by Bill Roecker

Skippers are now plying the southern waters with the long range fleet. Fishing is good, sometimes spectacular, on tuna, wahoo and dorado. Even some marlin are biting. The only thing still missing from the southern Baja picture is cow tuna, those giant yellowfin, all male, over 200 pounds. These bull tuna, called cows because bringing them over the rail is like lifting a cow, are biting on the Hurricane Bank, but remain elusive so far on the southern banks. At some risk of eating his words, Bill Roecker is predicting the first one from Baja in the next two weeks. Here’s what skippers said about fishing yesterday:

Excel Fishes Alijos

“Today the rocks greeted us with warm weather and calm seas," reported Excel Skipper Mike Ramirez October 30.

"After getting several nice wahoo on the troll, we dropped the anchor to fish for tuna. We were rewarded with a bite that lasted several hours on yellowfin tuna between 20 and 40 pounds. As an added bonus, the wahoo showed up and we were able to put about a dozen onboard. Tonight we are planning on heading east to fish offshore.”

"Good Go Around"

“Today was another beautiful day of weather for us along with a good day of fishing," reported Independence Skipper Kyle Karcher October 30.

"We had a good go around on 30-60 pound wahoo along with some school size tuna there were also a few nice dorado in the mix. The highlight of the day was a few nice grouper with Don Klahs getting a trophy 60-pound plus size gulf grouper he wishes you were here ED. Tomorrow we will try our luck at some more tuna and dorado. Wish us luck.”

Rooster Hits Clarion Buffer Zone

“As we left the bank we were short stopped with a shot on wahoo," reported Red Rooster III Skipper Andy Cates October 30.

"Picking up 60 out of a few stops that brought great action. It did not leave us with much room but after the first afternoon at Clarion that did not look to be a problem.

“The next day at Clarion we saw sign of mostly smaller fish 25 to 80 pounders. With hopes of picking off a bigger one it did not look good. One stop we were graced with one bigger fish, a 240 that just about finished off the trip.

“The inspection at the camp went very smooth and we are looking forward to that fishery later this month as we have a 14 day trip that leaves after Thanksgiving.”

Shogun Ridge Fishing

"Today The Ridge lived up to its reputation as a premier long range destination," reported Shogun Skipper Bruce Smith October 30.

"Cloudy skies with light rain on and off throughout the day kept the heat down within comfort level. The yellowtail were on the bite early, readily taking the traditional offerings, fly lined and dropper loop sardines and yo-yo style jigs. After a few hours yellowfin tuna took the lead, tuna 20-40 pound bit live bait very well.

“After lunch the anchor came up and the marauders went out. It wasn't long before we ran into a 4-way jig stop, straight wahoo, with a few follow up fish biting the tossed iron. A few more stops and it was back on the anchor fishing tuna. The Shogun finished out the day with a last stab at the wahoo, and we ended up with every one on board with at least one for the trip. Truly a great day of fishing, steady action on quality fish on calm seas. We are running south again this evening and will be near Magdalena Bay looking for dorado and bigger tuna.”

Action On Drifts

“An overall great day of angling in beautiful weather here on the lower banks today," reported Royal Star Skipper Randy Toussaint October 30.

"Very action packed from mid morning on with numerous long drifts that produced all the 25-35 pound tuna we wanted, 30 nice dorado, and no less than 50 hookups on striped marlin. We are going to top off our bait supply tonight and move up to the Ridge where we plan on concentrating our efforts on wahoo for the next few days.”

For Pilots & Anglers Who Fly

LightWing Productions Announces the release of “Big Blue Sky,” a feature-length documentary about hang gliding, the first Extreme Sport, and how it started. Big Blue Sky is the story of the “Lost Frontier” of flight, tracing the origins of hang gliding from the 1880s through today, focusing on the golden years of this exciting sport, the 1970s. It is a story of mankind’s spirit, dreams and experiences as much as it is a definitive historical reference.

The story is told by the pioneers of the sport, and their stories are illustrated by exciting never-before-seen vintage movie clips and still images. Pioneer Bill Bennett tells how he brought the design from Australia to the USA, and Olympian Joe Faust relates his experiences spreading the word about hang gliding. You will see how hang gliding developed into a popular sport, watch Chris Wills become the first National Champion, and see David Cronk win the first World Championship. Donnita Hall describes what it was like to be the “First Lady” in the pioneering days of the sport, and soaring champion Dr. Paul McCready explains how hang gliding influenced his leading edge technology company. Many other pioneers describe their part in history, and the profound effect hang gliding had on their lives.

The pursuit and realization of dreams has consequences and challenges. See how a hang gliding industry came into being, encountered side effects of rapid technological development, and how the industry met and conquered these challenges, allowing the sport to continue safely.

Big Blue Sky is written, directed, produced and edited by Bill Liscomb, a pioneer in the sport of hang gliding. Bill first flew a hang glider at the infamous “First Universal Hang Gliding Championships” on May 23, 1971. Mr. Liscomb flew hang gliders for 23 years, and actively participated in the advancement of the sport. He was present at many of the contests in the early days of the sport, and through his personal friendships with the pioneers of hang gliding, Big Blue Sky tells an engaging story in a way that no one else can.

Big Blue Sky is available on DVD at BigBlueSkyTheMovie.com

by Bill Roecker

Andy Cates has been fishing on the Hurricane Bank with his Red Rooster III anglers. Fishing was good, and it appears he will dock next Sunday with a load of cows. From what he’s written, there should be at least a dozen, maybe 20 or more. So we can say the new season ids starting off the way we had hoped at the bank. Now if those big yellowfin off southern Baja would just get with the program…

“We left the Bank last night after another great afternoon,” wrote Andy October 28. “Only a few chances on cows and came up with three fish at or over 200 for the day. The evening brought that 175 to 195 class of fish that bit. Not wide open but a nice pick on the kite and fly line sardine.

