, industrial purse seine fishing fleet. Let us hope and pray that this pattern continues so we all share in the bounty as it becomes available. In closing for this voyage, we see many things to generate optimism about the summer season to come. Between the sign of all forms of tuna offshore, and the incredible quantity of yellowtail along coast, there promises to be many good times on the water to come. In the meantime, Captain "Lucky" Toussaint takes command on the next couple of eight day voyages so look for his reports, and plenty of good fishing to come.

Tim