Today the tuna cooperated a bit for us. We scratched at 20-35# yellowfin throughout the morning. After lunch they showed signs of biting, but alas the tax collectors showed up in force. After looking around for a couple of hours with just a few nice yellows to show for our efforts, we picked off a good stop on 30-35# yellows and a couple of bigger tuna. The best of the day fell to Royal Star veteran Len Cunningham, an 89# yellowfin.

This morning we got a little night bite on 25-30# yellows. We then proceeded to scratch at yellows all day in different places. Twice during the day we had good bites which lasted for about an hour apiece. All in all we ended up with a very nice day. Our weather continues to be excellent.

We traveled down today to an island where we got a reasonable sample of 18-25# yellowtail. Our weather is good, the group is great and we are currently hoping for a night bite to cap off our day.

Today we covered miles and miles of historically productive water. As sometimes happens when searching for something new, we had a very slow day. Our weather was good and this group of anglers took the day in stride.

We will be at the dock tomorrow at 0630.

Our quest for tuna started off on the slow side as we were able to find them but not get them to bite. Just before lunch we got a good show and got a couple of handfuls. Our afternoon was more of the same. All show and no go.

We finished our day with some quality yellows, mostly 30-35 #. We will be prospecting offshore tomorrow.

Today was an extremely enjoyable day of fishing. We started out with a night bite on yellows from 25-35# with a few standouts to 47. The mackerel bit for us to supplement our bait supply. Then we had steady fishing for 15-22# yellows till we had enough. All of this happened in great weather. What more could you ask for?

We are currently switching gears and will be concentrating on tuna for the rest of the trip.

We traveled down to an island in very nice weather to begin the fishing portion of our trip. When we arrived we found biting yellowtail all mixed up from 12 - 25#.After a good hour the fish quit and we scratched a few more before dark. We are staying put in hopes of a night bite and will be here again in the morning.

Uneventful day traveling up the line in grease calm weather until this afternoon when we found a lucky kelp that produced wide open dorado fishing and a few nice yellows, a great way to finish the trip. We will be in at 0800 tomorrow and Brian will be back out on a five day, look for his reports on the 24th.

We hit a few kelps this morning for 28 keeper dorado and a lot of releasers while working our way into the beach. We arrived just before lunch and immediately found ourselves in wide open fishing on school size yellows. There were literally sheets of them following the jigs and coming through on the bait. We had our fill in a couple hours and started working up the line so we can look offshore tomorrow.

We had a good bite on nice yellows last night for the few anglers that had the energy to fish for them. After daylight we moved back out to the deeper water and began our search for the bigger tuna.

The school fish cooperated again today but by early afternoon we only had a few of the bigger models which prompted a move for the inside. The plan is to look for kelps in the morning and fish yellows on the beach in the afternoon.

The long run paid off big time here at Alijos today with wide open action on mostly 18-30lb tuna with a decent mix of 40-80lbers. We were fairly satiated on this grade fish by early afternoon so picked it up and worked at the wahoo for a total of seven. We tried a different spot late this afternoon and were pleasantly surprised with a nice scratch on 70-120lb tuna for a nice capper to the day. We are spending the night here in good weather, hoping for a night bite on the big yellows. We will fish here all day tomorrow before starting back up the line.

We are traveling down today enjoying good weather with Alijos Rocks on our bow. Overall reports from the traditional six day grounds are on the slow side presently prompting our decision to start at the rocks. After Frank's reports from last trip our hopes are high for a couple good days down here before working back up the line. We will arrive 0930 tomorrow, wish us luck.

Very slow for us today in spite of great weather and plenty of fish seen. We ended up with a few school bluefin and albacore for our efforts and called it a trip at dark. We will be in tomorrow and will depart on our annual Mako 6-day so look for reports to resume on the 18th.

Another beautiful day of weather in the offshore grounds but the fishing was much slower. We managed to scratch 30 mixed tuna, most of which were quality yellowfin. We are going to give this our final day in the hopes that this was just a down day

We got off to a great start on our annual Pfishcadora charter today with steady offshore angling in beautiful weather. It was drift style fishing which made for a fun day with lots of time at the rail. We ended up with 125 mixed fish, most of which were 20-40lb yellowfin with a few nice albacore and bluefin mixed in. We did hook a few bluefin in the 80-90lb range but only managed to get them to color on lighter gear. Overall this area looks good so hopefully it continues to develop for the upcoming trips. We plan to give this at least one more day.