“We left with some room in the center fish hold and are heading into Clarion to see if we can get lucky and finish off with a few lunkers. We will be at the Island after lunch, check in with the camp and spend today and tomorrow at the Island.”

Toussaint Sees Bigger Fish

“It was a great morning of angling on 20-35lb yellowfin,” wrote Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint October 28, “in balmy flat calm weather. Many of our stops started on spots of bait with whales, seals, porpoise, and hundreds of birds in addition to the tuna cutting through the middle of it all, a true Blue Planet experience. We were satiated on this grade fish for now by early afternoon and opted to change locations in the hopes of finding some bigger fish.

“We were successful in the finding but not in the hooking of bigger tuna this afternoon with one 65lber landed in spite of a couple good showings on 60-150lb fish. We did hook one fish at sundown that was in the 150lb range but unfortunately it chewed off after a long battle. Still it was a very encouraging sign prompting us to start here tomorrow with high hopes of kicking off our '08' big tuna season.”

Season’s End Kid’s Trip

This note came to us from Greg Pregler, an owner of the Pacific Quest.

“Hey Bill: We went out to the 390 on Friday (October 24) with all the kids.

"Fishing was great and the weather was perfect.

"We took a lot of kid pictures.

"Here are some for you to check out…”

by Bill Roecker

Royal Polaris docked under Roy Rose’s hand October 27, after a ten-day Hi’s Tackle trip. The trip was excellent for school tuna and other species, as can be seen from the boat’s last report at sea, October 25:

“It's another wonderful day on the ocean. Flat seas, clear skies, and very warm day. It was like fishing in a large lake.

“We arrived to the area around 06:00 hours, and we caught one Yellowtail before sunrise. Once last call for breakfast was made, Roy pulled the anchor and started looking for Wahoo. We didn't have to travel far, before the first skinny would hit the deck. It was fair fishing for Wahoo, but that would not do for Roy, so we went looking for kelps. We would only find one kelp, but was it holding. It was limit style fishing on large Dorado (most in the 12 to 16 range, with a few going up to 20 pounds).

“After the smoke cleared from the kelp, we would move north and try our luck at some Yellowtail, and it was excellent fishing for 12 to 15 pound fish, with a few going to 25 pounds. Around 16:00 hours, our passengers had enough, and we were running out of time. Roy would make one more effort for Wahoo, and we would put a few more Wahoo on the boat.

“This trip is over, but it was the perfect 10 day trip. We caught fish every day. 10 day trips are about variety, and that's what we caught. We caught Yellowfin tuna, Yellowtail, Wahoo, Pargo, Dorado, Grouper.”

Wahoo swept the jackpots. Mark Bush of Telluride, CO won first place for a 41-pound skinny he nabbed with a gold and chrome Sea Strike 33 jig on 50-pound Izorline. He said he used an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

Dennis Harada of Rancho Palos Verdes won second place for his 39-pound wahoo, and Bob Dutcher of Westminster took third place for a 37.8-pound wahoo. Mark and Bob posed for a shot on the dock.

“Stocks Look Good”

No suggestion here to buy blue chips right now, but it is a good time to be fishing. Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home from a ten-day Kimura’s Tackle expedition on October 27. There were 21 passengers.

“Fishing was extremely good,” said chartermaster Gary Kimura. “We had a great assortment of yellowfin, dorado, wahoo, yellowtail and three marlin, which we released. The crew was spectacular, especially at Alijos Rocks, where we lost more big fish than we landed. They just broke off.”

Skipper DeBuys summed things up. “We had a shark problem at Alijos,” he said, “but we did get a dozen good ones through them. The sharks were browns and hammerheads, and the water there has cooled down to 73 degrees after the chubasco rolled through.

“The conditions are good for big fish down below. Maybe the next trips will bring some back. We got limits on everything. We had a special kelp one day. It was holding really a lot of dorado. We got most of our limits on one drift.

“There are more small yellowfin swimming around this year than I’ve ever seen. The stocks look good. Next season they should weigh 40 or 50 pounds.”

The trip’s big fish was a 120-pound yellowfin tuna caught by Joe Andrade of Santa Ana on a chunk and a 6/0 Mustad hook. Joe said he used 80-pound Ande line on a Penn VSW 30 reel and a Penn Stroker rod of five and a half feet.

Alex Mobile of Long Beach won second place for a 98.8-pound tuna, and Sam Romero of Santa Ana go third place for a 74-pound tuna. Tony Contreras of Oxnard stood in with the winners with his 44-pound husky yellowtail.

by Bill Roecker

“After having just awesome Tuna fishing down below the last few days,” wrote American Angler skipper Sam Patella on October 24, “we made the long run up to the Big Island to finish our last day of fishing. It wasn't easy, but with the team's efforts, we ended the day with a nice catch.”

Sam docked his boat, the nice catch and 22 anglers at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 25, and then weighed the best of the fish caught on the Penn Fishing University trip with chartermaster Steve Carson. Jig-caught wahoo swept the jackpots.

Rob Olson of Tacoma, WA won first place for a 60-pound wahoo he bombed with a green and silver Burns Bomb on 40-pound Izorline. He used an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

John Childs of Portland, OR won second place for his 44.2-pound skinny taken on a Catchy 33 jig in gold and pink, and Rich Callen of Buena Park was third for his 40.4-pound wahoo, which bit a green and gold Raider jig.

Yellowtail Sweep Supreme Trip

Drew Henderson docked Polaris Supreme October 25 after a ten-day Bunker Memorial trip with 22 passengers. His anglers found some excellent yellowtail fishing, and big jacks swept the pot.

Bob Williams of San Diego fought his 41-pound yellow for 20 minutes before it came to gaff. He won first place for it and said he used a sardine on a 4/0 Mustad J-hook on 40-pound P-Line, with a Trinidad 30 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Rick Bynum won second place for a 39.9-pound yellow, and Paul Kraft took third place for a 39.1-pounder. Paul’s cousin Ed Kraft of Pt. Hueneme stood in with the group holding his 33-pound dorado.

“Classic Fall Variety”

“We had really good fishing,” said Royal Star owner-operator Tim Ekstrom at Fisherman’s Landing October 25. He had just docked after a ten-day trip with 17 anglers.

“It was classic fall variety,” continued Tim, “and the best of it was the yellowfin fishing on The Ridge. It was so calm it was like being on a farm pond.”

Kamell Allaway of Seward, AK won first place for a 46-pound wahoo. Allaway owns the Grand Alaska Lodge and J-Dock Seafood and Sportfishing, and he bagged his winner with a gold and pink Raider tied to 40-pound Ande line. He said he used an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 800 H rod, and got it done in 15 minutes.

There was a tie for second place, shared by Floyd Abbott of Hobbs, NM and Dan Green of Hayden UT. Both men had 35.5-pound yellowfin tuna. Jan Abbott had the best trolled wahoo, caught on a purple jet head, and she stood in with the group holding her 43-pounder.

Catchy Cows Come In

“It was wide open,” said Wayne Martin of Catchy Tackle at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 25, “as good as it gets, on flat water. The new boat was fabulous, way beyond the others, and Javier Quintanar is the best chef in the fleet.”

Wayne was chartermaster on the 11-day Intrepid trip, skippered by Kevin Osborne.

“I had one over 200 pounds on,” he said, “but I didn’t get it in. We lost a few of the big ones.”

Skipper Osborne said, “We took a gamble, and went to the Hurricane Bank on an 11-day trip. We got our daily limits and had to quit the kite, it was too busy.”

Hot stick of the trip was Bill Hall of Mountain View, who bagged a brace of cows at 211.8 and 235 pounds. The big fish was good for first place.

Bill said he fished with a sardine on a Super Mutu ringed 5/0 hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 100-pound Big Game line connected to 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. He used a Penn 30 S reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXH rod.

Jason Winbigler of San Bernadino was second, for a 219.6-pounder. He got it with the kite and the double trouble sardine baits on 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks on a boat rig: 130-pound Soft Steel line, 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Kevin Chung of San Francisco got his 206.3-pounder in 45 minutes, good for third place. He used a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, with 100-pound Izorline and 100-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Penn 30 SW reel and a Calstar 765 M rod.

92-year-old Joe Talasy of Bellflower had a little help with his 219.8-pounder. He stood in with the group as an honorable mention. He said he hooked his monster on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod to bring it in after a half-hour.

by Bill Roecker

Joe Crisci brought Qualifier 105 home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 24 after the first trip of the new big fish season to the Hurricane Bank. His 23 anglers on the Rusty Hook Charter (owner Alex Masumoto was chartermaster) bagged 21 cows, or tuna over 200 pounds. They caught so many tuna the boat left the bank two days early (the trip was scheduled for 15 days) with the fish holds filled. A stop at Cedros Island on the way up provided just enough yellowtail to fill the spaces between the cows.

“Awesome,” said Crisci at the dock. “It was everything we dreamt it could be, and more. Sometimes every fish hanging was big. The weather was good the whole trip. The water on the bank was 79.5 degrees.

“There was some bait there, but we only fished the three days during the daylight. Everybody recovered at night. We had plenty of bait. We stopped fishing with the kite because we ran out of manpower.

“The best current for us was running southwest. There were times,” remembered the skipper, “when you’d look back behind the boat and it looked like we were in gear, from all the swirls behind us.”

Dan Sunderland of San Marcos won first place for a 255.9-pound yellowfin.

“I had to yell for the backup rod,” said Dan, “after he got me down to 25 wraps or so. He beat me up for three and a half hours. He went around the boat seven times.”

Sunderland said he fished a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing. He fished with a Qualia 30 reel that he won on the trip, and a Fenwick six-foot rod.

Jim Bailey of Lemon Grove won second place for a 247-pounder that fought him for an hour and a half. He plopped a chunk in the tuna-infested water on a 16/0 Eagle Claw hook, and used 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Berkley Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXH rod.

Terry Hite of Solvang got a 218 and a 224.1-pounder, and the bigger fish won third place. He said he fished a sardine on a 9/0 Super Mutu ringed hook. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Hot on Hite’s heels came Phil Lisi of Costa Mesa, with a 224.1-pound tuna, and a 216. He said he fished a chunk on a 9/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing, on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

John Comerford had a 217 and a 223-pounder. He baited sardines on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Big Game line with 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXH rod.


Robert Rubalcaba of Pt. Loma caught a 218-pounder with a chunk on a 12/0 Mustad hook tied to 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line, a Penn 50 VSX reel modified by Ken’s Custom Reels in Oceanside, and a Calstar 760 XH rod.

Mike Spagnola of Staten Island had a 201 and a 215-pounder. He used a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, with 130-pound Big Game line on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Gerald Yoshida of San Pedro bagged a 214 and a 211-pound tuna on sardines. He fished with 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks on 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Izorline Spectrra backing on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

Wes Cerny of Fallbrook whipped a pair at 211 and 214 pounds. Sardines did the trick, on 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He said he fished with 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Berkley Spectra on a Penn 50 VSX reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Bill Hale of Thousand Oaks found a 209 and a 213-pound tuna. Sardines were his preferred bait, on 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Bruce Sogioka of Fullerton found a 206-pound yellowfin with a chunk on an 8/0 Hayabusa hook he tied to 130-pound Soft Steel line on a Penn 70 reel and a Calstar 655 XH rod, and finished the job in a half-hour.

Chartermaster Alex Masumoto hauled in a 205.9-pounder on a 12/0 Mustad 39965 hook baited with a sardine. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing on a Shimano TTS 50 reel and a Calstar 7460 XH rod.

