By Paul Sweeney

Owner skipper Tommy Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme August 28 after a five-day Bob Vance charter. The boat’s 24 passengers saw a great night-bite at Cedros Island.

“We had great fishing at the islands,” reported Rothery at Fisherman’s Landing. “Good quality yellowtail throughout, and we found some nice yellowfin up to 40-pounds.”

Steve Pistone of West Hills won first place with a 49.4-pound Benitos yellowtail. Steve fished a ‘dine on a 4/0 Owner Gorilla hook, 30-pound Ande line, a Pro Gear Albacore Special reel and a custom jig stick rod.

“I was amazed,” Pistone admitted. “I never would have thought he was going to be that big. It was only a 10-minute fight, not long at all. My daughter probably would have got jackpot at Guadalupe, but the shark took a chunk out of her tuna.”

Chris Mohs of Ventura was second for a 40.4-pound yellowfin, and Kub Ito of Harbor City took third for a 38-pound yellowfin.

The Supreme will be heading out on a nine-day charter today, said Rothery.

First Guadalupe 100-Pound Tuna

American Angler returned from a five-day limited load Chasin’ Tuna charter to Point Loma Sportfishing August 28. Owner skipper Sam Patella produced the first tuna to surpass the century mark in weight this year. “We got lucky,” he said.

“It was a 45-minute battle on the bow,” Mark Schneekluth said after learning his Guadalupe yellowfin weighed 140.6-pounds. “It was a total blast, and it was totally exhausting. My arms still shake. The crew did a great job maneuvering around the anchor, back and forth.”

Mark landed his big tuna after he flylined a squid on a 6/0 hook, 80-pound line, a Trinidad reel and a six-foot Calstar rod.

“We had the right group to do this,” Patella said at the scales. “They had patience. From the get-go, they were about quality. We were at the right place at the right time; but it looks prosperous. It should be really good next month.”

John Stetson of Vista was second for a 97.2-pound yellowfin caught on a 4/0 Owner circle hook, 50-pound Big Game line, a Baja Special reel and a Seeker Black Steel rod.

“It pulled like a mother,” said Stetson, “especially on a single speed reel.”

Pat Noll of Vista took third for an 87.4-pound yellowfin brought to the boat on 30-pound line.

“Don’t use any light line!” Noll advised.

Brute Fighters

Royal Star skipper Brian Sims returned to Fisherman’s Landing after a 5-day Mitch Otera charter August 28.

“We had premium grade fishing,” said Sims. “This group is a great bunch of guys, they busted their butts. We had a great night bite at Benitos.”

Chartermaster Mitch Otera won first place in the jackpot with a 47.2-pound yellowtail. Mitch fished a small Spanish mackerel on a dropper loop with a 9/0 Mustad hook, 100-pound Izorline, a Shimano 50 LTD reel and a Seeker rod.

Dennis Dowden of Vista was second for a 40.2-pound yellowtail that “fought like a brute.”

Palos Verdes native Mike Russel took third for a 38.6-pound yellowtail.

“I caught him on a Salas 6X green and yellow iron,” said Russel. “So he fought pretty good.”

“Third place was highly contested,” Sims added. “We had a lot of quality yellowtail.”

Daily Jackpots

The Larry Fancher charter returned August 28 under Shogun skipper Bruce Smith’s helm. Smith docked at Point Loma Sportfishing, as Fisherman’s Landing was fully occupied. The four-day charter visited Benitos Islands and then tried offshore for dorado and tuna.

“We had a good variety of fishing,” Chartermaster Larry Fancher said. “Good conditions the whole trip. We did a jackpot each day, with money and trophies. We like to make some fun out of it.”

Brothers Tristan, 20, and Brendan Friend, 16, both of Huntington Beach, posed with their best yellowtail caught.

“This is my personal best,” Tristan said.

“Open water fishing wasn’t bad,” Jan Silverstein of Las Vegas said.

“We caught a lot of fish, and we threw a lot back.”

Haj Shimada Open

Excel returned August 28 to Fisherman’s Landing after a five-day Haj Shimada Open. The boat’s 30 anglers fished Benitos Island and offshore.

“It’s the same old story,” skipper Justin Fleck said. “Good yellowtail fishing and the weather was awesome. The water’s warm right now, with a lot of dorado.”

Lyle Foster of Lake Isabella was first place for a 24.6-pound yellowtail. Lyle fly-lined a sardine on a 2/0 Owner Gorilla hook, 40-pound Izorline, a 4/0 Penn reel and a Calstar rod.

“It was a good trip,” said Lyle. “There were a lot of new guys on the trip, that’s probably why I won!”

Keith Elmer of Newhall was second for a 23.2-pound yellowtail and Gerald Fukui was third for a 21.4-pound yellowtail.

New Look For Site

Fisherman’s Landing has made big changes to the web site, giving the site a new look, more photos and information that’s easier to access. If you want to know directions to the landing, what boats are moored there or what their accommodations are, how much tackle rental will be, what the latest fish counts are or see the recent postings on Fisherman’s boats from Bill Roecker, you can get it all at the new web site. Go ahead, take a look!

Big Al's Tuna Tournament

For 10 years, I have been the charter-master for a long-range fishing trip aboard the world’s largest and most luxurious long-range sport-fishing boat, the EXCEL. Each and every trip has been amazing and we look forward to our upcoming eight-day trip September 30th.

However, this year’s trip will be special. I am doing something to thank our military veterans for the courageous job they’ve done. I have reserved eight spots on the trip specifically for Purple Heart recipients to join myself and 17 friends and family members. In conjunction with the Purple Heart Fund organization and the Marines at Camp Pendleton, we are seeking donations to help get these most deserving of servicemen on a trip of a lifetime. The Purple Heart Fund and Marine Corps will be in charge of selecting the deserving Purple Heart recipients to go on the trip.

The cost for each spot on the trip is $2,685. All donations will go to the selected wounded warriors to get them on-board as well as extra costs of supplying them with fishing equipment, tackle, boots, etc. Any funds raised that exceed the cost of the spots and equipment will go to the Purple Heart Fund’s general fund. All donations are tax-deductible. Their tax ID # is: 26-2263072

All donations will be made out to the Purple Heart Fund for: “Excel fishing trip”. Their website is www.purpleheartfund.org . Mail checks to PHOG, Inc., 1401 N El Camino Real, Ste 207, San Clemente, CA 92672. The name of the boat is the Excel. It is based out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego. www.excelsportfishing.com

Contact me, Al Gross at 949-632-5783 or phoginc1@aol.com
Contact at Purple Heart Fund: Erin O’Brien - 760-889-0783


New Video Release!

Over a year in the making, this new DVD is well worth the wait, say the anglers who’ve viewed Bill Roecker’s latest.

300-Pound Tuna!

Fishing Clarion Island's Buffer Zone on Qualifier 105

Fish with Bill Roecker for Giant Yellowfin Tuna on the Qualifier 105, in the Buffer Zone outside the marine reserve boundaries of the Revillagigedos Islands. Dolphins swim here with schools of big yellowfin, tuna so huge they're a tough test for anglers and their gear. These big boys are hard to come by, and they bring celebration or heartbreak to those lucky enough to get a hookup. See fast action here, tropical marine scenery, and the struggle between standup anglers and fish up to 300 pounds!

If you’re ever wondered how giant yellowfin are caught by standup anglers, “300-Pound Tuna” will show you the gear, how it’s rigged and how it’s used. Everything is strained to the breaking point, no matter how strong the tackle is, so hang on, and see how it’s done!

If you'd like to see some of this action of big fish biting and how the battles progress, check out this clip: