"The Southern Baja coastline did not disappoint," wrote Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom October 28, "producing steady early morning yellowtail action amidst a stunning array of oceanic life. Behemoth spots of crashing yellowtail, massive schools of feeding dolphins, thousands of diving birds screeching in competition for the spoils from below - it was a blue planet scene reminiscent of quite a few opportunities in this exact same area many times past.

"Perhaps the only negative, aside from the presence of the usual whiskered thieves that were in hog heaven at our expense, was the confounding lack of serious enthusiasm for our offerings shown by the majority of yellowtail around. We had a few good hits, certainly enough to deem the morning a success, but what we landed was inconsistent with the amount of fish seen and ravenous behavior of the life all around. To my disappointment they did not bite with complete abandon; we (the crew) were ready to get down and dirty but barely broke a sweat in the end.

"It's a start, and with at least a little of the beginning anxiety assuaged we continue the trek south in search of the real fall ten day prizes in the standard ten day zones. According to present information there are no easy pickin's to be had. But conditions in the deep blue change day to day. Eternal optimism is the foundation of fishing success. They are on our bow, somewhere, to be had.

"Photo today captures the morning essence as a long range angler enjoys the fisherman's dream in the light of dawn."