By Bill Roecker

After the memorial ceremonies at the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley on Wednesday, November 25, a large flotilla of sportfishing boats headed out to the entrance to San Diego Bay early on a beautiful Santa Ana blue sky afternoon.

Led by Poole’s last boat, the 124-foot Excel, the long line of white sportboats in the procession reminded Bill Roecker, photographing from Cabrillo Monument atop Point Loma, of the trains that carried the bodies of presidents Lincoln and Roosevelt, the “Long Black Train” that carried the bodies of those famous men to their final resting places.

Most of the boats were built, finished or designed by Poole over the many years when he shaped the course of long range sportfishing in San Diego. Without Bill Poole, the majority wouldn’t have been built and those who own and work aboard them would not be in their present occupations.

The long white line was joined by the Coast Guard, and stopped near the mouth of the bay for final ceremonies and the scattering of the ashes.
The boats circled into a group. A hose played water far up into the air. Horns and whistles blew and honked at the event’s conclusion.

All the boats, loaded with grieving friends family and anglers, headed back on the blue water to the sportboat basin on a warm, sunny November afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving.

It was a grand send-off for a much-loved man who will be deeply missed by thousands of people all over the world.

Intrepid pulled off a feat that may have folks calling November 25 “Big Wednesday.” When skipper Kevin Osborne docked the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing that day his crew and anglers offloaded the best catch of big tuna seen here for years. That there were seven yellowfin tuna over 300 pounds was exciting. Equally impressive were the many fish from 250 to 300 pounds.

“They were biting,” said Osborne to dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and they were thick! At times we were very busy just trying to keep up. I have to say this is the best crew I’ve ever worked with. They made it all happen.”


There were 35 cows aboard the boat, including the seven supercows caught on the Wahoodad & Willy (David Choate and Bill Casper Jr.) charter.

Chartermaster Choate got the big one, which weighed in on the certified dock scales at 350 pounds even. He got it with a chunk, he said, on a 14/0 Mustad circle hook on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra. The fish packed all of it on his Accurate 30 reel, via his Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod during a two-hour battle.

Choate also got tuna of 219 and 209 pounds.

Dan Kammerzell of Phoenix got a 332-pounder on the kite with a squid bait on the boat’s kite rig in 48 minutes. The rig uses 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

Ross Leonard of Pacifica caught a 332-pound tuna on a sardine and a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 700 XH rod.

Louie Jiminez used a squid on the kite and boat rod to take a 325.2-pound tuna. He said his best before was a 227-pounder.

Ron Surgener of Bakersfield brought a 317.2-pound tuna to the Intrepid after it took a sardine on a 7/0 Mustad hook. He said he used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Boomer Jr. rod. He also had a 209-pounder.

Brad Goldstein of Woodland Hills fished a double sardine bait on the kite to catch a 315-pound yellowfin after a 90-minute fight. He fished with 8/0 Owner Offshore hooks tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 T reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. He also got a 288-pounder, and said his best previous fish was a 191-pound tuna.

Mike Mayes of Rancho Santa Margarita made himself a winner of a fight with a 310-pounder and also had fish of 289 and 231 pounds. He fished a squid under the kite with the boat’s rig, beating the big fish in a hour and a half. He said his best fish before was a 122-pounder.

Jim Odlum of Mission Viejo sniffed the supercow bracket with a 292 and a 284-pound tuna. They bit on sardines and a 5/0 Gorilla hook. He used 130-poundSeaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod. Jim had nine fish on the trip from 140 pounds up to his big one, all caught on the new Super Seeker seven-foot rod.

“My best fish before was 125 pounds,” he told Roecker. “This one fought me for an hour and 40 minutes.

Jeff Buttemer of San Diego bagged a 286-pounder that beat his previous best fish, a 60-pound bluefin, by 224 pounds. He got it with a squid under the kite on the boat rig, he said, as he posed with his kids for pictures.

John Keeler of Santa Monica caught a 276.4 and a 255-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 Gorilla hook. He said he used 130-pound Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 100-pound Momoi line with 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 30 W reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod, and that the fish fought for 45 minutes.

Wes Franks of Redding came home with a 275 and a 273-pounder. The big one bit on his birthday, on a sardine pinned to a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu on 100-pound unknown line and 130-pound unknown Spectra. He used a rod and reel of unknown make.

Chad Ede of Fresno reeled in a 275 and a 272-pound yellowfin that erred on his sardine with a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

“That one took me around the boat six times,” he said, “during a three-hour fight. They had to splice me in twice.”

Joe Davis of Green Valley caught a 270-pound tuna with a squid under the kite, on the boat’s rig. He said his previous best fish was a 190-pounder.

Jim LaChapelle of Alaska bagged a 267-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra wrapped on an Avet 30 reel on a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Al Winton of Redding caught a 249-pound tuna on a sardine and a 5/0 gorilla hook. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Bob Mitchell of Phoenix got his best fish ever in 45 minutes, a 244-pound yellowfin on a sardine and a 66/0 ringed Super Mutu. He fished with 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Penn 30 SW reel and a home-built rod with an unknown blank.

“It took an hour and 20 minutes,” he told Roecker. “It took me around the boat five times, and it’s my best fish by 100 pounds.”

Other Cows For Intrepid

Jack Mitchell, 238
 pounds

Greg Wood, 238


Bill Casper, 219


John O'Donnell, 218

Ray Tolson, 208


Ken Peters, 208



Jim Brashear, 205


Frank LoPreste docked his Royal Polaris at Fisherman’s Landing November 25 after the annual Davis-Stanton Charter, a 13-day trip with 21 anglers that fished on the Hurricane Bank.

“The best sardine and skipjack fishing I’ve seen at the bank in 20 years,” commented Frank to dock reporter Bill Roecker. There were 35 cows, tuna over 200 pounds, in his catch.

Two young men won the first two spots in the jackpot. Both have been fishing on the RP for some time. They posed with Frank after the jackpot award.

Zachary Schenk of Watsonville won first place for a 263-pound yellowfin. He also had a 218-pounder. He is 15 and goes to Natural Bridges High. He said he fished a Salas PL 68 in glow color to take his prizewinner, on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra, on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 765 H rod. The fight lasted an hour and a half.

Matt Brown, a robotics worker from Charlotte, NC (a former southern Californian who will be returning soon) won second place for a 260-pounder, and third for a 255.6-pounder. Matt has fished on the RP since he was 15, often with his dad, as he was on this trip. Even more remarkable, Matt had five tuna over 200 pounds. The others weighed 223, 221 and 206 pounds. He got his big one after an hour and a half fight.

Bob Wolfson of Dana Point got a pair weighing 265 and 241 pounds, on squid under the kite. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a “no-name” rod.

Vince Biondo of Del Mar brought home a 250-pound cow. It bit on a flying fish under the kite, and he beat it in 35 minutes. He said he used a 20/0 Mustad circle hook, with 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

Chartermaster Mike Stanton of San Luis Opisbo landed four cows. They weighed 249 and 224 pounds, bookended by a brace weighing 207.

“An unbelievable trip,” said Stanton. He said he fished sardines on 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7460 XH rod.

John Angel of Fremont had a 228 and a 208 tuna. He got them with sardines on 6/0 ringed Super Mutus on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One, with an Accurate 50 W reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6465 XXH rod.

Ken Yuen of San Jose bagged a 228-pounder on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 655 XH rod.

Accurate rep Pete Heimbach of La Mesa took a 207-pound tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Blackwater Spectra. He used an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 770 H rod.

“Big Daddy” Don Burnside of San Diego cranked up a 212-pounder after it bit a flying fish under the kite. He used a 20/0 Mustad circle hook, 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One fluorocarbon on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

Cow List For Royal Polaris

Mike Stanton (San Luis Obispo) 207.0 206.9 229.0 224.0
Vince Biondo (Del Mar) 250.6
Matt “the star of the show” Brown 207.2 255.6 210.6 223.6 260.8
(Matt’s from Mooresville, N.C.)
Don Burnside (San Diego) 212.6
John Angel (Fremont, CA) 208.6 228.2
Tom Benedetti (Seattle, WA) 207.4
Ken Yuen (San Jose, CA) 223.4 204.0
Brandon Kreutel (Escondido) 206.0
Kurt Schenk (Watsonville, CA) 206.6
Zachary Schenk 263.2 218.0
Larry Chin (Newbury Park) 226.2 210.0 213.0 205.0 217.0
Rich Couser (Rio Vista, CA) 204.0
Bruce Benedict (Rigby, ID) 210.2
Peter Heimbach (San Diego) 207.8 241.0 204.0
Bob Wolfson (Dana Pt) 241.4 265.6
Jim Nailen (Los Osos) 251.0 214.0 226.0




Cowboy’s Roundup

Qualifier 105 returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing under owner John Klein’s hand on November 25, following an 11-day trip with 15 anglers called “Cowboy’s Tru Tuna Roundup,” with chartermaster Gary “Cowboy” VanderLyke of Escondido.