While the final day offshore has been somewhat of a broken record over the past two weeks with similar conditions and results in the catching category, I can definitely report that the vanguards are pushing north and indicate that in this region there is good fishing to come. Exactly when that will be is the question of course as we have all pounded the broad area for virtually the same results wherever we search - a few handfuls of each species but nowhere to really focus our effort. Like I said this type of sign offshore typically bodes well for later but presently results in little more than a few handfuls of random fish from various stops throughout the region. Time will tell.

In the catching department the good news is that we once again have a fine haul of beautiful island yellowtail in the RSW tank as well as a few offshore varieties that easily classify this voyage as a fishing success. Overall, and most importantly, the annual Michael "Q" charter always has a good time regardless of the caliber of fishing. Between good company at the rail, phenomenal cuisine prepared by Chef's Drew Rivera and Jeffery Grant in the galley, and professional instruction and assistance by our veteran crew, anglers who fish with Mike Q relax and enjoy their vacation as much as they focus on pursuing the quarry. So, thank you to this fantastic group of anglers from all of us at Royal Star. We appreciate and always enjoy the opportunity to share your company at sea.

Now the show goes on as Captain Toussaint assumes command on our annual Pfishcadora four day offshore adventure. Look for Randy's sporadic reports to continue with all the details as they unfold. With good weather in the forecast and "Old Lucky" on his way back out, look for significant improvement in the offshore arena as the stage is ripe for significant change.

We made a day of it here enjoying an entire morning of steady anchor fishing that added up to a nice catch by mid day. After the full morning of catching action, we opted to enjoy the afternoon prospecting for jumbos in the calm lee while angling for a few bass and other exotics in the process. Although production dropped off considerably, it was an experience enjoyed by all as the staggering natural beauty of this island came to life late in the day.

Now the northerly push is upon us and we plan to make the most of it with a final day of offshore prospecting in the southern zone. Although recent weather reports are dubious at best, we have decent conditions forecast for tomorrow so we depart tonight with high hopes of ending the fishing portion of this voyage on a good note.

This was one of those days that we enjoyed plenty of beautiful scenery but had to kick, claw, and scratch for every single fish that we put aboard. It's not that we didn't see plenty - several areas we visited were absolutely loaded with yellowtail visible to all as they crashed around and passed through in steady waves. But for whatever reason they were reluctant to join our party snubbing their noses at the vast majority of our offerings.

The first piece of good news is that they are here - biting or not today at least we can see the potential and believe it is simply a matter of time. The second is that we have another full day to invest in the challenge that right now appears to be the only secret to wrenching a catch out of this area - plenty of time and dedicated effort at the rail.

So we will see what tomorrow's island fishing produces before we head back to the offshore grounds for our final day. As reported we are in an ideal position to take advantage of whatever we find. It is now up to the fish gods to send a little more good fortune in our direction.

As a final note I have to report an incredible, once in a lifetime catch for long time Royal Star angler Phil Wade. Phil's seventy three pound White Sea Bass, landed while the sole angler fishing on the anchor after dinner proved that it is always worth soaking a bait or two in the night time hours. Congratulations to Phil who earned his noteworthy catch through perseverance, dedication, and experience. Of course there was at least a little luck in the equation but full credit to Phil for his effort.

It didn't work out exactly as we hoped in that the offshore action we sought did not materialize and the planned island bail out failed to produce but a handful of good yellowtail late. It was a beautiful day to look, and a relaxing day to work while traveling down, but again we came up short in the catching department as there was very little sign, and what we did find on the kelps offshore was not a size worth keeping.

This is just the beginning however and we have plenty of time, bait, and ground to cover in search of the mother lode; or at least just some good steady fishing. We are ready and undeterred by the slow start as conditions are favorable and again the weather is absolutely primo for fishing.

Tomorrow is a new day.

