10/8/13

Fish move in and out of these banks and offshore zones regularly; not exactly a revelation, but an explanation often too
simple for the searching mind to reconcile. One explanation/excuse regularly advanced by less seasoned anglers is that the
guys before them "caught them all", especially when reports of big production prefaced their arrival. This seems to be a
perspective shared by, but not unique to, many recreational boaters in particular; one that I have heard a multitude of
times in person and on the radio. Reality is far different.

Wahoo, tuna, yellowtail, dorado, marlin - you name it, all of them move freely between the deep water and shallows based
on conditions. Moon phase, tides, current direction and velocity, water temperature, color, and clarity, forage
availability - all these factors combined play the key role in dictating why, when, and where the fish show, or don't.

Relative to today's results I am certain that the rigs that were here a couple of days before us did not wipe them out.
But the morning production, or lack thereof, could tell such a fable. Fortunately for us, as offshore capable,
professional fishermen, we know what to do in such instances. The biggest advantages we exercise in these regions are
experience, local knowledge, and mobility; and our ability to look and see fish. Utilizing these advantages today was the
obvious solution - it was easily determined early that the fish had moved off the banks and to catch them we needed to go
looking.

Without under selling our efforts it didn't take much to get in the saddle. Just shy of a couple of handfuls of wahoo and
a boatload of fine grade dorado made into the RSW tanks by early afternoon freeing us up to focus on a few ground fish
while closing out the day. And a few of those were indeed also found.

We'll take it, and label this day another resounding success, especially in light of the early outlook. It would have been
far easier to sit and snivel about the disappearing fish, and blame the misfortune on someone or something else, but that
is not fishing, or what fishermen do.

Photos today were tough to snatch. Brief periods of hot and heavy action did not allow many openings at the rail to set up
the perfect shot. Photo number one captures the wahoo moment for Royal Star veteran Mark Mayeda as his prize comes over
the rail. Photo number two features famed long range author Jeff Burroughs with an afternoon "skin" nabbed on the live
sardine.

Tim Ekstrom


Photo Here...

Photo Here...