“It was a little slow,” said Cowboy, “but just about everyone had a personal best fish. There were 14 cows.”

Dean Archer of Sunset beach won first place for his 305-pound supercow. He said he took it on a sardine and a 6/0 Gorilla hook. He used 100-pound Big Game fluorocarbon, 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Sabre 655 XXH rod.

“It took an hour and a half,” he said. “My best one before was only about 100 pounds. This one ran, sounded and fought deep before he came up on the bow.”

Dominic Carvoza of Lakeside won second place for a 278-pound tuna. He got it with a mackerel on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 80-pound Big Game line on 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. He used a Penn 30 W reel and a Seeker 6364 XXXH rod.

“He fought for two hours,” said Dennis. “My best fish.”

Steven Brooks of Camarillo won third place for a 247.7-pounder. He bagged it with a sardine on a 9/0 ringed Eagle Claw hook on 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 W reel and a self-wrapped Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

Ron Volmer pulled in a 216-pounder. Gayle Wayne caught a 244 and a 216-pound tuna. Chris Arbuchon and Jeff Bracey both had 213-pounders, and Bracey had a 216.8-poundf tuna as well. Chris Fraser had a 212 and Phil Lisi got a 205-pound tuna.




“Two Banks Going At The Same Time”

Randy Toussaint brought his Royal Star home from an 11-day Los Rocas charter November 25 with 23 passengers. Chartermaster Tom Walker was aboard, and his anglers bagged 33 cows and a supercow.

“We fished school tuna a bit on the way down and got all we needed,” said Randy, “until we got word about the bite, and then we took off for the lower banks to go after big ones. We spent four days with fish around us, blowing out of the water. It was very unusual to have two banks going at the same time, and the Hurricane going, too.”

Rudy Scott of Carpinteria got the big fish, a 325-pound supercow. He also got a 258 and a 223-pounder. He said the big one fought for an hour and 32 minutes. He used a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 50 S reel by Cal Sheets and a Penn Sabre six-foot rod.

“I’m real happy,” said Scott. “My best before was 104 pounds. This one took off screaming, and he got 350 yards off me. He got wrapped on the anchor three times and he took me around the boat twice. He came up on the port stern corner and they gaffed him and brought him through the gate. I want to say that Stan Cowan taught me.”

Rob “I never win anything” Gillanders won second place for a 290-pound tuna. He said he’d never caught anything over 100 pounds before. Gillanders fished a sardine on a 5/0 VMC hook on 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Pete Aivadjian of Glendale won third place for a 277-pounder, but he also had cows of 267 and 223 pounds. He said he fished sardines on 7/0 Eagle Claw hooks, with 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. The fight went 45 minutes.

Tom White Jr. of Fountain Valley got a 274-pound tuna with a double sardine rig under the kite. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 50 N reel and a Baja Boomer rod.

“My best fish ever,” he said. “We had a great crew. He fought for an hour and 15 minutes.” He also had a 203-pounder.

Other cow-catchers aboard the Royal Star:

Tom White Sr., with tuna of 208, 243, 219 and 257 pounds
Tom Walker, 203 pounds
Glenn Evans, 203 pounds
Chris Tillman, 203 pounds
Chip Mezzin, 203, 222 pounds
Dennis “The Truth” Williams, 227 pounds
Roger Florian, 207 pounds
Dale Kurata, 231 and 202 pounds
Ed Dahlkamp, 213 pounds
Tom Nordstrom, 216 and 260 pounds
Jim Robart, 227 pounds
John Stuemke, 225, 242 pounds
Rick Sweetser, 211, 232, 273 pounds
John Pasmakian, 275 pounds




Accurate Trip With Flyback Option

Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing November 25 after a 12-day (nine with the flyback option from Cabo) with another large catch of tuna. Most of the fish were under 200 pounds, but many were close. Jack Nilsen of Accurate reels was the chartermaster.

The big fish was a 258-pound yellowfin caught by Miles Yamaguchi of Riverside. He said his best previous tuna was a 220-pounder on the same trip in another year. He fished a sardine under a balloon, on a 5/9 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

“I won an Accurate 870 reel for the best fish of the day,” he remarked. “This one fought hard, and the reel was great!”

Steve Romak of Walnut creek won second place for a 212-pound tuna. He said it bit a sardine on a 6/0 gorilla hook. He used 130-pound Izor fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

“My best fish before was a 90-pounder,” he remarked.

Dave Brillhame of San Diego won third place for a 186.6-pound Hurricane Bank yellowfin tuna.

Justin Fleck docked Excel at Fisherman’s Landing November 24 after a fantastic ten-day trip that visited The Ridge, Uncle Sam Bank, Hipolito and the southern banks.

“We saw fish all over the place down there,” he said to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “They’d pop up here, over there, everywhere you could see. It looks real good. It was a typical 10-day trip.”

Fleck’s 24 anglers had 22 tuna over 200 pounds, including four over 300 pounds. They were weighed aboard the boat.

Carl Dorton of Tarzana, after many years of trying, got his 300-pounder, and it proved to be the best fish of the trip, at 343 pounds. Carl said he got it with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw ringed circle hook on 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 SW reel and a re-wrapped Sabre 6455 XXH rod. The fish fought him for an hour, said Carl.

Dorton’s son Mark Dorton of Calabasas won second place for a 286-pounder. Mark said he bagged it with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater flourocarbon leader, and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 SW reel and a Calstar 7465 XH rod.

Pete Price of Woodinville, WA won third place for a 273-pound tuna. The three posed with the opther three 300-pound tuna catchers: Steve Olson of Newbury Park, John Malloy and Steve Wenzel.

Olson said he got his 320-pounder on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Calstar 7460 XH rod.

John Malloy used the kite to bag his 335-pounder. Steve Wenzel had a 305-pound yellowfin. Two of the non-qualifying 300-pounders were hooked and handed by Gary Hughes of Fork River, NJ. He said he had a physical condition that prevented him from pulling on the big fish.

Al Shakespeare of Glendale had two cows at 220 and 243 pounds. He said he used sardine baits on 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks, with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing on a Penn 50 S reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.

Other cow catchers included Mark Dorton with a 202, Pete Price with a 249-pounder, Bill Anderson for a 272, Wayne Snobarger with a 268, Bill Cashman with a 205 and a 223-pounder, John Preston, 221, Ken Bell, 211, Paul Backes for a 206 and a 242, Bill Benson for a 220 and a 246, and John Kasey with a 205 and a 244-pound yellowfin tuna.




Rep Bags A Three

Ben Frazier fished aboard Mike Keating’s Spirit of Adventure with the owner on a ten-day trip, the Big Jim Charter, and got his first 300-pound tuna with a new Seeker 2 x 4 rod and an Avet HX Raptor reel. Ben reps for both companies, and after the boat docked at fast-disappearing H&M Landing (it’s under demolition and reconstruction) November 24, he got his monster weighed in at 300.1 pounds.


Frazier, who lives in Oxnard, said he used a sardine on a ringed 4/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Maxima fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra. The fight lasted two hours, and he said there was nothing special about it, just a fight with a big tuna. It won the jackpot, and there were 15 tuna over 200 pounds in the catch.

“Big Jim” Boyle, the chartermaster, won second place for a 260-pound tuna. He said it came on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu on 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 30 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

Matt Salas of Salas Lures won third place for a 256-pound yellowfin. He got his best fish ever on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 100-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6455 XXH rod.

Greg Dahle of Hermosa beach took a 251-pound tuna with a sardine on 90-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 100-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXXH rod.

Frank James of Warrenton, OR took two hours to land his 245-pounder. It bit a sardine on a 5/0 Mustad Hoodlum hook tied to 90-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He said he used an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Pete Fallini of Santa Paula bagged a 237.8-pound tuna with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra with a topshot of 100-pound Izorline XXX line on an Accurate 30 and a Calstar 6465 H rod.“He was a tough son of a gun,” said Pete. “It took an hour and 15 minutes.”

Steve Grodin of Oakview and Captain Hook’s Sportfishing in Oxnard got a 223.5-pounder on a sardine and a 4/0 Mustad circle hook tied to 100-pound Maxima fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 30 reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

Jim Yak had a 207, 218.7 and a 219-pound tuna.