We are back out on the run south with our annual Michael Q five day group ready and raring to go. The best prospects appear to have shifted a little further south though no water we traverse will go unchecked as we head for our first fishing destination. The one thing certain is that there continues to be plenty of potential that combined with this fantastic group of anglers and veteran crew promises a good time on the water. Throw in a superb weather forecast for at least the next three days and the prospects are that much better. Now it is simply up to the fish gods and we certainly hope they continue to shine in our favor.

Tim

Well we swung for the fence and came up a little short, but in no way were spirits dampened or the jubilant mood affected as we spent our final day working north in decent working weather. We did manage a few nice yellowfin tuna and a handful of dorado but had the distinct feeling, after the fact, that we passed through the most promising zone early in the day with no time to turn back and prospect. In general I believe there is very good potential for the upcoming weeks on both the offshore grounds as well as at all the islands. If things continue to develop as it appears, get ready for plenty more good fishing to come.

In closing for Jason Hammond's annual five day voyage, I have to comment that this group of anglers could give a clinic on how to enjoy yourself on a long range fishing voyage. Everywhere we went, whatever the quarry, these men focused on making a catch, enjoying the entire picture around them, and having a good time. From an individual angler?s perspective, this approach is the blueprint for a successful fishing trip every time. Thank you to Jason and all those who joined us on this voyage. We look forward to next year's trip that is certain to carry on the tradition.

Now we launch into the next five day adventure with our annual Michael Quezambra voyage departing tomorrow. Look for reports to continue as we return to the grounds in search of more good times and good fishing for another well respected, fantastic group of anglers.

Another "Primo" day at the island again, highlighted by the perfect conditions, beautiful scenery, and excellent fishing. I will concede that with sufficient quantity of perfect RSW yellowtail in the hatch we were able to modify our fishing strategy to the specific pursuit of larger and trophy class fish. This enviable position enabled us to focus our efforts in numerous zones off the beaten path that not only offer very good opportunities at the big yellows but awe inspiring settings that very few individuals have the opportunity to visit up close and personal.

We had a few swings and misses throughout the day, but the final two hours of daylight provided the exact opportunity we were hoping for. Big yellows plowing through acres of bait readily grabbing the surface iron and whatever else was cast in their direction. The overall numbers were far from legendary, but the setting, weather, and atmosphere on board certainly were.

Now the southern portion of our adventure ends and the northerly trek up the line begins. We will spend our entire final day offshore tomorrow swinging for the fence as we prospect for any and all forms of tuna on a new track up. We have had more than a fair share of good fortune thus far so there is no better time than now to go prospecting.

Wish us luck.

Balmy, flat calm weather, perfect ocean conditions, biting beautiful grade yellowtail, and spectacular rugged scenery. This was a fantastic day straight from the long range textbook with all the unique elements these voyages offer front and center. This group of anglers made the most of it in every respect enjoying the fishing and good company at the rail while reveling in the near tropical conditions of Southern Baja in August. Needless to say, we are in no hurry to leave this haven and plan to make the most of whatever we encounter again tomorrow.

Chalk up day one of our annual Jason Hammond five day adventure as a success with fine offshore angling for mixed dorado, yellowtail, and a smattering of 18 - 22# yellowfin tuna. Between the flat calm weather, crystal clear blue water, and aquarium style fishing on yellowtail and dorado from several stops, the day was made as this group of anglers genuinely appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.

Tomorrow's effort will be focused at the island where we will again target yellowtail and tuna as well as any other worthy game fish we encounter. With at least one more day of glorious weather in the forecast, we look for the catching and good times to continue. Now that I have stated it, we will see if we can follow through.

Beautiful weather and wide open fishing for dorado and yellows on a handful of kelps today. We had all we wanted by late morning and spent the rest of the day trying for tuna for no results. We are presently traveling up in beautiful weather with an eta of 0730 tomorrow. Tim comes back out on a five day so you can look forward to more elaborate reports to start on the 4th.

We concentrated our efforts on the lee of Cedros today and had decent scratching on 20-35lb yellows. Fishing these big yellows up in 30 feet of water while enjoying the scenic splendor in grease calm seas makes for a memorable experience. The 2-5lb calicos were ravenous and made it difficult to fish the yellows, even with a mackerel. We are traveling up tonight and will finish the trip offshore tomorrow.