Again, though this round was a little leaner on the trophy class yellowfin from Guadalupe, the catch unloaded stood in broad contrast with premium 70 - 90# yellowfin atop brimming totes of fat yellowtail and a few offshore tuna on their way to Fisherman's Processing. This being the final "shorter" voyage of the 2011 season I couldn't help but reflect upon the successful procession of six and seven day runs since mid July that have all featured a majority percentage of fishing time, excellent variety catches, and the coveted opportunity to target trophy class Guadalupe yellowfin.

Overall there has been a wealth of superb fishing in a lot of places making for one of the better summer/early fall seasons in some time. By adapting our schedule over the past few seasons we managed to align our voyages with any and every opportunity available creating a much broader base of fishing options for Royal Star anglers. And while there has been a ton of good variety fishing above and below we opted for the trophy yellowfin option any and every time it was viable. And our catches demonstrated that it was viable every time; thank the fish gods for that luxury.

On that note we will see if our timing aligns with the Guadalupe yellowfin this voyage as we first head south in pursuit of the quantity and variety categories before pushing west to the promised land. Good working weather is the opening theme that we hope to put to good use. Unlike the previous several voyages we are taking a long shot this time switching into straight search mode. The local offshore area has finally broken down to the point that we feel our objectives are better served by fishing for something new. We'll see if we still feel that way by day's end tomorrow.

So we push south and west taking a swing for the fence satisfied that during this time of the year, in the zones we plan to traverse, anything can happen. Tuna and dorado will be the primary target as we scan for flotsam in the forecast calm seas. Of course daily reports will follow as the annual Larry Brown six, soon to be a seven, day voyage unfolds. For the present all is well on Royal Star. All is well.

Tim Ekstrom