By Wayne Kotow

We gathered in the dark at Fisherman’s Landing eagerly awaiting our check in and boarding.  The returning anglers greeted each other while the new ones made introductions.  The boarding process was smooth and effortless with all of the great support by the red shirts and crew.  We headed over to the bait receiver and topped off our holds.  Soon we were on our way south with high expectations.  Anglers started assembling their gear while others patiently waited for the Captain’s meeting.  We ate, drank and shared stories as we drove south.  The next morning, Capt. Roy Rose held his captain’s meeting explaining everything we were planning to do.  With great expertise, he went over the tackle set-ups, when and how to use them.  He also covered the finer points of bait selection and presentation.  There was something for everyone to learn.

We held the LTHU raffle sharing all of the generous sponsor donations from Gamakatsu, Shimano, AFTCO, COSTA, and Seaguar.  All anglers, captain and crew were rewarded with awesome swag.   Everyone started rigging in anticipation of great things.  We traveled for 2 days to get down to the Ridge.  The conditions were windy and sloppy but we fished for YFT, Dorado and YT.  We stayed there for 2 days getting our fill.  Capt. Roy moved us around in search of other fish including wahoo.   Unfortunately we never saw a sign of them on this trip.   We had been watching the weather at home hearing of the storms, swell and wind.  We stayed south and to the inside to avoid much of the tossing.  We made the best of the “freezer filler” trip by targeting many other species from rockfish, lingcod, bass, grouper, etc.  All the while the YFT and YT would make their appearance.

We plugged the boat and started to work our way back up the coast stopping as Capt. Roy would find signs of life.  We got to see parts of the Baja coast most would never get to see.  We ate some really delicious meals plus snacks.  We shared drinks, stories and watched movies.  We all just relaxed and found peace out there.   We saw beautiful sunrises and sunsets every day.  Mother nature did not disappoint!

Once back at the dock, the unloading process was repeated in reverse.  The fish were offloaded, sorted and processed.  It was the completion of another wonderful fishing adventure on the Royal Polaris.  The Captain, crew and staff are the very best and make sure your every need is met.  We cannot wait to do this again.

Tight Lines….Wayne