“Good Sign Of Big Fish”

Shogun docked at Fisherman’s Landing November 24 after a ten-day Bob Sands Tackle trip with 19 anglers aboard. Skipper Bruce Smith tied up the boat and weighed the fish. There were eight tuna over 200 pounds.

“The water where we fished was 78 degrees,” said Bruce, “with good sign of big fish.”

Peter Jones of Dana Point won the jackpot for a 288.8-pound tuna. He said it ate a sardine on a 4/0 Hayabusa hook. He used 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 130-pound Yo-Zuri line, with 130-poundSpectra backing on a Daiwa SLT 50 reel and a Calstar 765 XH rod wrapped by Ram Rods.

“He got tail-wrapped and drowned,” said Jones. “It took three hours, to of them just pulling it up.”
Bill Taylor of San Diego won second place for a 280-pound yellowfin. He said he got it with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 765 XXH rod.

“It was on a helium balloon,” said Bill, “and it took two hours.”

Brandon Ferrigno of Laguna Niguel won third place for a 247-pound tuna.

Ivan Klitgaard of San Jose used the kite to bag a 229-pounder. “He took me around the boat twice,” he said, “on the boat’s kite rig.”

Tuesday was a very busy day at the docks, with all the cows being landed. Wednesday promises even more excitement, with five or six boats coming in just before the holiday. All of them are packing big loads of big fish.



Special Services For Bill Poole

Services for Bill Poole will begin at ten A.M. Wednesday at the Scottish Rites Event Center in Mission Valley, 1895 Comino Del Rio S, San Diego 92108. Appropriate dress: Dressy casual. A flotilla will proceed out of San Diego Bay after that event for the scattering of the ashes.

“Another good day down here for us,” reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck November 21.


“A nice school of cows got on us at daylight and we drifted with fish going all day. Unfortunately, these super cows got the best of us several times and we lost a bunch. Several heart breakers today. We still put together a nice day. Top three fish today were Mark Dorton's 286, Steve Olson's 320, and John Malloy's 335-pounder.”



Two More For Intrepid

“Today's fish is one we all dream about when it comes to giant yellowfin tuna,” said the Intrepid report for November 22. “Charter master David Choate caught the fish he has been after for a long time today. All of us here on the Intrepid are very proud to have been a part of it. Congratulations Wahoodad! As for our day, two more super cows and several large cows to go along with half a dozen between 150 to 180 pounds!”

Chartermaster Choate wrote this: “I have a couple of things to say about this trip. I was out on the Intrepid on the December 26th-January 5th trip this last year. On that trip, I hooked a fish that took three backups, and finally it chewed through, after a three-hour battle. I thought that was it, my only chance ever at a fish like that. Then, I was fortunate enough to go again on the Red Rooster III with John Grabowski three weeks later. On my birthday on that trip, I got boiled on by the biggest tuna I had ever seen, and it cherry-picked my bait. Again, I thought, blew that chance! Never again.

“So, here we are again, and I did indeed get that 3rd chance. And this time I was able to overcome all obstacles, landing a very large Yellowfin Tuna, biggest one I've ever seen. Weight is only an estimate, not record shattering by any means. But a doggone good one. Next, it was a spectacular trip because of our 26 anglers, I'm pretty certain 25 of them have a personal best! We didn't all get cows or super cows, but we did an amazing feat in my eyes. I'm sure Kevin will have more to talk about on the way home.”



Star Has Great Last Day

“Once again we didn't rack up the numbers,” wrote skipper Randy Toussaint aboard his Royal Star November 22, “but the quality made up for it. Another 14 went into the hatch today, 7 of which were 205-275, 1 at 325, while the rest were the 160-190 stockers. That makes 31 over 200 and 1 over 300 in four days of fishing which definitely compares to the '05 season.

“A bit of advice for those of you going out on the upcoming round of trips is to bring all the heavy gear you have and stock up on 100 and 130 fluorocarbon. Almost all our fish were hooked on sardines this trip so the 8/0 and 9/0 2005 Eagle Claws were used by most of our anglers. We called it a trip at dark and are presently enjoying a beautiful ride up the line while reliving the memories of another great trip.”



They're Back!

"If there was ever a time in your life that you wanted to get in on the action for the big cows, the time is certainly NOW…" Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys reported November 21.

"The action, the adrenaline rush is on. If you are hesitant because your tackle may not be exactly what is needed for these cows we have loaner tackle available. Not to worry our crew is always there to help and assist in every way. They are cordial and respectful to help the seasoned and the novice angler. Don’t be left on the dock saying you wish you had been there. One opening left on the day after Thanksgiving, one spot for Dec 9, don’t miss out. Call the office; we are open everyday for your convenience."



"Making It Nice"

"During this Thanksgiving Break we have done a little mini-overhaul," read the American Angler November 20 report, "the guys spruced up the rails, put new upholstery in the galley, cleaned the carpets and did a deep clean in the staterooms. IT'S GO TIME, the Cows are here and it's time to break out the Big Gear and go fishing.

"Some of our upcoming trips are sold out, but we still have room on the 10 day Calstar trip departing on Dec. 26th and the 10.5 day Accurate trip departing Jan. 5. Call the office for details!

“Giant cows coming home on the Intrepid,” said the report from Intrepid November 21.

“We had another good day of giant Yellowfin Tuna fishing. The fishing was not as fast and steady as yesterday, but we did get some big ones. We were fortunate to get another two super cows today. That makes four supers so far for this trip to go along with our 22 cows and many fish between 130 to 180 pounds! We will be here going for the giants again tomorrow.”



Cows In The Hold

“Another nice day on the big fish,” wrote owner-skipper Randy Tousssaint November 21, “although the law of averages caught up to us, with at least six heavy cows gaining their freedom.

“Regardless of the heartbreaks we're very stoked with 15 nice fish going in the hatch with five from 205-290. We are going to finish up the trip here tomorrow with high hopes for another shot at these cows.

“Today's first shot is for Tom, showing his brother Dale Kurata with a 231; we all miss you.”



Skins On The Menu

“Wahoo were the target species today aboard the Shogun,” wrote skipper Bruce Smith November 21.

“We trolled up the lower end of 'The Ridge.' There were a few lucky stops with marauders stopping the boat, with bombs, Raiders, and fly-lined sardines catching the majority of the fish. A surface jig had several followers until one wahoo pushed the others out of the way for the strike. A few tuna and yellowtail rounded out the catch.

“This evening the boat is once again heading North and will be fishing near shore for yellows. The weather continues to hold up on our side as we work our way home.”

Shogun is scheduled to dock at Fisherman’s landing November 24.

"We had another fantastic day of fishing here on the Excel,” wrote skipper Justin Fleck aboard the Excel November 20.

“The day started out looking grim with no real sign of cows. Just before lunch, we found a sonar school of big ones. We stayed busy until dark with four to eight heavies hanging all the time. The thing about these big cows is that if you have any flaws in your tackle at all, these guys will expose them.


“Needless to say we had some heart breakers but we did manage to land 17 fish from 180 to 343 pounds. Here are pictures of our top 11 cows. Their weights were 206, 211, 220, 220, 223, 238, 241, 243, 247,305, and 343 pounds.

“Big fish honors have to go to Steve Wenzel with a personal best tuna that went 305 on the scale; and to Carl Dorton also for his personal best, a 343-pounder. Both fish were caught on fly lined sardines.”

If you’d like to see it, Excel is due in with her fabulous catch on Tuesday, November 24, at Fisherman’s Landing. Most of the fleet will arrive on November 24 and 25. Anglers are advised that the memorial service for Bill Poole will be held at 10 A.M. on Wednesday the 25th at the Scottish Rite Event Center in Mission Valley, 1895 Comino Del Rio S, San Diego 92108. Appropriate dress:  Dressy casual.



Cow Fishing

“Wow! This is absolutely incredible,” read the report from Intrepid November 20. We are having some of the best Cow fishing this writer has ever seen. All day long, you have a chance at a Cow, dream filler if you ask me. It's not like it's wide open, just a nice steady pick. Fly line bait or kite, both working extremely well.

“And the troops on our Willy Wahoodad trip? We are all getting along perfectly. I can't believe how unselfish our anglers are. This is a group who came from all different areas and walks of life, yet they are handing off fish to try and get everyone on the boat a cow. We are quickly approaching that goal!”



Frank LoPreste’s Report

“Our fishing was a bit slower today,” said the report from Royal Polaris November 20, “but we still had enough action to keep our worn out passengers quite content.

“During the pre dawn bite there were only seven passengers fishing. Matt Brown got a 254-pound Yellowfin tuna on a live Skippy. That’s at least five over 200 pounds for Matt. Jim Nailen got a 202 on a Sardine, and Larry Chin caught a 226 on a Sardine. Larry also had a 199 and a 195-pound Yellowfin tuna today. We caught 28 Yellowfin tuna and 22 Wahoo for the day.

