02/22/15

I can't say that our morning roll of the dice produced the best of results. A few fish, a couple of which were worthy, then a long soak for a handful more. Our fortunes dramatically improved however as the day progressed. True to form the Sybil like nature of this area over the past week switched from yesterday's brooding to an abundance of favor. Conditions were right, a completely different batch of fish showed on the grounds, and we got the job done ending the voyage on a high note.

Picture perfect success though did not come without pain. Different that the past couple of days a batch of bona fide giants were in the mix today dishing out some hard lessons. No one did anything wrong, the gear was sound and we were prepared, but there is a big difference when tangling with extra large models - giants in the 250 pound class and larger. They tax the gear in a completely unique way turning 100# fluorcarbon topshots into "light gear" that has a success percentage significantly lower than the 130. Daytime sardine fishermen slinging 25 - 170# yellowfin aboard in fairly short order were simply taken advantage of when a couple of random behemoths crashed the party.

It made for exciting fishing, reminiscent of the "good old days" in these zones. The quantity portion of our definition of success certainly did not elude us; the fish were showing and biting good providing a great send off to one and all. And, by the grace of the fish gods, after a couple of dissapointing bouts with jumbos that ended in defeat, we got a break with minutes to spare.

Long time Royal Star angler Warren Whalen, no stranger to the grit, grind, elation, and agony of fishing for trophy yellowfin lived his moment. A huge bastard was observed slurping sardines close to the boat, as in only a few yards, displacing massive amounts of water in a couple of breath taking boils. He certainly appeared hungry and vulnerable eliciting certainty among the boys and I that someone was eventually going to get the chance they have been waiting for. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, Warren had him by the tail - literally.

While it probably didn't start out like that it ended with the old bull coming up backward, dead; a gift from the tuna gods considering the size, location, and fighting spirit of his brethren around here. Warren's trophy, that gave it up after nigh an hour of brutal tugging, weighed in at a worthy 306. Accordingly, Warren, and Chief engineer/Captain Paul Caramao, who was hugely instrumental in the successful outcome of this battle, are featured in today's photo. This one is a real dandy.

Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...