Puerto Vallarta 2007 BIG FISH SEASON KICKOFF 4/19

**Capt Josh** · 04-19-2007 12:47 PM

After watching the conditions improve over the last week i had a feeling it was just a matter of time before things went BANG in a BIG way...

Since last friday i've seen a noticeable increase in the amount and size of the yellowfin tunas offshore...porpoise schools have seemingly multiplied out there to the point where you'd certainly have to work very hard NOT to find one...and the numbers and aggresiveness of the fish working with the porpoise seemed to double by the day...

Randy and the boys enjoyed some spectacular fishing on Friday...landing several mid-sized tunas up to 80 pounds and a few world class dorado...see photos below...and while i was definitely stoked with the performance i had a nagging feeling we weren't tapping into the source as well as we should have...

That would all change come Tuesday...

After a few long days in the marina resurrecting the Conquistador to it's preferred bristol finish it was time to go fishing...we loaded up the crew, wife, kids, who and what have you...and headed out for some serious bait fishing...

It didn't take long and as we put the last of the 100 or so goggle eyes in the bait tank Cath, Soleille and Kalum lit the candles on the cake and made it official...albeit a day early...and in several languages and great celebration we reined in the big 30...

The trip out to the point from the bait grounds was festive i can assure you...when the anchor finally went down there were more than a few bodies snoring peacefully to the tune of 100 happy baits swimming in the livewell, 1,400 horses idling patiently below the deck, ample party favors and birthday cake mingling in our bellies...and 30 years of mojo just waiting to EXPLODE...

Sunrise came quicker than expected for some of us...but when the mooring lines went slack and the turbos spooled up we managed to shake the last of the cobwebs off and put our game faces on...i surveyed the state of our world from aloft in the tower and couldn't help but smile...there's not much to complain about when you're heading offshore in a sleek Cabo 40 surrounded by friends and family with a world of potential spread over the cerulean blue waters ahead...

I was in one of those moods where i could have certainly convinced myself that the fishing was a bonus...irregardless of the catch...but when i saw the first 150# tuna catapult itself through a massive explosion and detonate on the skipping kite bait i was quickly reminded of just how goddamn exciting this stuff is...to HELL with the existentialism...i thought...and somebody grab the GODDAMN ROD!!!!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....

It was pure old fashioned pandimonium out there folks...tunas of all shapes and sizes descended upon us once again as though they knew the party was coming...we HAMMERED them...time and time again...poppers, kites, flat lines, skip iron...you name it...

How we are all by ourselves out there...in the midst of all this madness...remains a mystery...but i'm certainly not complaining...what a feeling to have experiences like these entirely to ourselves...all the room in the world to breath and appreciate some of life's most inspiring moments...

My god is the fishing ever good out there...and while part of me does want to selfishly bask in the glory all by myself...chivalry dictates that while we are certainly not required to give this information away freely...there are others who need to know firsthand just how epic offshore fishing in Puerto Vallarta can be...because as fun as it is to have it all to yourself...there are greater joys to be found in sharing it with others who appreciate this sport as much as we do...

Perhaps more than any other reason...this is why we are here...

All of us will remember these last few days for many reasons...Art of Cafe Luna fame suceeded in besting his first yellowfin tuna...a whopping 150#er...Bopa...who has helped many of you land your fish of a lifetime...absolutely jackhammered a 175 - 180#er...for a little guy he sure can pull...

Seabastian...who we were tending to as he freedove for tunas all afternoon...came back after losing a fish off the spear with a solid 80#er...his first tuna with the new gear and more than enough cause for celebration in it's own right...

Sara and Caldo each nailed fish over 100#'s...no small feat for the budding couple...Comando, Meme, and Lora all took fish including a 125#er that Lora caught on the popper...THAT was a wicked bite i can assure you...

With my son Kalum by my side in the tower i watched all of my friends and family tackle big fish and share in the excitement of a truly phenominal day out on the water...of course the EPIC fishing for giant tuna helps...but i'm failry certain that this will go down as one of my best birthdays EVER...

Looking forward to the next decade...

God only knows where we go from here...