“We are now headed home and are hoping to find a kelp in the next 2 days with some Dorado and maybe some Wahoo. We are very close to being full, but there is definitely room for some freeze Wahoo and Dorado.”



Catching Cows & Supercows

“Another epic day of cow angling in the lower zone today,” wrote Randy Toussaint aboard his Royal Star November 20, “in beautiful flat calm weather.

“Overall a little better sign than yesterday with this fish putting on a better visual display which gave us a better idea of how much is around. By day's end a 200 to 300-pounder blowing out around the boat became commonplace. We put 16 fish aboard, with 12 of them going 205 to 276 with the smallest going 180 pounds. There were a few threes landed by our codeboats today and I expect to see this area kick out many more.

“We have two more full days in this area so hopefully we can keep up this pace. Today's first shot shows longtime Royal Star regular Rick Sweetster with his first of two over two today, a 234-pounder.”



The Large And The Small

“Our day began chasing school sized tuna under dolphins,” wrote skipper Bruce Smith aboard the Shogun November 20.

“There were several good stops, and after a few hours it was back to the bank searching for the big ones. We didn't land a lot of fish today but they were all cows, taping out over 200 pounds. These tackle busters really put the equipment to the test! Tomorrow it’s back up the line, fishing wahoo on 'The Ridge.'"

"That area we got onto last night turned out to be the real deal here today with good cow action for the entire fleet," Royal Star owner skipper Randy Toussaint reported November 19.

"We ended up with 10 fish, seven of which were 207-265, an amazing average with the smallest fish going 160. 100 to 130-pound fluorocarbon topshots with a flylined sardine accounted for all the bites today. Overall incredible sign of 200-pound plus fish combined with the fact that it is just showing up in this area bodes well for a great winter. The water temp is still 78 degrees so I wouldn't be surprised if this fishing goes past January as it did last year.

"On that note we have two spots on the next 10 day leaving Nov 28 in addition to spots available on the 10 day leaving on Dec 26 and the 15 day leaving Jan 22. If one of these trips fits your schedule give Tracy a call and get in on this.

"Today's shot shows Tom Nordstrom and Chip Mezin with a brace of deuces, 216 and 222 respectively."

By Bill Roecker

Rumor floats on the Internet this morning that Spirit of Adventure and Royal Star have made remarkable catches on tuna of over 250 pounds. No verification was available at post time, so viewers may anticipate more on the subject shortly.

Gunning For Big Tuna

“Our day out here on the 'Big Fish Bank' started with nice school sized tuna running with common dolphins,” Shogun reported November 19.

“Several stops put yellowfin in the 25 to 45-pound class on board. Reports of bigger fish sent Bruce searching for cows. Soon thereafter we stopped on a sonar mark and were rewarded with three hookups that resulted in tuna in the 160 to 180-pound range. All afternoon in calm seas the Shogun drifted among big fish. A few taped out over 200 pounds, as high as 280! There were several personal bests along with a heartbreak or two. Chewing through the flourocarbon just beyond gaff’s reach... that’s fishing. All in all, today was a great day and we'll fish this zone again tomorrow.”



Whoppers For RP

“Weather was quite good today with about 12 knots of breeze,” reported Frank LoPreste from his Royal Polaris November 19. “Fishing started out slower with Matt Brown catching a 250-pound yellowfin on an eight-pound tuna for bait. Larry Chin then got a 212-pound yellowfin on a sardine. We picked up three more 130-pound fish and that was the morning bite.

“About 10:00 hours things started picking up. Pete Heimback got a 228-pound yellowfin, Larry Chin got another at 225 pounds, and Matt Brown picked up another on a Sardine at 220 pounds. John Angel got a 228-pound, Don Burnside a 222-pound fish. Rich Couser got a 190-pound yellowfin tuna. We had 2 fish at 199 pounds and several 170 to 190 pounds. We also had 10 fish in the 95 to 130-pound category. We had 43 yellowfin tuna for the day, plus five wahoo. Another good day will top us off, however it has already been a sensational trip and our passengers are pretty worn out.

“We will fish till dark tomorrow and then start for home. We are quite excited about our next trip, as the big fish have started biting on the beach.”



“Pure Mayhem”

“What a day,” said the Independence report for November 19.

“Today was pretty much like yesterday and the day before, as we started things off with a nice 225-pound fish, and then stayed steady with 90 to 125-pound tuna for the rest of the day. There was one point when everyone had one on for a couple of hours; pure mayhem is the best way to describe it. There were again a couple of handfuls of 125 to 150-pounders for good measure. The weather is outstanding, and everyone is happy.”



Rooster Has A Great Day

“Good morning folks,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates November 19. “Yesterday was another great day of fishing. Nice weather with plenty of action on 70 to 120 pound fish. Biggest fish landed was 180 pounds. No chances at big ones but what a great caliber of fishing. So far this morning similar results, maybe not quite like yesterday, just yet.”



Hook Tidbits

Early word from Steve Tagami at Mustad indicates that the long-awaited new circle bait hooks are in production and about to ship to the stores. The high-strength hooks will come in sizes up to 8/0 or so, and they’ll be available in straight or offset points, with or without rings. We should have photos soon.

Also, the hooks used to bring in the giant white shark (something over 4,300 pounds) that was recently tagged and released by Dr. Michael Domeier were made by Mustad. Need anything in a 29 to 31/0 size?

“We had an excellent day of fishing,” wrote skipper Justin Fleck aboard Excel November 18, “in very nice weather; Life doesn't get any better than this. The morning started off with good action on 25 to 60-pound fish. After everyone put a few in the fresh well, we went looking for cows and we found them.

“Late in the day we hit a sonar school of gigantes. The three biggest fish were boated by Bill Cashman, who had a 206, Wayne Snowbarger with a 268, and Bill Anderson (shown in photo) with 273-pound yellowfin tuna. Congratulations!”



Yanking On Bruisers

“Spectacular pretty much sums it up,” said Jeff DeBuys’ report from Independence November 18. “Today was very busy for us here on the independence. From sun up to sun down we were pulling and yanking on 70 to 125-pound tuna. We did catch seven fish 150 to 190 pounds, and had some heartbreak on a few. I want to give this group some kudos, as they have put some serious wood to these beautiful grade tuna the past few days. One guy in particular, Allen Smith from Avet Reels is one guy you can always count on to show how it is supposed to be done. He has had a bent rod in his hands all day, every day. The weather is just perfect out here.”



“Success Right Off The Bat”

“We awoke this morning to a strong offshore breeze and clear skies,” noted the report from Qualifier 105 November 18. “We managed to land only a single Yellowtail on the anchor.  We were soon off the anchor and in search of porpoise schools.  We had some success right off the bat on a dozen Yellowfin from 20 to 25 pounds, but then we could not locate any porpoise schools.  The offshore breeze made looking for porpoise very difficult, as there were white caps on top of the white caps.  With our hat in our hand we started working south. 

“By lunch with the wind coming down, we were located in good area with several other vessels and picked away at the Yellowfin Tuna for the rest of the afternoon.  The grade of YFT is 15 to 25 pounds with the majority of the fish being 15 to 20 pounds. Lots of rod and reel action, a great way to get the folks into the swing of things for the trip.  Tonight we are going to move down to north end of the ridge and prospect some new waters with the Shogun.  There have been some reports of a better grade of Tuna, mixed with Marlin and Dorado.” 



A Good Cow

“Great day of fishing here today,” wrote Andy Cates aboard his Red Rooster III November 18, “on 80 to 120 pound fish with one standout fish a 225. Nice weather and good fishing; we will report again tomorrow.”



Breezy But Nice

“A little more breeze today,” said Frank LoPreste’s report from his Royal Polaris at the Hurricane Bank, “but quite nice on the anchor. Fishing was fabulous. We caught fish on the PL68, Sardine, Chunks, and the kite, they all worked. Lucky anglers today:

Bob Wolfson 265-pound yellowfin tuna (kite)
Mike Stanton 219-pound yellowfin tuna (PL68), 250-pound yellowfin tuna (Sardine) and a 209-pound yellowfin tuna (on the kite)
Vince Biondo 250-pound yellowfin tuna ( kite)
Matt Brown 237-pound yellowfin tuna (live Skippy) and a 190 pound yellowfin tuna (Sardine)
Ken Yuen 195-pound Yellowfin tuna (Sardine)
Jim Nailen 225-pound yellowfin tuna (kite) and a 241 pound yellowfin tuna (Sardine)
Tom Benedetti 190 and 175-pound yellowfin tuna (Sardine)
Fred Falls 212-pound yellowfin tuna (kite)
Zachary Schenk 185-pound yellowfin tuna (kite) and a 160-pound yellowfin tuna (kite)
Brandon Kreutel 210-pound yellowfin tuna (kite)

Several other anglers got some 120's to 150's. It was a fun day and we hope were able to have even more fun tomorrow.”



