The latest posting at sea from Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris is in: “Hope you have enjoyed the reports done by our friend, Larry Eilbot from St. Louis, Missouri. Larry has been fishing one to two trips a year for the past 25 years and has become an accomplished angler.

“As you have read the trip was quite successful. We ended up with 207 Wahoo and 214 Yellowfin tuna. We had 13 fish over 200 pounds, with the largest at 267 pounds, which took three rods and reels to subdue. Two of those rods and reels were in the water for over an hour and yet functioned perfectly when we returned then. Jack and his two sons at Accurate must be quite pleased of this accomplishment because often I have seen the drags in a reel retrieved from the water become quite sticky.

“I want to mention Francois Mangot and his brother Claude. They come each year from France on this trip. They are wonderful people and both are excellent fishermen. Francois caught 3 fish over 200 pounds and his brother Claude a 267-pound Yellowfin tuna.

“For those of you out there interested in doing this trip next year, there will definitely be some openings as 10 of the regulars on this trip are going to Clipperton in 2012. If you need tackle, this is the trip to go on, as Jack brings at least 50 two-speed reels and rods for passengers to use.

For the next two weeks we will be running Ecology trips to the lagoons, but still reporting. Our next fishing trip leaves March 15th.”



Rooster’s Headed In

“Yesterday we had a dozen tuna and 21 wahoo,” reported Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates February 22. “Today we had 19 tuna, one fish weighed 220 pounds. The weather is nice and we are headed to the Cape. We will be there Thursday morning.”



New Record Bigeye, Maybe

The following story came from BloodyDecks.com, posted there February 22: While it has been trimmed here, most long rangers will be very interested in a bigeye tuna of this size.

“Capt. Braden Escobar and his crew on Big Fish had seen 10 days of slick-calm water. On February 13, the crew decided to shake it up a bit and run 50 miles to Floreana Island. Fishing just three miles offshore around an area known as the Post Office, the crew was hoping to spot a big blue marlin, known to lurk around these waters.

They found “…hordes of bonito busting the surface and decided to snag a few and slow-troll them as live baits. They bridled up a few tuna, and began trolling them. The crew pulled the baits around for more than two hours but only attracted the attention of sharks, which are illegal to catch in the Galapagos…they decided to switch back to lures and look for more action. Trying to cover as much ground as possible, the boat chugged along at 8 knots pulling all lures. At 2:50 p.m. a huge head came out of the water followed by a tremendous explosion. Anthony Berado grabbed the rod and began fighting the big fish on a Shimano Tallus 50- to 80-pound stand-up rod with a matching TLD 50 reel. The fight went one hour and five minutes before Anthony subdued the beast. IGFA representative Pete Santini weighed and measured the fish, which came in at 357 pounds. The catch was submitted to the IGFA as a potential 50-pound-class world record.”

Endorsement

“Hi Bill:
I agree with all the favorable comments you have been receiving and wish to add one more. I sure wish I had the benefit of all the good info and advice back in 2004 when I started going long range. Great work; the design and layout by Paul is dramatic. Thanks for the book. I have already referred it to a couple of fishing buddies.This is a great reference book for my future trips. Next one is in August aboard the Spirit of Adventure. First time on the boat; perhaps we will see you at the landing. Keep up the good work! Your writing and videos get me through the winter months! Regards,”
Bill H. (by email February 22, 2011)

ATR Is The Book

“This is the book I take off the shelf to explain Long Range to friends and family. They hear my passion, and they see repetitive photos of fish, from trip after trip. This book gives them pictures I could never take. And the very readable text explains the How and Where and Why. At The Rail is a welcome gift to every fisherman for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers, or any holiday of choice. THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE IN EVERY LONG RANGE LIBRARY!”
Beth (Smith) Lemberg, (by email, February 22, 2011)