Matt Paulson 11 Day

We got an early jump on our new Matt Paulson Limited Load 11 Day yesterday. As we get ready for our adventure to come Captain Brian did a seminar this morning followed with Matt throwing out a great giveaway of Avet Reels, Graftech Rods, Rainshadow Rods, Costa Sunglasses, Deckhand bags, Turner's gear, 5-Star gift cards and much more. Today we will be dedicating our time getting set up for yellowfin tuna and wahoo. 

Matt Paulson 11 Day

After a few days of traveling, we finally got our lines wet today. It was a bit of a challenge today as the fish were visible on the surface and the electronics but proved to be difficult to hook. Despite the tough conditions, the guys stayed sharp and capitalized on the opportunities we had. We’re sticking with the plan and trying again tomorrow.

Matt Paulson 11 Day

We had some more great opportunities today on beautiful grade of yellowfin tuna. Though a few tough ones got away from us, that's the nature of the sport. We’re shaking off the heartbreaks and looking forward to another shot at them tomorrow

Matt Paulson 11 Day

After traveling for the last few days, we arrived in a different area and found a decent grade of yellowtail starting early this morning in the dark and continuing throughout the day. We’re focusing on tanking up on big bait tonight to make sure we're ready to do it all over again

Matt Paulson 11 Day

We wrapped up our final session yesterday with more nice yellowtail and a few standout tuna. It’s been an adventure filled with great giveaways, tough battles, and even better company. The weather is beautiful, the seas are calm, and everyone is enjoying a smooth ride back.

Matt Paulson 11 Day

We made a final pit stop on the way home today to get some action on lingcod and reds.

We want to give a massive shoutout to Matt Paulson and Paulina Paulson, as well as our incredible sponsors for their generous contributions to this trip:Graftech Rods & Avet Reels, Deckhand Sports & Turner's Outdoorsman and all our other sponsors who made the giveaways so special!

Most importantly, a huge thanks to everyone who made the trip with us. Although the fishing was on the tougher side this time around, we truly hope you enjoyed your time aboard the Independence. We can’t wait to see you all on the rail again soon!

Roger Eckhardt 16 Day

We are officially off on our annual Graftech Rods/Avet Reels 16-Day trip with Roger Eckhardt! On a long trip like a 16-day, preparation is everything. Today we are conducting a deep-dive seminar to prepare our anglers for every scenario they'll face on the rail. From heavy-duty 80,100,130lb flyline setups to the technicalities of kite and sinker rig fishing, we’re making sure no stone is left unturned. We’ll be traveling for a few more days, but when we arrive, the will be ready for battle.

Roger Eckhardt 16 Day

Sometimes the best opportunities come to those who wait. After a long day of scouting and searching, we finally found and hooked into a heavy grade of fish late this evening. Daner landed a spectacular 220lb bluefin with the rest of the school ranging from 130-170lbs. Try again tomorrow

Roger Eckhardt 16 Day

It was a quiet morning as we searched for the right zone, but things took a major turn after lunch. Thanks to some intel from our code boat, we put together a phenomenal afternoon. We had a great mix bag of big bluefin and 40–70lb yellowfin. To top it off, we landed a string of trophies ranging from 205 to 275 lbs. Hopefully we can stay on them again tomorrow 

Roger Eckhardt 16 Day

Same pattern with these bluefin. The fish made a 30-mile jump back to where they were three days ago, making it a challenge to stay on them. While we saw plenty of "meaty" schools on the machines, they were in a non bitting mood. Even with the tough bite, we managed to scratch out another cow and a few other nice fish.

Bonus fish of the day goes to Daner with a swordfish that got tangled in his line.