Cows Hold Deep

“The lower banks are holding big tuna,” said the Shogun report November 18, “but getting them to bite has been a little tough. With fish boiling around the boat the urge to go lighter for a strike usually ends in heartbreak. This afternoon we hooked several big fish although just a few made it on deck.

“Tonight Bruce is taking the Shogun out west a few miles where there has been good sign on tuna of mixed sizes. There has been some good action early and also late in the day so we are going to spend the whole day on the Big Fish Bank. Calm seas continue to prevail so hopefully tomorrow is going to be our big day.”

Polaris Supreme owner skipper Tommy Rothery recapped his recent ten-day, and offered an opportunity: "This was a great trip, great group, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year. Now for those of you that want to go for a cow but haven't book a trip yet, now is the time.

"We have one more trip with openings before the end of the year departing on December 2. It is extremely light right now but we are a confirmed go. We will be targeting the cows and wahoo. Give yourself an early present and come out and join me and the crew on this 11 day adventure."



Royal Polaris On Cows

“Weather today was outstanding,” said the report from Frank LoPreste’s report November 17. “Fishing was even better. We caught fish from daybreak till after dark. They bit the kite, the sardines, the chunks, and the PL68.

“We landed 64 Yellowfin tuna for the day with just a handful under 100 pounds. Most were 140 to 195 pounds. We had at least 8 fish over 200 pounds. Big fish Bob Wolfson got a 24-pounder and his very next fish on the chunk was right at 200 pounds. Larry Chin had 2 over 200 pounds, one at 236 on the chunk. Tom Benedetti got a 215-pound fish on the skipjack for bait and his very next fish on the sardine was 195 pounds. Matt Brown had a 207-pound fish, plus a 170-pound fish on the iron.

“Bruce Benedict had big fish on all day getting one over 200 and 4 more fish 150 to 190 pounds. Kurt Schenk and John Angel both had big fish today which if I remember correctly each had one over 200 pounds. Don Burnside got a 175-pound fish on the chunk and lost a couple of good ones.

“Obviously it was a wonderful day. We had to dump about 50 scoops of bait today to start a new RSW well and obviously we are hoping to repeat this day tomorrow.”



Cow Count Mounts

As of November 15, 39 tuna over 200 pounds have been brought in to the San Diego docks.

“Hey Bill, my name is Jake and I am going on a ten-day in August or October. I was wondering about the size of yellowfin to expect? Also, what about wahoo, will they show up?" Jake M (by email November 15, 2009)

Bill’s Reply

"Hey, Jake: That’s a pretty good spread, August to October, summer to fall fishing modes. 

You’ll fish wahoo at Alijos Rocks any time the water’s over 70 degrees, but maybe it’s better in the fall. They come and go in packs or bunches, unpredictably. If there’s a lot of bait in an area, they’ll find it.


Tuna will likely be from 15 to 30 or 40 pounds in the open water and on The Ridge. At Alijos Rocks they can commonly go from 30 up to 100 pounds; bigger ones more probable later in the year.

 You didn’t ask, but some tusker yellowtail are available at all the regular spots, and a ten-day may offer some lifetime-best fishing for mossbacks. I hope that answers your questions. 
Tight Lines, Bill"

"We arrived at Hurricane Bank at 07:00 hours," the Royal Polaris report read November 16. "Weather was 18 to 22 knots out of the north, most of the day. Wahoo fishing was quite slow although the 18 we caught were good size fish. We ended the day with 28 yellowfin tuna, two fish over 200 pounds and except for a couple under 100 pounds, most were 130 to 190 pounds. The majority of our fish were caught on fly-line sardines and the largest at 204 was caught by Bruce Benedict, just before dinner. Doug Patterson had the second largest on the fly-line bait at 190 pounds. Fifteen year old Zachary Schenk got a 170-pound fish on the kite right at dark.

"Unfortunately we had rather heavy losses today, because of the weather with many fish chewing through 100-pound and quite a few hooks pulled. We are scratching at the flyer's right now and we are hoping for a good day tomorrow."



Nice Sonar School

"Once again we started our trip off on the beach," Excel skipper Justin Fleck said November 16, "and once again we had very good fishing on yellowtail and tuna. Our morning started off with a nice sonar school of yellows that stuck to the boat like glue. After everyone had their share of yankin' and crankin', we went offshore and found some school sized tuna that also wanted to chew. Now that everyone has plenty of fish to take home we will now concentrate on wahoo, dorado, and giant yellowfin tuna for the next few days."



Heading to the Lower Banks

"We are back out on our annual Wahoodad and Willy 11-day trip," Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne said November 16. "After two days of travel and rigging we stopped on a spot along the way to break it up with some yellowtail and yellowfin tuna action. We also hooked into one giant fish of an unknown type that swam away free in the end. We suspect it to be a giant grouper, but we will never know. Our goal on this trip is big yellowfin tuna and we will be spending our time on the lower banks fishing for them."



Fall Trip; Summer Conditions

"Our morning was off to a shaky start," read the report aboard Shogun November 16, "spots that produced quite well in the weeks past had just dried up. Moving South down the coast, we came upon a three layer cake of marine life. Dolphins on the surface, tuna underneath, with yellowtail just off the bottom. From mid-morning till sunset there was great fishing, drifting with the schools in calm seas. Our moves never lasted more than 10 minutes and were back on top of the fish again. This evening the Shogun is moving toward some off shore positions looking for bigger tuna, dorado and perhaps some wahoo to boot. Right now the sea temp is 74.5 degrees in calm seas, these Fall trips are a pleasure to fish in summer like conditions!"

by Bill Roecker

“We found good wahoo and tuna fishing on The Ridge,” said Polaris Supreme owner-skipper Tom Rothery at Fisherman’s Landing November 15.

“Then we found some good fishing for bigger tuna below Mag Bay, where the water has dropped to 76 to 79 degrees. We saw lots of marlin,” added Rothery, who said he had 20 anglers aboard for the OTR-Humboldt charter.

Mike Payne of Petersburg, AK won the jackpot for the trip’s sole cow tuna, a 226.8-pounder caught on sardines under the kite on the boat’s rod and reel.

“My best before was 189 pounds,” Payne told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “I saw the take, in a big swirl.

“He ran out and then went down. He took me around the boat twice, and then he went up to the bow. After an hour and ten minutes, he came up on the port stern.”

David Manning of Santa Rosa won second place for a sardine-caught 169.8-pound tuna, and Pete Mostert of San Clemente was hot on his heels with a 168.6-pound yellowfin tuna, which earned third place.

by Bill Roecker

Like Babe Ruth pointing toward the outfield when he stepped up to the plate, Mark Oliver of Poway called his shot just before an experience that resulted in the biggest tuna (313 pounds) on the lightest (60-pound) line that Bill Roecker could remember in the past 16 years.

“It was about two pm,” remembered Oliver at the Fisherman’s Landing scales November 14, “and I was on a long soak with my sardine. I told everyone around me I was gonna get bit, that I’d need a backup rig, and about four hours later I was gonna have a big fish on the Royal Star.

“When I did get bit we were down to our last 20 minutes before we were supposed to leave. I pushed the lever on my Accurate 12 into strike position, and the fish left. He damn near spooled me before we could get the backup. The guys thought I was fooling when I called for the backup, maybe because of what I’d said.

“We got the backup connected while the fish was still going. He had all but 50 yards of the original rig, and he took out over 300 yards on the backup. At one time we had about 1,000 yards of line out.

“I had the fish almost close enough to get the first rig back four times. He took a final run of about 10 minutes. We had a second backup ready, and that’s when we figured there was about 1,000 yards out.

“I started bringing the fish back. When I was about 100 yards from the buoy on my rig, the fish died. I got my reel back, locked it down and pulled steady until we pulled him off the bottom. Half an hour later, I saw color. Then we got four gaffs into him and it was over.”

Mark Oliver’s fish was the first super cow (over 300 pounds) from the Baja coast this season. It weighed 313 pounds on the boat’s scales. It was gilled and gutted and stowed in the refrigerated seawater tank. Oliver wanted to thank Greg Tanji and the other deckhands who helped him during the ordeal. He won first place in the jackpot.

Skipper Tim Ekstrom was impressed with the performance of Oliver’s small Accurate 12.

