Every day is certainly different down here which in the case of the slow days is fantastic but in the case of the good days may not be all that good. Far from a bust, we found the fish in the morning today but they were wild as all get out and running five knots or better. As the day progressed, the fish slowed down and spread out over miles making it a little difficult to find and remain with the best concentrations. Using yesterday as our measure, we planned on a late afternoon showing biding our time, catching big baits, and waiting for the big show. We picked a few fish from various spots and then as planned the big show came on fast and furious but fizzled just as quickly. It basically boiled down to one stop where for a few moments the eighty to one hundred fifty pound fish were tearing up the corner as good as I have ever witnessed. Of course pandemonium ensued and when the smoke cleared we managed to land a few sadly losing one big cow to a pulled hook in the process.
Another day, another lesson learned and I can assure everyone that with a few more finishing touches, we are going to absolutely slay the big fish down here. I will also say to all of you out there that you are going to read about it or you are going to be part of it. Either way the certain part of the equation is that it is going to happen. The fish are here in these waters and man are they aggressive when we find them. We finished off our day on the anchor in the snapper zone enjoying the beautiful, flat calm, balmy conditions while servicing our equipment and making plans for tomorrow.
I must apologize to all for the fact that satellite communications in this area have been preventing the passage of photos. We will try again today with a photo of long time Royal Star veteran Andy Cooperman who joined us on the inaugural Panama voyage last year. Needless to say the experience this year has been somewhat different with a load of bait in the tanks and a little more local knowledge under our belts. After seeing the fish over the last couple of days and landing this 215.5 pound Panama beauty, Andy's impression of this area has changed significantly. Here is Andy with his trophy hanging from our new davit constructed by Captain Toussaint during our last maintenance period. Now on Royal Star, all big fish are immediately weighed before being gutted and dedicated to the thirty degree Fahrenheit RSW tank for later filleting. Congratulations Andy on your fine catch!