Steven Smith of Sierra Vista brought in a 201 and a 205-pounder. He fished with sardines and 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He used 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Tuff Line Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

by Bill Roecker

Since September anglers have been waiting and wondering about the cows, the tuna over 200 pounds that usually make some sort of showing on the lower banks, below Mag Bay. The Revillagigedos archipelago and Hurricane Bank is the other area where big tuna come from, and usually isn’t fished until the end of October.

But at this early date, this year two boats are presently reporting catches of large tuna and good catches of wahoo—from the Hurricane Bank! Here’s the story as of mid-morning, Monday October 20.

Intrepid’s On Big Fish

“The day started off slow for us here on the Intrepid,” said the report for October 18, “but by mid afternoon things really turned on!

"We spent the afternoon getting steady jig strikes of wahoo with the Catchy Tackle Wahoo Bombs producing very well.

"We continued to get steady jigs strikes on wahoo and medium grade yellowfin until we found the right porpoise school holding the big yellowfin we are looking for. We gave ‘em a lot of bait and they responded well. We spent the last few hours of the daylight fighting 100-180 pound yellowfin that pushed the guys to their limits.

"As of 9:00 pm we have five fish going and we are still hooking tuna.”

Qualifier’s On The ‘Cane!

Rusty Hook 15-Day Trip, Day 3: “We have found what we are looking for! We found biting big fish! There are a lot of big fish with and we are enjoying the action after driving for literally days. Everyone is catching their share and giving it all they got on the rail. The hours of rigging and tackle prep have paid off as we have lost a very minimal amount of fish. Everyone will be sleeping good tonight and will have some sore muscles in the morning. Hopefully the bite stays hot for us; if it does there is a good chance we are gonna plug the boat.”

Apparently Joe Crisci’s anglers have done just that, plugged the boat, because the boat’s office says Qualifier 105 will arrive earlier than anticipated, on Friday, October 24. Rumor has it that the first day of fishing on Hurricane Bank produced limits of wahoo and ten tuna over 200 pounds! Watch this space for more information as it becomes available.

Pleased Advertiser

“Excellent job on the 2009 Sportfishing Calendar Bill, and I'm very happy with the BHP ad.
Thanks for the advance copies!” Basil Pappas BHP Tackle Harrington Park, NJ (by email October 18, 2008)

by Bill Roecker

Justin Fleck skippered Excel on a ten-day Braid trip with 25 anglers that started out at Guadalupe Island.

“We spent our first two days hiding from the weather at the island,” he said at Fisherman’s Landing October 18, “and the yellowfin tuna fishing was outstanding. We were between the weather disturbances there and as a result had really nice weather the whole trip.

“When we got to Alijos Rocks the water had turned over, so we didn’t stay there long. We left and went down to the lower banks, where we saw very good sign of bigger fish. We saw tuna up to about 150 pounds, and we had one about 125 pounds up to the boat when it got loose.”

Jim Barker of Boulder City, NV won first place for a 90.4-pound yellowfin tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 5/0 Mustad circle hook tied to 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 50-pound Big Game line. He used 80-pound Power Pro Spectra backing on a modified TLD 30 reel and a Calstar 765 L rod.

“He came up quick,” noted Jim, “in about ten minutes.”

Tim turner of Northridge won second place for a 71.9-pound tuna. Bob Boldt of LA won third place for a 60.9 pound tuna, and WON editor Brandon Hayward, acting as chartermaster, got a dandy 53.8-pound wahoo that he brought into the lineup shot.

Master Rep Outdoes Himself

The last fishing day provided Red Rooster anglers with a good hit on wahoo, and chartermaster Richard Hightower used his time to capture a brace of big skinnies that won second place in the jackpot and the only spot in the trolling jackpot. The trip of ten days had 26 passengers and was sponsored by Newell and Yo-Zuri.

“Boy, there were lots of 20 to 35-pound tuna,” said skipper Cates at H&M Landing October 18. “There were yellowtail at every spot, large and small, and wahoo were everywhere, too. Out last day was very good for dorado and wahoo on kelps.

Ric Wonders of Coronado used a home-made bomb in blue and silver to take the trip’s biggest fish, a 51.4-pound wahoo. Ric said he tied it to 50-pound Izorline and 65-pound Izorline Spectra, on an Avet LX reel and a Super Seeker 6470 rod.

Richard “HT” Hightower, a rep for Seaguar, Newell, Yo-Zuri and Hayabusa won second place for a 47.6-pound wahoo that bit a Sea Strike 33 jig and won the trolling jackpot for a 50-pound skinny that ate a Yo-Zuri Bonatis jig. The chartermaster struggled to hang on to both big fish in the jackpot lineup.

Rex McDonald of Auburn, WA won third place for a 46.9-pound yellowtail from San Pablo.

Good Gear Makes A Difference

This letter came from an angler who fished with Bill Roecker and Paul Sweeney aboard the Excel on a six-day “flyer” to Alijos Rocks September 12 to 18. Fishing was good. To read about the trip and see some of the photos, click on “Latest Trips”

“Bill:
Just want to take a moment to again thank you for helping out this “greenhorn” on our recent trip aboard the Excel. I have done a lot of fishing over the years but this was an entirely new learning experience for me. The power of those yellowfin was impressive and the dorado put on quite a show.

I appreciate you letting me use some of your equipment along with sharing your years of fishing knowledge. Because of your help and that of a great group of very patient deck hands, I will be better prepared for my next long range trip. I look forward to seeing your new DVD and hope our paths will cross again!” Sincerely, Dennis Baker Atwater, CA (by US Mail, 10-17-08)

by Bill Roecker

Roy Rose docked Royal Polaris at Fisherman’s Landing October 17 after a limited load 10-day trip with 21 anglers. They had limits of yellowtail, yellowfin and dorado, along with a good bunch of wahoo.