“The water just poured out of it and it still worked great,” noted the captain.

The trip was ten days, with 24 anglers aboard including chartermaster Fred Fukanaga.

Mark Oliver said he used a 7/0 Mutu hook with his sardine bait, on Yo-Zuri 60-pound pink fluorocarbon and 60-pound blue Izorline with 80-pound Izorline Spectra on his Accurate 12 reel, with a Calstar 660 H rod.

There were two other cows caught on the trip, but details weren’t available in the midst of the crowd. Six boats arrived at the docks that morning. Ekstrom’s notes indicated that Noah Jergler of Campbell, CA had a 254-pounder, and Curtis Cunningham of Bryan, TX had a 204.

Chris Pauly of Mammoth Lakes won second place for a 163-pound tuna, and Scott Smith of Poway got third place for a 134-pounder.



“Three Wide-Open Bites”

Bruce Smith docked shogun at Fisherman’s Landing November 14 after a ten-day Hi’s Tackle trip with 25 anglers. One of them was Charles Speris of Concord, the chartermaster.

“We had an excellent crew and skipper,” said Speris. “They did great and we all had a good time. At one point we fished where you could catch tuna and yellowtail at the same time.”

Skipper Smith remarked, “It was just like the brochure says; we had three wide-open bites, big fish and variety.”

Al Randall of Aptos won first place for a 246-pound tuna. He said he used the boat’s kite rig to catch it, with a double sardine bait.

Hart Brauer of LA won second place for a 175-pounder, and Vlad Chernoquz of San Francisco got third place for a 166-pound yellowfin tuna.



Angler’s Choice Trip

American Angler docked under owner-skipper Sam Patella’s hand on November 14. Sam tied the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing and unloaded his catch. Christine Guaglianone of San Diego was Chartermistress.

John Metcalf of Danville won the jackpot on the ten-day Angler's Choice trip, for a 173-pound tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 80-pound Jin Kai and 80-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 20 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

Bill Henninjh of Garden Grove was second, for a 163-pound tuna, and Dennis Saylor of Long Beach won third place for a 127-pound yellowfin tuna.



Baja Fish Gear Trip

Co-sponsored by Baja Fish Gear and the San Diego Fire Department, a ten-day trip aboard the Qualifier 105 with skipper Joe Crisci returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 14. There were two chartermasters, Larry Brown and Steve Puckett, and 25 anglers.

Catchy Tackle bombs accounted for the two jackpot-winning wahoo. John Caldwell of El Cajon won first place for a 48.5-pound skin. It bit on a red bomb wired to 50-pound Big Game line on an Avet HX reel and a Sabre seven-foot rod.

Mike Richardson of Haver City, UT won second place for a 34.8-pound wahoo that ate a purple and silver bomb. Jon Collins of Menifee stood in with his honorable mention 52.6-pound wahoo. That one was trolled up on an orange and black Marauder.



Nice Lineup

Justin Fleck brought Excel home to Fisherman’s Landing November 14 after a ten-day Brad Merritt trip with 31 anglers.

There were two cows in the catch: a 246.9-pounder taken by Doug Moore (brigadier general, ret.) of Kerby, OR, and a 201.8-pounder caught by Rick Raskin of Trabuco Canyon. They were both taken on the Excel’s kite gear: sardines on 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks, 130-pound Big game fluorocarbon and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. The smaller cow came on a Penn 50 SW reel and the larger one on a 70 VSW, with Calstar 6455 XXH rods.

The kite fish weren’t eligible for the jackpot, won by Josh Rytz of Encinitas for a 174.5-pound tuna. He said he used a sardine on a 5/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 80-pound line One Spectra. He fished with a Cofe-treated Penn 30 S reel and a Seeker 6460 XXH rod.

“Here’s one for you,” he said to Bill Roecker at the dock. “The line broke just as we were going to gaff the fish, so he was essentially free-gaffed, about to swim away!”

Clifton Hayden of San Leandro won second place for a 106-pounder, and Peter Gammarano of Seattle won third place for a 42-pound wahoo.



Rod Rack Returns

Intrepid arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing as the last of six boats to come in November 14. She was skippered by Brook Landavazo on a ten-day Rod Rack charter with shop owner Steve Volkers aboard as chartermaster. There were 23 passengers.

Dero Torrado of Hayward won first place for a 96.2-pound tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 4/0 Super Mutu hook. He fished with 80-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and 80-pound Izorline on an Accurate 30 reel and a Calstar 700 XH rod.

Todd Schneider of Benicia won second place for a 95.4-pound tuna, and Jeremy Light of San Francisco won third place for a 94.6-pound yellowfin tuna.

by Bill Roecker

Mark Pisano docked his Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 13 after the ten-day Young’s Tackle trip to southern Baja waters.

“We spent two days on the southern banks,” said Pisano to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “We got 29 tuna the first day, but only five on the second.”

Some of the tuna were big. Pisano said he didn’t see a lot of action at the surface, but saw plenty of fish on the sonar, so prospects for big tuna look good. Anglers had a good mixed catch of tuna, wahoo and yellowtail for their efforts.

Mike Wilson of Strathmore won first place for his 153-pound tuna. He said it came on the boat’s kite rig, and qualified for the jackpot because a complete rotation was completed. The rig had two sardine hooks, 6/0 Hayabusa circles, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 66463 XXXH rod.


Jeff Lidyoff of Sunnyvale won second place for a 147-pound yellowfin, on the same kite rig. Hal Friedlander of Rancho Mirage won third place for a 131-pound tuna, a fish he said came on a flylined sardine.



Plugs Bag Big Boys

New all-tackle records for rainbow and brown trout have been submitted and appear to be in the offing. Canadian Sean Konrad hauled in a 48-pound rainbow that bit on his bonito-colored Rapala X-Rap on Diefenbaker reservoir some 140 miles west of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Sean’s twin brother Adam was in the news back in 2007, when he landed the current world record rainbow of 43 pounds, 10 ounces.

A brown trout that weighed 41 pounds, seven ounces was caught by angler Tom Healy in the Manistee River on a Rapala silver Shad Rap in size eight. Healy is retired and fished with guide Tim Roller of Ultimate Outfitters while drifting for salmon. The current record brown is a 40-pounder (it lasted 17 years), and the Michigan state record is 36 pounds.

A new wahoo record for eight-pound test line has been published by the IGFA. Queensland, Australia angler Tim Simpson of Coomera hooked and landed a 69-pound, 10-ounce skinny on a hard plug called a Halco Laser Pro 190. Simpson was fishing with skipper-guide Adrian Watt near Kadavu Island. No word on how long the fight lasted.

Off The List

After many decades, the brown pelican has been removed from the endangered species list. Once hunted for feathers, the brown pelican suffered like the bald eagle from DDT contamination, causing the bird’s eggs to break. One result was a ban on the substance. The brown pelican is the Louisiana state bird. Southern California anglers often make use of the brown pelican’s fish-finding capabilities to fish for yellowtail, barracuda and bonito.

By Bill Roecker

Recent visitors to the San Diego landings have been surprised to see that some of the buildings are coming down. When the demolition is done and the new construction is finished, Fisherman’s Landing and H&M Landing will be completely rebuilt, and Pt. Loma Sportfishing will have a new look.

The man responsible for the work is contractor Bill Haskins, who owns the Haskins Corporation. Bill is a Safari Club member and a long-time friend of Bill Poole, and fished aboard the Excel with Poole on a summer tuna fishing trip videoed by Bill Roecker, featured on the DVD “Fishing On The Edge.” Poole passed away October 21.


“We’ll be tearing down Fisherman’s Landing,” Haskins told dock reporter Bill Roecker November 11, “except for the tackle store. That will remain standing, and it’s open for business.

“We’ll also be doing the work on H&M Landing,” continued Haskins, and Pt. Loma will getting some exterior facing and new glass.

“I’d be retired if it wasn’t for Bill Poole,” said Haskins. “I saw that he wasn’t retiring, and I figured if he could do it so could I, so I stayed in business, for 35 years now.”

“We’d see him out there, and our skipper said, ‘When he takes off we’re leaving, too.’ Then later I met him on the dock, and we became good friends through the Safari Club.”

Remembering Bill Poole

The following news item came to FishingVideos.com from Dan Felger of the LA Rod & Reel Club:


BILL POOLE SERVICES:

Place:  Scottish Rite Event Center in Mission Valley, 1895 Comino Del Rio S, San Diego 92108.  Please obtain driving directions on line.
 


Date:  Wednesday, November 25.
 


Time:  10:00 AM.


Appropriate dress:  Dressy casual.
 


