02/02/12

This is one of those days when even I find it challenging to create something from a void. There were a few exuberant dolphins that joined our northerly tack for awhile, and an occasional spooked flying fish that soared a few hundred yards downwind in the amenable 12 - 15 knots of breeze, but otherwise the setting was rather bland. Such is the majority of the offshore world, above the surface anyway.

The sea state was not flat calm but still plenty agreeable; that makes for an easy go of it gobbling up the clock far quicker than those dark days when the weather turns sour. All in all we had another relaxing day chugging up the line in preparation of our 0630 arrival at Fisherman's Landing on Saturday morning.

With twenty three yellowfin over the 200 mark in the hatch, and a wealth of others from 120 - 190, the unloading spectacle will be worthy of a outing to the dock for any and all eager to see what such a catch should like upon unloading.
All in premium, fresh condition stored in 29 - 30 degree Fahrenheit seawater the incredible condition of our angler's product will grace many a barbecue, table, and sushi platter come Super Bowl Sunday. A message to family and friends of anglers presently on board: don't hesitate to come down to the dock and share the spoils of your fishermans effort. Undoubtedly there is plenty to go around, and Fisherman's Processing is ready to fillet and package the bounty for any and all.

Photos for the day are in reference to a side note mentioned a few days prior in the daily narrative. Wahoo, that are sly, sneaky, and delicious, are also a royal pain in the rear when tuna fisherman are focused on their quarry. There is a time and place for the pursuit of Wahoo, and we gladly accommodate the tasty speedsters in the hatch, but, as evidenced in today's images, our clocks are not necessarily in sync with them much of the time. Typically come daylight the raids and thievery begin leaving many a frustrated angler with either a slashed bait in the best case scenario, or a hookless line in the worst case. One or two invokes a genuine sense of humor. Three or four is irksome. Eight or ten is down right offensive; an affront that calls for justice.

When they do stack up underneath us and get too big for their britches, out come the jigs and bombs, and the lighter sardine rigs with 40 - 60# wire to set them straight. It is a great diversion, fun and effective, that both supplements the larder with as fine a fare as one can imagine, and saves dollars and cents in the form of $2 to $4 hooks retained.

Today's images demonstrate the aftermath of a couple of Wahoo raids. In the first image Marius Coetzee displays the cunning the more educated Wahoo apply neatly slicing bait fish with their razor sharp teeth while carefully avoiding the hooks. The second image is an example of the frustrating aftermath of a kite presented bait mauled by a Wahoo. I remember this occasion specifically because seconds prior to this result a bomber tuna was madly blowing out on the bait. In the blink of an eye a Wahoo crashed the party ziping through to appropriate his share. Needless to say a, crafty, effective job was executed to perfection, as was the condemned mackerel.

Tim Ekstrom


Photo Here...

Photo Here...