“We fished near San Pablo, at the 13 Spot and the lower banks,” said Roy, “and we saw non-biting fish and porpoise down there. The Ridge was good for tuna from 18 to 35 pounds.”

Steve Emmert of Dublin won first place for a 53-pound wahoo.

“He took me up to the bow,” said Steve,” and then back down the side through all the tangles. The whole side was bendo, it was wahoo pandemonium.”

Emmert scored with a red and gold Raider jig on 50-pound Izorline. He used 80-pound Line One Spectra backing on an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 700 XH rod.

Ron Lewis of San Francisco won second place for a 45-pound wahoo. Nicole Ramirez of San Diego tied with Tom Benedetti of Seattle for third place with a 43-pound wahoo. Dr. Lester Quan of Hillsborough flylined a 55-pound wahoo with a sardine on a 4/0 Hayabusa hook, but wasn’t entered in the jackpot.

“Had To Hide”

“We had to hide from the hurricane for a little,” said Independence skipper Mark Pisano at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 17, “but we ended up making a good trip out of it with plenty of school tuna.”

Pisano captained the boat on a ten-day Chi Chi’s Arriba Tuna Club trip with 23 anglers. He posed for a picture with Pete Walker of Huntington Beach, who caught a 54-pound wahoo on a “Baby Dorado Marauder.”

Richard Henry won first place on the trip for a 51.2-pound wahoo. Gerald Holtz won second place for a 48.2-pound “skinny,” and Mark Greul took the third place spot with a 37-pound yellowtail.

Guadalupe Fatties Still Biting

Shogun returned to Fisherman’s Landing under Norm Kagawa’s hand October 17 after an eight-day trip with 27 passengers.

Frank Calas of Pasadena won first place for a 98.2-pound yellowfin tuna he got with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader , 50-pound Izorline and 60-pound Power Pro Spectra backing on an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 765 L rod.

Russ Snow of Escondido was second, for a 96-pound tuna. Mike Henn of San Diego won third place for his 48.5-pound wahoo that bit a blue and chrome Tady 9/0 jig.

Fred Meyer of Arcata joined the group with a 55-pound wahoo that tried an orange and black Marauder.

Variety For Excel

"Fishing has been outstanding," reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck October 16, "and the weather is just as good. It is so nice to see incredible signs of tuna just about everywhere that we have been. Most of the fish are in the 25-30 pound class but we did manage to pick up a dozen or so 70-100 pounders. We did see some bigger tuna associate with dolphins on the lower banks. There were a couple of real heartbreaks on big ones. There is also good wahoo and dorado fishing as well. The trip started with a good stop on fatso albacore and we covered all the bases until the last stop where we had a good hit on wahoo. Heres to another great Braid 10 day."

Western Outdoors Editor Brandon Hayward is aboard the ten-day trip, and posted a summary at his blog at WONews.com.

by Bill Roecker

A brace of yellowfin weighing 92.5 pounds each were all Tom Sczeblowski of Yorba Linda needed to take first place aboard the American Angler’s latest ten-day trip, sponsored by M&M Custom Rods. Boat rules meant he could only claim one place in the jackpot. Sam Patella skippered the trip with 26 anglers, which returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 15.

“It was a 45-minute fight,” said Tom at the scales, “and the screws in my reel side plate loosened and the spool got sticky. But we got him in.”

Tom said he fished a sardine on a 5/0 Eagle Claw hook, tied to 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 50-pound Big Game line and 65-pound Izorline Spectra. He used an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 6465 H rod.

Steve Kramer of Santee won second place for an 80-pound tuna, and Bill Bise of El Cajon won third place for a 72-pound yellowfin.

Mike Chesley of Palm Springs joined the winners with his 62-pound wahoo, just one pound off the season’s current best. He got the big skinny with a Tady 4/0 jig in blue and chrome, on 50-pound line.

The trip’s best yellowtail was a 53-pounder taken by Eric Gibson of San Diego, who also joined the jackpot lineup.

Micro Skins On The Bite

“Fishing today started out with one Wahoo in the morning,” read the report from Royal Polaris October 15. We did a lot of looking today, with one stop to show for it.

"We found a tree, and it was loaded with large dorado and micro wahoo. We caught 31 large dorado and seven micro wahoo (all released back to the sea).”

by Bill Roecker

“We saw lots of small yellowfin on top of The Ridge,” said Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne. He had just ended a 10-day trip with 14 anglers, docking at Pt. Loma Sportfishing Landing the morning of October 14.

“On the bottom end of The Ridge we had a morning bite on yellowtail. We scratched a few wahoo and we saw lots of kelps with no fish on them.

"On the lower banks we saw good sign of tuna up to 130 pounds or so.

"Alijos Rocks was scratchy, but we had good fishing in the northern zone.”

Curtis Sayles of Oakland won first place for a 105-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 7/0 Mustad hook. He used 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 80-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Avet LX reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 rod.

Archie Irion of Escondido won second and third places for a 38.2-pound tuna and a 33.8-pound dorado.

Chartermaster Brad Gamble of Santa Rosa stood in with the pair holding his best-ever 38.6-pound yellowtail.

Seven Out Of Ten Ain’t Bad

“This morning we rolled onto the fishing grounds,” wrote Royal Star skipper Brian Sims October 10, “and were instantly rewarded with a little bingo on wahoo. We then set our anchor and scratched at wahoo and tuna. We didn't set any catch records but it was good action for a while. Most of our tuna were 30 to 35-pounds with one standout at 115. Due to building weather we are making a run tonight to fish in more protected waters tomorrow.”

Sims docked the boat at Fisherman’s Landing October 14 with a bountiful catch of school-sized tuna, yellowtail and some wahoo. The trip was a Shimano-sponsored expedition with 19 anglers. Ryan Blackmun was chartermaster.