Special note:  For those who wish to participate in the services at sea there will be shuttle buses from the Bali Hai restaurant at Shelter Island to Fisherman’s Landing, followed by a reception at Bali Hai.  Deck shows are recommended for the service at sea.  Bali Hai’s address is 2230 Shelter island Drive.  
 


Donations:  In Bill’s memory, the family has requested that donations be made to The Bill Poole Memorial Fund c/o Sportfishing Association of California (SAC), 5000 North Harbor Drive, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92106.  The contact person is Michelle Gandola (619) 307-5834

By Bill Roecker

Temperatures are cooling on The Ridge, reported Spirit of Adventure skipper Brian Evans November 12.“It’s down to about 77 degrees,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker at the H&M Landing scales.

Evans had just finished an 11-day limited load trip with chartermaster Bobby Trask of Yucaipa and 14 other anglers.

“It was a flat calm trip,” noted Trask. “We only had wind on one day. We got our wahoo early, and we got good yellowtail above San Pablo. Then we went offshore looking for yellowfin.

“We found ‘em on black porpoise, and we had lots of stops for two days. About half our wahoo came on bait and the rest were on jigs. For trolling, they seemed to like the black medium-sized Marauder and one in green mackerel finish.”

Walter Smith of Emmett, ID won first place for a 55-pound wahoo he bagged with a sardine. Chartermaster Trask won second place for a 52-pounder. Gary Hjermstead won third place for a 47-pound skin, but wasn’t available for a photo.

By Bill Roecker

Billy Santiago Jr. docked Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris at Fisherman’s Landing November 11 after a ten-day trip with 31 anglers to the southern banks and other Baja fishing spots. The new season’s first Baja cow, or tuna over 200 pounds, was part of the catch.

The big fish weighed 205 pounds on the landing’s scales. It had a story, related by angler Chuck Nowicki of Jackson Hole, WY to dock reporter Bill Roecker, after he posed for pictures, some with his nine-year-old boy Calvin.

“I got bit about 4:30 a.m.,” said Chuck, “and about four seconds later he came unbuttoned. I pinned on a new mackerel, and when the bait left it was making a roostertail with my line. I knew it would get bit, and it went down, which made it even better.


“The mackerel made about 40 yards and got slammed, and it was game on! The fish ran out and then went down. I knew it was big because it had a tail beat interval of about a second.

“After about an hour I had the fish up, but I kept losing line every time a wave came by. It was about a ten-foot chop and I just ran out of gas, so I handed the rod off to deckhand Dharyl Shelbourne and he finished it off in about five minutes.”

Nowicki said he hooked the beast on a 7/0 ringed Mutu hook tied to a 100-pound Shimano wind-on leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Shimano LRS 50 reel and a rebuilt Shakespeare Tidewater six-foot rod. He said his best previous fish weighed 201 pounds.

Joe Amagrande of Monrovia won first place for a 192.4-pound yellowfin.

“My sardine went straight down,” said Amagrande, “and it got bit in about 30 seconds.”

Joe fished with a 5/0 ringed Mutu hook on 90-pound Mo,oi fluorocarbon leader and 100-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet LXW reel and a Calstar 665 H “…old glass rod.” He got the fish in an hour and 15 minutes.

Matt Miller of Paso Robles won second place for a 182-pound tuna on a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. He posed with Amagrande.

“It was amazing,” said Miller. “He fought like a freight train.”

Larry Lauve of Ramona won third place for a 177-pound tuna.

Nick Molnar of Cayucos fished on the open ocean for his very first time, and got a 150-pounder.

“I’d go back tomorrow,” he said. “It was lots of fun, and Captain Billy was wonderful. I plan on doing it again!”

On her second-ever long range trip, Mary DeCosta of Colma was another happy fisherperson.

“I got my first fish over 100 pounds,” she said. “My best one before was a ling cod in Alaska that weighed 70 pounds. And I got the majority of my fish on the yoyo iron. I got a wahoo on the Salas 6X Jr. Soldier with a pink tip.”

“After yesterday's sign of fish and the fishing we had for the afternoon, it seemed like a No Brainer,” said the report from American Angler November 9.

“We caught Uncle Bill's fish right out of the gate and thought... here we go - but not the case. We had to wait ‘til right at dark before we hooked any other bigger tuna. Jim picked one up on the kite after being in kite jail for about 8 hours, so it paid off.

“We are running up the line and going to work our way up the next couple of days and target anything that gets in our way. We are having a nice ride at the moment and the forecast looks good for the next couple of days.”



Yellowfin All Day

"We had excellent weather today,” reported Royal Polaris November 9, “with a slight breeze out of the northwest, with clear skies and sunny. Our morning started early, with the yellowfin showing. We had steady fishing all day, it was limits for all aboard.

“Most of the yellowfin were in the 22 to 35-pound range, and that topped off our yellowfin tuna fishing for the trip. At time's we would have the yellowfin right in the corner, boiling, eating every bait that hit the water. We had some yellowtail to finish off our count for today.

“We are now headed north and will try our luck on some yellowtail, tomorrow morning, so wish us luck.

“P.S. We have a few opening on the next two upcoming trips. If you would like your chance to catch a fish of a lifetime, give our office a call and join the RP crew.”



Ekstrom On Big Fish

“A slower pace today and overall a different grade of fish as we scratched away at seventy to ninety pounders with a few forties and only a handful from 110 to 145 pounds. No rhyme or reason for the change as conditions were nearly identical and there’s no shortage of fish, pretty typical of trophy yellowfin tuna fishing overall.

“The point of this is to prepare long range anglers hoping for the opportunity at giant yellowfin for the high stakes and emphasize the importance of meticulous tackle preparation and determination to succeed. Doing every little thing correctly does count and the potential reward is well worth it. In the end it all boils down to our anglers; the woes of the Captains and crewmen count for nothing compared to the angler investing the tremendous amount of time and resources necessary to catch a giant yellowfin tuna.

“For our photo today I am sending a mother and son, Mrs. Susie Tanji and her son Capt. Gregg Tanji. At 188.5 pounds the tuna outweighs Mrs. Tanji but that did not lessen her motivation to conquer the beast. She certainly did and it was a triumphant moment for both her and Greg, who has been an integral part of the Royal Star crew for almost five years. This was a proud moment for the Tanjis. We were all fortunate enough to share the moment with them here on Royal Star. Congratulations!”

By Bill Roecker

Just returned from a nine-day open party trip November 9, Vagabond skipper Mike Lackey stood at the Pt. Loma Sportfishing scales, weighing his catch.

“The Rocks were slow,” he said to dock reporter Bill Roecker, “with a lot of nicer tuna showing on the outside, in deep water. It looked like they were chasing flyers out there.

“We went in to The Ridge and found some pretty good wahoo fishing all along it. Then we found a big school of yellowfin tuna outside of Turtle Bay.

“We ended our trip with some excellent yellowtail fishing off Canoas. They were really biting on the yoyo iron; it didn’t matter what color. We had good weather the whole trip. It was typical fall fishing.”


Jeff Viamari of Yarmouth, MA won first place for a 91.8-pound yellowfin tuna he took with a sardine on a 4/0 Gamakatsu hoo tied to 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 50-pound Big Game line. He used a Saltiga 50 reel and a Calstar 665 H rod to do the job in 20 minutes.

“I put the rod on the rail, thumbed the spool and ground him in,” said Tom.

Mike Graves of La Quinta won second place for a 90-pounder, and A.D. Johnson of San Diego won third place for an 88.8-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

Tom Byma of Bellflower got his best yellowtail ever, a 48.4-pounder, on a sardine and 40-pound line.

"The fall big fish season has officially begun on Royal Star," reported owner skipper Tim Ekstrom November 8, "as we acted on information from our good friend Billy Santiago that led to a fine day of pure trophy yellowfin tuna action highlighted by a 254 and a 207, thirteen others from 115 to 188, and a few more just under the one hundred mark. It was classic fall big fish angling with clean, scratch type action that rewarded effort and time at the rail with a real deal opportunity at a fish of a lifetime. We are very pleased with the day's results and the fact that we have plenty of time remaining in this zone to take advantage of whatever this ocean is willing to yield.

"If I had to report anything noteworthy or exceptional, although nothing about catching giant yellowfin tuna doesn't really qualify outside these categories, I have to mention that these fish in the eighty degree seawater are showing incredible spirit when hooked giving anglers every bit of their money's worth when they do hook one. Four reels, each backed with four or five hundred yards of spectra, went over the side on back up's today, and at least three or four others threatened to dump all the line before the charging tunas finally turned at the last second. Needless to say it made for exciting times as we went from zero to sixty in short order shifting back into full big fish mode and employing all of our skills to get the job done. This is what we live for. Straight, clean big fish action in good weather that is warm but being cooled to perfection by a soft tropical breeze. We are in high gear now, firing on all cylinders, and ready to keep the ball rolling. We hope the fish show the same enthusiasm tomorrow and beyond as these well prepared anglers are geared up and highly anticipating the next round."




