“Extreme would be an understatement,” offered Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom May 14, “to describe the contrast between conditions yesterday and today. Yesterday was sweetness defined; paradise I believe I dubbed it: calm seas, inviting breeze, conditions working in tandem with us not against; today not so much. We made a catch regardless. In fact the early morning produced yet another round of excellent fishing on tuna in the 70 to 130-pound class followed by a drift for a dozen or fifteen of the 130 to 180-pound models, then the wind got on it. Or better said, the wind got it on.

“Our delightful drift track was wiped white by thirty to thirty five knots of breeze that did wonders to diminish enthusiasm for standing out in it fishing for a bite. The only good part of the equation was that being a local condition the sea state was far less severe than would normally accompany such stiff ocean breezes. That and the incredible phenomena of up drafting generated by the three thousand four hundred foot Socorro island that created dramatic wind lines, eddies, and complete direction shifts as we drifted along amidst the theater. One minute it would be howling with such authority you could hardly hear someone standing next to you speaking in a normal voice then, in a matter of one minute, it would slack off to a gentle pleasant breeze. Then the direction would shift one hundred and eighty degrees and the side of the boat an angler was correctly fishing from reversed, or the boat would start spinning doughnuts; crazy conditions to work with no doubt. One can imagine the havoc it played on the boys attempting to maintain the kite; more than once we were on top of the wheelhouse disentangling gear from the shrieking rigging and antennas, pure fun.

“And the final significant change to contrast was the ubiquitous population of local sharks that finally decided to assert their prerogative to annoy, hassle, harry, pester, bother, steal, take, and make a general nuisance of themselves in every way, shape, and form. Nothing changed as far as their numbers were concerned, the aggression switch simply turned on making for a few handfuls of corn-cobbed, or totally lost tuna, and plenty of sacrificed leaders and hooks. To quote the late Marty Milner from the original Let's Talk Hookup broadcast, "A little of that goes a long way.” I couldn't have said it better myself.

“But with all this we still had another excellent day of production tagging exactly fifty yellowfin tuna in the 70 to 180-pound class. The breakdown was similar to yesterday with about half from 130 to 180 pounds, and the remainder 70 to 120, with the majority in the 90 to 100-pound class; not a bad day of fishing by any standard. The present standard has been skewed by so many days of phenomenal fishing we have experienced throughout this voyage. As of now, with one final morning to go, six of the nine fishing days thus far have been excellent to stellar. In such consistency it is difficult to find fault. Being human though we'll go to any length to find a chink in the armor.

“By day's end we were sad to be going, but glad to go and be gone. It was time. The place had an air of change today that elicited that thief in the night feeling. Motoring up toward San Benedicto the farewell to Socorro was in good spirit. We are grateful beyond measure. Any little thing tomorrow, any little bonus round will place a cherry on top of and already colossal portion of good times and fun. And then - we are going home.

“Today's image features a bow action shot of 'Stan' pulling on one of his four 160 to 180-pound class yellowfin landed today; that's just the big ones I mention. I don't even know how many others he landed from 75 to 130 pounds. I cannot even begin to relate Stan's enthusiasm for fishing that goes far beyond extraordinary. He is insatiable, driving himself to produce through sheer will, winding in these big tuna one after another on his equipment of choice: Shimano Talica 25's and smaller, custom rods. The gear the Thai anglers use is topic in itself that I will expound upon during the upcoming week. I have plenty to say and pictures to share on the subject. This is Stan's moment however that he earned ten times over, every day of the trip. I have never seen a better, more enthusiastic fisherman."



On Her Way South

“Hello Anglers,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck May 16, “the ride down so far has been pretty uneventful for us here on the Big X. The anglers have used this time to relax and to prepare their gear for when we arrive to our first destination tomorrow morning just after daylight. The weather has been a little on the choppy side thus far for us but the forecast looks better.”



Marina Del Rey Halibut Derby Results May 16, 2011

(Press Release)

The 2011 MDR Halibut Derby is in the books and by all standards it was a great success. The 36th Annual MDR Halibut Derby was completely reinvented this year with the goal of making it more accessible to anglers and at the same time reducing the pressure on our local Santa Monica Bay halibut population. The changes included making it a one day event, reducing the costs, including additional fish species for awards, expanding the geographical boundaries of the tournament and adding a special 20% weight credit for live halibut releases.

The 2011 MDR Halibut Derby was held on Saturday, May 14. Derby anglers awoke to gray overcast but calm weather. Anglers fished especially hard all day knowing there would be NO tomorrow. Forgoing the big barracuda bite reported in the bay, many worked the spots for the intended targets some inshore for halibut others out in the rougher deep seas for rockfish.

