To the average person, there's nothing remarkable about a five-gallon bucket, an old crab trap float and some seaweed skimming along the surface of the blue Gulf Stream water behind the Pursuit 2670 Cuddy Console. But to an experienced skipper, it is a signpost that says, 'fresh fish.' It has been one of those days when the sea seems as vast and empty as a desert ' no weedlines, birds, rip currents, color changes and no action. During times like these, you lay low, cover some water and play the piscatorial lottery.

But if you are going to put in a day at the fishing office and stay at the helm for eight hours, this is your boat. Ergonom-ically speaking, no one does a better job of setting up a helm than Pursuit. The 16-inch Edson cast aluminum wheel feels good, and thanks to the comfortable leaning post with a sturdy, padded backrest, foot driving is the preferred lazy-boy position du jour. The gauges for the pair of Yamaha 150-hp HPDI engines sit high on the angled console, as does the all-in-one oversized Raytheon GPS/fishfinder display. The curved, one-piece windshield is tall and affords good protection against the elements, even for passengers riding shotgun behind the standard leaning post. Although a pair of V-strut support bars for the sturdy T-top intrudes into the forward field of vision, the tubing is smaller and minimizes their impact.

Heading out of the Ft. Pierce Inlet, located 60 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida, proves to be a non-event due to the light winds and a slack tide. This can be one of Florida's more treacherous inlets when the tide is going out and opposes a prevailing southeasterly wind. The winds are forecast to increase in the afternoon, so the 2670's inlet-bashing skills should be tested on the return trip. Offshore conditions are ideal for high-speed 'running and gunning,' so the throttles are advanced and the twin Yamaha HPDIs settle in to a comfortable 35 mph cruise speed. The accurate fuel management gauge indicates a burn rate of just 17 gallons per hour, netting approximately two miles to the gallon. Not bad for a boat with an overall length of 26 feet 6 inches and a loaded weight of nearly four tons. With twin aluminum fuel tanks totaling 188 gallons, the Pursuit has plenty of range to visit remote fishing locations.

Even with seas of only two feet, the 2670 reveals a solid ride with no rattles or banging, except for an irritating little squeak coming from the optional Top Gun outriggers. There's little reason to use the recessed trim tabs, because the Pursuit is running level and directional control is superb, whether at idle or cruise. The 2670 can plane with only one engine and can hold its plane at 15 mph without trim tabs, which is useful in rough water. In light chop it rides better going fast. At around 37 mph the bow dips down, which helps to use its sharper entry to slice its way through the waves, without having to use the trim tabs.

Out of sight of land in 120 feet of water, no encouraging signs of activity have been spotted, so plan 'B' is to prospect by trolling. Heading to the stern and flipping up the starboard lid reveals the bait prep station, which includes a tray for trolling baits and a sink with a freshwater spigot fed by an 18-gallon tank. Below is a tackle storage compartment with organizing trays, so the rigger can take care of business while staying in one place. Just behind the leaning post is even more tackle storage with four slide-out boxes and one center compartment for storing larger items such as bulk spools. Flipping up the lid adjacent to the bait prep station reveals a lighted,50-gallon livewell with recirculating pump to keep bait lively for the duration of the trip. Stout hydraulic dams keep the stern lids up, and with the lids down, the wide transom turns into a great work area for cutting bait or cleaning fish. Selecting five ballyhoo from the bait tray, it's just a matter of minutes before they are skipping along the indigo blue surface, some naked, some with skirts.

When using carbureted 2-stroke engines, most anglers avoid trolling downwind because of the exhaust fumes. For some, the combination of inhaling fumes and a rocking boat can be enough to trigger the human 'chumming' reflex, but the direct-injected Yamahas mean this is not a factor. Trolling at 6 mph at 1000 rpm shows that the HPDIs are burning a paltry 2.9 gallons per hour, and they're quiet too, registering only 62 decibels at idle. Apparently the 2670 is built for successful fishermen because, curiously, there is no seating in the fishing cockpit, although Pursuit wins back some points for the cockpit cupholders.

While scanning the horizon for birds or weedlines, the driver notices something white bobbing in the water. Going closer to investigate, the crew sees a five-gallon bucket, crab trap buoy and some accumulated seaweed. Often, small fish shelter underneath floating debris, and in turn draw larger predators. The anglers hold their breath with anticipation as the baits go past the flotsam/jetsam. The first pass doesn't produce a hit, nor does the second through the sixth. Our skipper stops nearby and puts the engines in neutral, dices up some cut bait and begins to chum, free-spooling the line to match the drift of the chum.

Suddenly the reel screams as a small dolphin leaps high into the air. Although just a 'shaker,' the five-pounder is soon hoisted up and deposited into the fish box set into the cockpit sole in the stern. A quick blast with the raw water washdown takes care of fish juice, and the crew goes back to the action.

The mid-day temperature peaks at 90, so the crew heads to the seat in front of the console, flips up the seat bottom and pulls out some ice-cold drinks, which they promptly drain. They decide to head back, so all the lines are brought in and stowed away. If you can rank a serious fishing boat by the number of places you can stow a rod, the 2670 rates a 10. There are four in-gunwale rod holders, four under, four in the T-top, and four rocket launchers behind the leaning post. And that's not all. Opening the ventilated cuddy cabin door reveals rod racks for another 14 rods, for a grand total of 30.