“We gave away a LRS 30 reel to the first baitfish,” he said, “and a LRS 50 to the jackpot winner.”

“We had good fishing seven out of ten days,” skipper Sims commented. “And this was a group of nice guys.”

John Chuckta of San Diego was the lucky winner of the jackpot, with a 115-pound tuna he got with a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad hook, 40-pound Big Game line and 65-pound Izorline Spectra backing. He fished with an Avet JX reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6465 rod.

“He got me around the anchor line,” said John, “and he took me around the boat a couple of times during the hour-long fight.”

Chris Hedges won second place for a 37-pound yellowtail and Paul Kelleher won third place for a 36-pound yellowfin tuna.

Smith Report Aboard Shogun

“We had a complete turn around of events here aboard Shogun,” wrote Shogun skipper Bruce Smith October 11. “With all this wind and weather going around Norman pulled a right hand turn and we arrived at Guadalupe Island last night or early in the morning. Believe me the ride out here was not pleasant, but the lee of the Island was a nice place to get the anchor down.

“The morning started off a little slow, but by 07:00 we had three going and by 10:00 all you had to do was get a bait in the water. Yellowfin in the 20 to 40-pound range were biting well. Again the forty-pound line and small two speed reels were getting the job done here at the island. I want to send kudos out for the Accurate 870 N. This little narrow version is a real butt kicker, as in real fish butt kicker.

“Hot stick of the day award has to go to Mike Henn as he was able to pull a wahoo out of the depths along with many yellowfin tunas. The wind was screaming at us all day, 20 to 30 knots, but nobody seemed to notice.”

by Bill Roecker

Tom Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing October 13 after an eight-day trip with 22 anglers.

“We had another fantastic day fishing the 30 lb. class tuna,” he wrote Friday, October 10. “Our weather is beautiful. We are going to finish up our trip with some yellowtail fishing before heading home. The guys are having a great time. We've had good fishing, good company and good food. And on that last note, for dinner we had a really good honey dijon mustard crusted wahoo. Just superb. Our next trip is full but if you have some time our 10-day with Larry Brown on Oct. 25 still has some open spots. He has over 15 sponsors for many freebies and raffles. Give Susan a call in the office, at 619-390-7890.”

Rothery reported water temps along The Ridge as 79 to 84 degrees, and 72 degrees at Alijos Rocks. He stayed just a day at The Rocks, without seeing much sign of tuna that wanted to bite.

“The Ridge was excellent for dorado, yellowfin and yellowtail. We got off the high spots and off floating kelps,” he said.

Two brothers, Scott and Neil Langlois of Rancho Cucamonga, showed off a typical dorado and a wahoo.

Kevin Veal of Huntington Harbor won first place for a 37-pound wahoo that ate his Tady 45 jig in a new green/gold combination. He said he fished with 40-pound P-Line, an Accurate B2 870 reel and a Seeker CBJ 100F.

Steven Belardes was second for a 36-pound wahoo, and chartermaster LeRoy Balardes won third place for a 31.6-pound yellowfin tuna.

by Bill Roecker

Art Taylor docked his Searcher at Fisherman’s Landing October 11 after a good seven-day trip to Alijos Rocks and San Pablo, where his 21 anglers caught tuna, yellowtail and an excellent bag of wahoo.

“We had a pleasant surprise this morning,” wrote Art October 9. “We woke up to a really good wahoo bite. I saw a few fish in our lights before daylight and when the sun came up it was game on. We had 33 wahoo before 7 am. We tried to get everyone up during the bite but not everyone had a chance to get a wahoo. For those passengers that were awake, they experienced wahoo fishing at its best.

“After that we tried for yellowtail and found fish on a couple different spots on the coast. We had good fishing and the majority of the fish were caught on yo-yo jigs. The yellows were 12-20 pounds so we had a great day.”

Two tuna and a wahoo shared the jackpot honors. The best tuna was an 89-pounder caught by Jim Berg on a sardine and a 3/0 Mustad hook. Jim said he fished with 40-pound Izorline and 65-pound Spectra on a Torium 30 reel and a Seeker 660 rod.

Dale Bunting of Cambria won second place for his 83-pound tuna.

A gold Raider jig accounted for a 58-pound wahoo presented at the scales by Dave Buck of Altadena, who won third place for the big ‘skin.

“We also had a good catch of dorado,” noted skipper Taylor, who was reloading Searcher for a shark trip leaving the same day.

"HOT," reported Royal Polaris October 9. "That's the word for today. The weather is just unbelievable, flat seas, clear skies, and very HOT.

"It's tee's and shorts for all aboard. With the hot weather, that turned on the Wahoo. First call for breakfast, was first call for Wahoo. We had excellent Wahoo fishing for the day, with most of the fish in the 40 to 50 pound range. We had good fishing on Yellowfin and Yellowtail also. All the Yellowfin were school size fish (18 to 25 pounds).

"We will stay in this area, then make a decision on what to do from there.

"Fatso Albacores!"

"Today was meant to be a travel day with seminars and rigging," reported Excel Skipper Justin Fleck October 9.

"Around 0900, we got into an area of clean, warm water and were welcomed by a nice school of fatso albacores. We boated a dozen and lost a handful before they left us.

"We didn't go far before finding a kelp where we scratched at dorado and tuna up to 30 pounds.

"Just a couple more jig strikes for the afternoon was it for us but it was encouraging to see the sign of mixed fish in local waters. We are keeping a close eye on the weather down south and will make our decision on where we want to spend the first part of our trip."

"We were extremely lucky today," reported Searcher owner skipper Art Taylor October 8, "and had excellent wahoo fishing with lots of jigstrikes. Live bait and chrome raider jigs worked great. Everyone had at least three fish, and some guys got their limit.

"We also had good yellowtail fishing in the same area with 12 to 15 pound fish. We anchored for a couple of hours and had fish on dropper-loops and yo-yo jigs. There were a few dorado in the catch today and we released several small yellowfin tuna.

