The cows came home aboard the Royal Star with skipper Tim Ekstrom and Randy Toussaint. The boat docked at Fisherman's Landing late Tuesday and the fish were offloaded early Wednesday, December 19. There were 27 cows, or tuna over 200 pounds, including a kite-caught 345.9-pounder taken by Roger Nies of San Diego.
“I saw a little boil,” said Roger, “and then I saw his head. He ran like hell and made two long runs. Then he went down up off the bow and we had a half-hour standoff. He came up on the port corner. This is my second trip. My best fish before was a 292-pounder.”The fight lasted an hour. Nies used a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook on the boat’s kite rig. When the fish was gilled and gutted, Star crewmen found a complete set of gill rakers and attached innards inside the super cow.
Bart Ryder won first place for a 297.4-pound tuna, and he also had tuna of 203, 207 and 231 pounds
Steve Kimbrough won second and third places for a 286 and a 258-pounder. He also had tuna of 200, 200, 207, and 213 pounds.
Damon Digregorio got a 247-pounder. Kevin Leong caught a 214 and a 230-pounder. Ross LaRue bagged a 244-pound yellowfin. Don Loucios found a 231 and a 246-pounder. Bill Jones caught a 228-pound tuna. Mike Neal had a 215-pounder. Len Cunningham of Alpine took a 200 and a 209-pounder. Steve MacPherson bagged a 269 and a 294-pound yellowfin. Bob Palatella got a 243-pound sickle finned tuna. Former baseball all-star Jeff Burroughs got a 219-pound tuna.
“Between The Fronts”
Independence docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing December 19 after the Fisherman’s Hardware 10-day trip with 26 anglers. Mark Pisano skippered the trip and co-owner Paul Strasser assisted as second. There were seven cows in the catch.“We had better weather this trip,” said Mark, “We went down and came back between the fronts. We got fish every day. We had good action in the mornings, and the bigger fish bit in the afternoons. Most were on sardines, but we got a few on squid with the kite.”
John Arndt of Huntington Beach won first place for a 300.7-pounder that ate his sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.
“I saw the boil,” said Arndt. “He stayed up on the bow most of the fight, but he came up on the portside stern. He fought an hour and 25 minutes.”
Russ Rihel of Long Beach won second place for a 284-pounder. He said he got it with a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra with an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.
William Edmiston of West Sacramento won third place for a 276-pounder. He got his prizewinner with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound P-Line and 100-pound Line One Spectra backing on an Accurate 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.
“I lost a monster, a fish a lot bigger,” he remarked.
Paul Geurts of Santa Rosa got honorable mention and stood in with the winners for his 272-pounder. He said he got that baby with a sardine on a 6/0 VMC hook on 120-pound P-Line fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line with 130-pound Line One Spectra backing on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXXH rod. “The fish stayed on the bow, but he came up on the stern, mid ship,” he said. “It took an hour and five minutes.”
Joe Amistead and Rob Filson teamed up to bag a 243-pounder, after it ate both their sardine baits. The two hooks were side by side in the fish’s mouth.
Steve Alpinieri caught a 222-pounder with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hoo tied to 100-pound Izorline and 130-ppound Izorline Spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.
Modesto Alcala of Fisherman’s Hardware caught a 215-pounder with a sardine on a 3/0 Mutu hook. He said he used 80-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 80-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Tiagra 16 reel and a Calstar 6465 M rod.
Two fish with archival tags were caught. The tags will be worth $500 each to anglers Dennis Evans of Cedar Park, TX and Rob Filson of Chula Vista.
Tries The ‘Cane
Bruce Smith docked Shogun at Fisherman’s Landing December 19, after a 13-day trip with 23 passengers. Smith took his anglers to the outside, to the Hurricane Bank, where they found very good fishing on 100 to 200-pound tuna. They also appeared to have a good catch of wahoo. There were six tuna over 200 pounds.David Brewer of Huntington Beach won first place for a 274-pounder, his best fish ever, that battled with him for 45 minutes. He said it bit a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook with a ring, tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
Kirk Agnitsch of Craig, AK was second, for a 237-pounder. He said it took a sardine on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Seaguar leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.
“He almost spooled me on the first run,” said Kirk. “He fought for an hour and a half.”
Gus Angelidis of Roseville won third place for a 208-pound yellowfin. He fished a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook, with 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 VSX reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
Greg Berteaux of Apple Valley was honorable mention, for a 268-pounder that swallowed a squid on the kite. He used a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook with a 14/0 Mustad circle hook for a stinger, and both hooks lodged in the fish’s mouth, he said. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 70 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.Jeff Liu of Alameda bagged a 228-pounder on a sardine pinned to a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Tuffline Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
Joe Linkogle of Seal Beach caught a 200-pound tuna on a sardine and an 8/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra, with an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7460 H rod.
