02/17/15

The table is set; zero questions about the potential from what we saw out the windows alone; but catching them was another story. We clawed, kicked, and scratched our way to something, actually a little more than something that consumed a fair amount of space in the hatch, but the bounty did not extend to everyone as we missed the mark of even one around. Tough scratching is what it amounted to - a lot of time at the rail for little results.

The high point of the setting is the quality of the prize. The vast majority of what came over the rail today was well in excess of one hundred pounds, with one standout jumbo that stretched the scale to 287. The other high point, never to be ignored in the grand scheme of things, is beautiful working weather.

So we wait. Patience and persistence appears to be what it will take to get the job done. Knowing that one small change can elicit big results we'll continue to put in our time at the rail, and on the hunt, banking on the fish gods rewarding the effort.

Photos today feature a couple of master anglers enjoying the moment. Tom Nordstrom, a better fisherman one can not find, made a morning with this 154. Cliff Hamaishi, a Royal Star uber veteran whom has shared so much incredible fishing with us over the past fifteen years that I can't even begin to share details, earned the big prize today. A 287 pound giant slurped his mid day offering and did not give it up easy for the next forty five minutes on the big gear. Never one to shirk a challenge Cliff set his mind to the task and prevailed earning his moment in the spotlight, and beautiful jumbo in the hatch.

Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...
Photo Here...