"Hoping for more of the same tomorrow. The weather is great."

by Bill Roecker

Eight Purple Heart-winning Marines became long range fishermen aboard Bill Poole’s Excel on Big Al’s annual tuna trip. One, Lance Corporal Roman Konopatskiy, was the group’s spokesman, and also won second place in the jackpot on his first fishing trip.

There were numerous sponsors and donors for the trip once word got out about the wounded warriors going fishing, so all the Iraq veterans got plenty of goodies.

Generous help from all aboard was there for the Marines. Each man had a couple of “guides” to help him learn the ropes of angling off Baja.

Corporal Roman Konopatskiy, 27, talked about his experience with dock reporter Bill Roecker at the Fisherman’s Landing scales October 8.

“When we started out I was thinking I’m not really a fisherman. I’ll just hang out,” he said.

“When we got aboard the guys and the crew were very helpful, with lectures for us all and personal advice about how to fish. They answered every one of our questions.

“Our first fishing was out on the ocean at a kelp paddie. On my first cast with a live bait I got bit. I was surprised. I got excited; I had a fish on! They told me to just keep reeling.

“Then we went to Turtle Bay,” continued Roman. “The yellowtail fishing there was very good, and we also caught some wahoo.

“Next, we went to Alijos Rocks for bigger fish. I got my first big yellowfin tuna right away, with a sliding sinker. Then I got a smaller one, before I got my best tuna.

“My next bait was hot, like a marathon runner. I thumbed my reel and let him swim. I got bit, counted to three, hooked him and waited for his run to slow down. He took me around the boat one and a half times and then he was straight down. I got tired and used the rail to help me wind on him. He got wrapped on the anchor line.

“The whole thing took about a half hour. It was a very different experience, and I’m looking forward to doing it again. I’m still figuring out how to ship my fish.”

Chartermaster “Big Al” Gross provided photos of the fishing for the Excel. He said the group had some fun with the Marines when they lined the eight up with tuna for a picture and then turned the hose on them.

“They stood there and took it like men,” said Al, “and then we started spraying everybody with the hose, during the heat of the day.”

Justin Fleck skippered the eight-day trip with 26 passengers.

“My parents said no good deed goes unrewarded,” said Fleck. “This one was rewarded by wide open fishing on yellowfin tuna, yellowtail and wahoo.

“It looks very encouraging for future fall fishing. There’s lots of clean blue 75 to 85-degree water.”

Two big fish were caught on the kite and therefore not eligible for the jackpots. One came to Joe Chavez of Cerritos, a 101-pounder that found “double trouble” sardines dangled at the surface. The other was a 92-pounder taken by Lance Corporal Yoen Santana.

Dave Geis of Truckee won first place for a 78.8-pound yellowfin tuna he bagged with a mackerel on a 3/0 ringed Mutu hook. He said he used Suffix 40-pound fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound solid Line One Spectra, an Accurate B2 665 XN reel and a Kevin Bogan custom Calstar 765 ML rod.

“It was really slow at the time,” said Dave, “so I put on a mackerel with a sliding sinker. It got bit after a long soak.

Corporal Roman Konopatskiy won second place for a 75.2-pound tuna he got on 40-pound line.

Jackson Smith of Alta Loma won third place for a 60.2-pound yellowfin tuna.

by Bill Roecker

“Bad hammerheads during the first couple of days we spent at Alijos Rocks,” said Royal Polaris skipper Billy Santiago Jr. October 7 at Fisherman’s Landing. “We got some tuna, and they got more. So we went inside and got very good wahoo and dorado fishing on kelps.

“Then we went back to Alijos for two good days on bigger tuna. This time there were no sharks around. We also got some wahoo on the anchor. We finished up on the beach with some great yellowtail fishing and ended our trip with limits of tuna and yellowtail.”

Billy’s trip was sponsored by Yo’s Tackle and lasted 11 days, with 31 passengers.

Chuck Kemnitz of Nevado won first and third places for tuna of 118 and 99 pounds.

He got the big one with a pink Tady 9/0 jig on 50-pound Izorline, a Newell 533 reel and an eight-foot Super Seeker rod.

Skipper Santiago helped him out in the lineup shot with the third-place fish.

Bruce Coblentz of Corvallis, OR used a sardine on the dropper loop to take the second-place tuna, a 116-pounder. He also caught a 53-pound yellowtail “…on a sardine and the dropper loop at midnight.”

“A Banner Trip”

Jeff DeBuys docked Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 7 after the 10-day Fishin’ Fools Tackle charter with Dennis Evans as chartermaster.

“Alijos Rocks continues to pump out excellent fishing,” said Jeff, “and it’s also very good for wahoo. We had very good fall fishing; a banner trip.”

Two big tuna came on the kite. One weighed 118 pounds, and the other was a 114-pounder taken by Dennis Saylors.

Ken Aiso of Long Beach won first place for a 107-pound tuna he got with a sardine on a 5/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 60-pound Izor Spectra backing on an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 74656 XL rod.

Karl Moreman of Rancho Santa Fe won second place for a 104-pounder, and Tony O’Connell of Santa Monica got third place for a 101-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

by Bill Roecker

Mike Lackey docked his Vagabond at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 5, after an eight-day open-party trip to Alijos Rocks.

“We spent three and a half days at the Rocks,” said Mike, “and it was all you can eat fishing. We even had an incredible all-night bite on yellowtail. The big fish was caught by John Medler, a 104-pounder.”

Pate Aivadjian of Glendale won first place for a 98.4-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 5/0 Eagle Claw hook, tied to 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 60-pound Izorline Spectra. He said he used an Accurate 270 two-speed reel and a GRUSA nine-foot rod.