Talk started early as one call came in about a big fish. Few take that too seriously but it turned out to be true. Anglers started arriving to weigh in their fish around 3pm. There was a definite buzz around the weigh-in dock as anglers and bystanders gathered to see the big fish that the boat “But’s Up” brought to the docks. They weighed in a lovely 43.7-pound California Halibut caught by Don Kobabe of Agoura. It immediately went to the top of the leader board.


Second place came in late. With just a few minutes to spare kayaker Tony Copos weighed in a sweet 17.7-pound halibut. Tony worked locally and caught a full limit of halibut and said he released more shorts back to the bay. Fishing from kayak in shallow waters is the hottest new trend in the angling community.

Some of the new “Save the Halibut” rules were quite effective. Two anglers took advantage of the 20% weight credit and released healthy fish at the docks with witnesses. They were Paul Thompson, 6.6 pounds, and Larry Silver, with a 6.7-pound flatfish. Both fish swam away from the docks to keep growing and helping the local Santa Monica Bay populations.

The officials weighed in many of bags of rockfish and some bass. Eventually a big bag of rockfish went high on the scales to earn Shawn Bevin a spot on the leader board in Third place. His total bag was 16.7 lbs. for a nice tasty stringer of fish.

The expanded variety of species being weighed in increased the excitement, as more anglers felt they had a chance to successfully weigh in fish. Those lucky enough to weigh in were rewarded with a subscription to Western Outdoor News. The winners received prizes along with the trophies. One treat is the souvenir photo of their catch with a lovely Miss Halibut. This year the many anglers with fish were able to pose with the lovely Deve McLaughlin who with the help of celebrity photographer Gisele Rebeiro worked to make every photo great. The photos will be viewable on the Marina Del Rey Anglers web site.

Marina del Rey Anglers is a fishing and conservation group and a non profit 501(c) 3 organization. Proceeds from the MDR Halibut Derbies have traditionally funded the club's well known and respected MDRA Youth Fishing Program, its White Seabass Grow-out Pens in Marina Del Rey and various other critical marine environmental and conservation programs. It hosted over 500 children to fishing trips over the summer of 2010. These future anglers come from inner city areas and at risk environments to the ocean for new eye opening experiences. Over the years MDRA has released nearly 100,000 white seabass from its WSB grow-out pens. MDRA welcomes new members and all donations. For more information visit HYPERLINK "http://www.mdranglers.com" www.mdranglers.com and look for derby photos and results or HalibutDerby.com for information on this event and the sponsored charities.

Attached photos and credits:

Wining Fish Photo – 
Photo left to right: Don Kobabe, 43.7 lb halibut, Alan Perry, and Miss Halibut 2011 (Deve McLaughlin)

2nd place fish photo – 
Photo left to right: Tony Copos, 17.7 lb halibut and Miss Halibut 2011 (Deve McLaughlin)

Live Halibut being Released – Photo Larry Silver and a live fish being released 


Credit: Each photograph above by professional photographer Gisele Rebeiro for MDR Anglers

Contacts: 
Phone (818) 642-1889 or Email to: info@halibutderby.com to reach MDRA President Bob Kissling

Phone 310-391-0821 or Email to: info@mdranglers.com to reach MDRA webmaster Keith Lambert for photos.

Phone (310) 398-3133 at home to reach 2011 MDR Halibut Derby Chairman Ken Raymond

New Guy Harvey Marlin Boss Sun Mask From AFTCO Bluewater

(Press Release)

We are excited to introduce the latest category in the Guy Harvey Headwear Collection. The Marlin Boss Sun Mask is a must-have for anyone concerned with sun and wind protection. Our sun mask can be worn in many different ways; as a basic mask, headband, pirate cap, hair scrunchie, bandana, beanie, helmet liner, and anything else you might come up with! The awesome Guy Harvey art, with the “Save our Seas” I.D. Tag sets our Sun Mask apart from the rest. Other key features include flat lock seaming for comfort, anti-microbial treatment for odor, and 100% quick-dry 50+ UPF polyester, for protection from the damaging effects of the sun. Our Guy Harvey Sun Mask will definitely have you covered.

The MHSM1002 Marlin Boss Sun Mask is one size fits all. It comes in Black and White. The MSRP is $19.99. To see the entire Guy Harvey Sportswear Collection, go to GuyHarveySportswear.com.

For more information contact:

Terry Simms
AFTCO Mfg. Co. Inc.
17351-B Murphy Ave
Irvine, CA. 92614
terry@aftco.com
949-660-8757