Bill Homet of Capistrano Beach won second place for an 88.8-pounder. John McConnaughey of Las Vegas won third place for a 79.2-pound yellowfin. Bill Homet of Capistrano Beach won second place for an 88.8-pounder. John McConnaughey of Las Vegas won third place for a 79.2-pound yellowfin. Jim Lewis of Morro Bay stood in with the winners with his trip-best wahoo of 59 pounds.

Full Speed Offshore Fishing

Tommy Rothery docked Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing October 5 following a five-day trip.

“We had full speed fishing today offshore on kelp patties,” read the report from the boat for October 4. “However for the most part, the yellowtail and dorado we were catching were small. So we released all but a few. We did however get some nice grade yellowfin. No big hits, but good action as we picked away at 30 lb. yellowfin. Jeff prepared a great Cajun chicken with avocado, mozzarella and fresh salsa for lunch. And as we head in tonight he is serving us steak and lobster. We will hit the dock tomorrow morning at 8:00 am.

“If you are thinking of coming out fishing we still have some open spots with Larry Brown on his 10-day departing October 25th. Highly sponsored with lots of raffles and giveaways. Give Susan a call at 619-390-7890.”

Jackpot winner Kenny Pole of Lakeside had a dandy 45-pound tuna for first place. He said it came on a sardine, a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, 50-pound Yo-Zuri line on a TLD 30 reel and a six-foot rod of unknown make. Pole said the fish fought for 45 minutes.

Ten Over 100 Pounds

Spirit of Adventure arrived October 5 at H&M Landing, packing a nice load of Alijos Rocks tuna, yellowtail and wahoo. Ten of the yellowfin made the 100-pound mark, likely the best trip so far this season, with four jackpot spots on the Bruce Davis charter.

Roy Jongbloets of Glendal, AZ won first place for a 117-pound tuna.

“He was cooperative,” said Roy. “He bit during lunchtime when I was alone at the rail. He fought for an hour and a half.”

Roy baited a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra. He fished with an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Gary Galbraith of Cooper Landing, AK won second place for a 113-pounder. Bob Wolfson of Dana Pt. got third for a 108-pound tuna, and Russ Weber of Moorpark took fourth place for a 107-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

by Bill Roecker

Brent Blair of Delhi took the best tuna aboard Intrepid on the six-day trip that arrived October 3 with 26 passengers. Blair’s yellowfin weighed in at 99.6 pounds.

“My best fish so far,” noted Brent at Pt. Loma Sportfishing. He added that the bite came about 250 yards out on a long soak.

Blair said he fished with a sardine on a ringed Mutu hook he tied to 40-pound Izorline and 80-pound Line One Spectra backing. He fished with an Avet LX reel and a Seeker 655 XH Black Steel rod, and brought his tuna to gaff in 45 minutes.

Kevin Osborne skippered the trip. “We had scratch fishing,” he said. “We had a complete turnaround on the fourth day, when they bit good.”

On October 2, he wrote, “Persistence pays off. We stuck it out and the fish rewarded us for our efforts. After two full days of slow fishing we were able to get on a school that wanted to chew. The fish came up with a vengeance and we were able to put together a nice day of Yellowfin fishing. The fish were in 60-100 lb range and really put the guys to the rail. We were happy to have a good ending for Guadalupe season. The rest of the fall will be down south on the long runs. With the season we put together we are very grateful to be able to fish such a wonderful island.”

Phil Bonacher of San Diego won second place for a 96.4-pounder, and Todd Cohen of Canyon Country took third place for a 94.5-pound yellowfin.

Guadalupe Tuna Quality Peaking

Tim Ekstrom docked Royal Star at Fisherman’s Landing after a fine seven-day Larry Brown trip that saw 25 anglers harvest an excellent catch of husky island yellowfin.

“All things considered,” wrote the skipper October 1, “despite the fact that today was considerably slower, we finished our time at the island in fine style with a couple of handfuls of seventy to one hundred pound yellowfin for the effort. And take it from me it definitely was an effort as the grease calm, stagnant conditions had the fish in a lethargic state lazily rolling around while showing almost zero interest in our offerings.

“Taking the cue, and avoiding a big pile up in the process, at day's end we headed out in search of off shore action, hoping to add some depth and variety to the voyage in the form of Dorado, yellowtail, and or albacore and bigeye. I know the bigeye part is a long shot but one can always dream.”

Jeff McNeely of Murrieta bagged a 103-pound tuna with a sardine to take first place. He said he fished with a 6/0 Super Mutu hook, 40-pound P-Line and 60-pound Line One Spectra backing on an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 765 L rod.

Larry Fischer of Branson got second place for a 100-pounder. John Brinkerhoff of Arroyo Grande got a 94.5-pound tuna with 40-pound line and a Newell 533 5.5 wahoo reel.

by Bill Roecker

Sonia Forbes of Temple City threw out her first bait at Guadalupe Island and hooked up. She must have hit that 105.6-pound yellowfin smack on the bean, because she had an instant hookup that led to a 45-minute battle that ended with the jackpot winner gaffed aboard the American Angler.“He was strong but gentle,” said Sonia at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 3. “He took me around the bow once, and came up midship. He’s my best fish.”

Sonia and 23 other anglers were skippered by Sam Patella on the six-day Ken’s Custom Reels trip. She said she pinned her lucky sardine on a 2/0 Mutu hook tied to 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 8-pound Soft Steel Ultra line backed with 80-pound Spectra. She used an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 7465 XL rod.

“We are very happy we chose this destination,” wrote Sam October 30, “because we had another nice day of fishing. To be honest, it takes a lot of patience at the rail, but if you spend the time, you can put a catch together. This fish is all mixed up - anywhere from 20lbs up to over 100lbs and you just don't know what you are going to catch when you get a bite. I love my job...”

Mark Rubens of Carlsbad won second place for a 103-pounder, and Wes Cogan of Ken’s Custom Reels won third place for a 98.5-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin tuna.