"We Got Some Big Ones"

"We had a slow start to our trip," reported American Angler November 8, "and have a crowd on board who pretty much wanted to target big tuna. Well, today we did just that; we had a few tackle failures and also won some of the battles to make a good day on quality tuna.

"Today's photos show off some the stuff coming over the rail today."



Supreme on Cows

"Today was a trophy fish day," read the November 8 report aboard Polaris Supreme. "We hooked a lot of nice big fish and landed about half of them. Fred Meyer had an 80-pounder and Sasha Salganick and Craig Heberer both had 85 pounders. Then John Esler and Gene Cornthwaite land a couple around 110 pounds. And the top fisherman of the day went to Dave Manning with one at 145 pounds and one at 157 pounds. The biggest fish for the day went to Mike Payne with a 207 pounder. This will earn him a free 200-pound Tuna Jacket back at the dock! Fishing on the big fish was good. We lost a few too many for too many random reasons to mention. Our weather is good and we will give it a go again tomorrow."



Made A Move

Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne reported from southern Baja November 8: “We made our move today. In the morning, it paid off with a few stops for some wide-open dorado fishing mixed with a few wahoo. When we finally settled down and got to some serious tuna fishing we were treated to quite a show. Yellowfin tuna were jumping out of the water all around the boat, most of it from 80-130 pounds

“We hooked a number of them, but due to various reasons quite a few escaped. We are going to give it another shot tomorrow in hopes of waking up to a bite and boating a large number of these things. The fish are here and we plan to be also.”

By Bill Roecker

Right on schedule, the San Diego long range fleet has located some very large tuna in southern waters. Skippers had been predicting for several weeks that the cows were about ready to graze, if only the sea temperature and the breeze would back down.

It looks like that may be happening, as today’s round of reports shows the Royal Polaris may have one or more 200-pound tuna aboard, and if so, Billy Santiago Jr. can claim the first cow of the season from the Baja peninsula. Other boats are headed toward the area, so we’ll soon know if the bite’s on, and it’s trophy tuna time.

First Baja Cow

“Well let's start about 04:00 hours in the morning,” said the report from Royal Polaris November 7, “we had a big surprise for Chuck Nowicki. Chuck is known for his famous sound once he gets hooked up. So we all call him Freshy. This morning Chuck would hook and land his first 200-pound plus Yellowfin tuna, in the dark. We were fishing offshore, just drifting and bingo, Chuck was on. We would hook a few more fish in the 70 to 80 pound range.

“Once the sun came up, we would start looking, the morning was a bit slow, but around 14:00 hours everything would change. The ocean came to life, and we began hooking 100-pound plus Yellowfin tuna. We would have four to five going for the rest of the afternoon.

“Once the smoke had cleared, we would end up with 44 Yellowfin tuna. Most were in the 130 to 150 category, with a few getting close to the 200-pound mark, but we will find out once we get home. Many of our passengers caught the largest fish of their lives, and they all had that Yellowfin glow. We also had some 25 to 35-pound Dorado in our count for today.

“Hot rods for today were Joe Amagrande, Chris Petersen, Matthew Miller, Scott Schuttler, Chuck Nowicki (Freshy), Paul Domingos, and Henry Maze, just to name a few.

“Billy had a decision to make, and that decision was to stay and finish the trip tomorrow, or start moving north and give our passengers more fishing time.”



Moving On Out

“We spent our first two days along the beach,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck November 7, “where we had good fishing on yellowtail and school sized tuna. The yellows were mostly caught in the morning and the tuna in the afternoon. Now that everyone has plenty of fish on board, we are going to spend the remainder of our trip looking for wahoo and trophy tuna. The weather was choppy for a couple of days but is very nice now.”



Indy On Skinnies

“Good evening, today we targeted and picked at wahoo,” said the report from Independence November 7, “and ended the day with 25 fish in the 30 to 55-pound range. We also caught some school-size yellow fin and yellowtail as well, and released many small tuna and yellows in the pursuit of bigger game. Our weather has become better with less wind and sea than this morning. Tomorrow we plan to fish the lower banks in hopes of getting on some bigger tuna.”



Intrepid On Move

“We started the day with a wide open bite on smaller grade Yellowfin,” said Intrepid’s report for November 7, “mixed with a few Yellowtail. The bite started around 4:00 am and lasted until about 11:00 am. After a couple days of traveling the yanking and cranking was a welcome change of pace. During this action a few anglers had the idea of dropping a live Bonito down to the bottom on a dropper loop rig. This was greeted on a few occasions with a sudden violent tug. On the other end of the line was grouper ranging from 25-70 lbs. Needless to say, not every one of these creatures hooked was landed.

“After we had our fill of catching and releasing the small Tuna fish, which I am happy to say, a lot of our passengers did, we pulled anchor and went looking for another catch. After a few hours of trolling around we finished up with a nice batch of Wahoo. Since we did not see the quality grade of Tuna that we were hoping to see today we are making a move in hopes of more action on a little bigger fish for tomorrow. We will let you know if our move pays off.”



Fishing In Southern Waters

“The wahoo's didn't bite as well as hoped for,” reported skipper Bruce Smith for the Shogun November 7, “but we sure made up for it with numbers of yellowfin, yellowtail and at the end of the day, flat-out full-speed dorado action.

“Our wind comes and goes, overall it’s good weather. Now it’s on to find some bigger fish.”

By Bill Roecker

Over the past few weeks numerous large tuna have been caught off the tip of southern Baja. There have been reports of some over 300 pounds.

Now there’s some verification, with the posting yesterday on Western Outdoor News of a giant brought to the scales for a tuna tournament. Following are excerpts from the site, with a photo sent on to us by Brandon Hayward, WON saltwater news editor.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” wrote WON's Rich Holland from Cabo San Lucas November 5 at 3:10 pm, “and this tuna is worth a whole lot more. Dave Bulthuis of Costa Del Mar sunglasses and team captain Oscar Daccarett with the 383-pound yellowfin.

“Yes, it was 383 pounds, probably the biggest tuna ever officially weighed out of Cabo. Team Captain Oscar Daccarett said it was caught on the Gordo Bank on a bulito, but the boat's captain said it was on a small bonito. (The fish was) pulled in on 130-pound fluorocarbon and a circle hook on 100-pound Izorline.

“The scene was crazy, everyone pushing in for a photo and all the photographers pushing back to try and get the whole fish in the frame.  Finally the restraining rope broke and we had room to shoot."

Later, Holland added more details to go with his photo.

“I got a chance to interview the skipper of the Cabo 35 Fisherman, Perico Sanchez. Perico is his nickname and it means Parrot and he is one sharp fisherman. He’s the one who told me the fish was caught on live bonito about a foot long, not a bulito, and that the leader was 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon. Mike Packard reached in and pulled out the hook, having to go all the way into the gullet where the circle hook was lodged ‘in the corner of the stomach.’ That explains why the cow was caught so quickly, besides the big gold reel and heavy line and the three anglers. A deep hooked tuna feels it much more than one hooked in the jaw.

“It didn’t hurt that our rules allow the fish to be passed off, with first Daccarett and then Hugo Piño pulling on the fish. But the bulk of the pulling fell to Hugo’s son Augustin, is the word Tracy Ehrenberg got.”

Long range skippers have been commenting on the warm water below Mag Bay, which has been in the mid-80’s so far this season. That these big fish are coming from farther down may indicate the warm water is about to depart, and long range anglers expect the first cows from the Baja to show up in San Diego catches as soon as it cools into the 70’s.

There were no indications that is happening in today’s reports, but several boats are enroute to the likely areas for cows and super cows, the deepwater offshore banks like the Potato, the Toussaint, Lusitania, Finger Bank and others.

“Hello everyone, that's the word for today,” said the report from Royal Polaris November 3, “we had excellent wahoo fishing. Weather continues to be excellent with clear skies, flat seas, and sunny.

“We had an excellent wahoo fishing, with most of the fish in the 40 to 50 pound range, with a few larger one's. Most of our passengers caught a skinny today, but the one's who didn't get one, we will try our best to get them one tomorrow. We also caught a handful of yellowtail, yellowfin, and dorado.

“For some off our anglers it was there first time catching a wahoo. We will try offshore again tomorrow, and hopefully we will see something floating again.”



High School Club Gets Fishing Videos

“Hey Bill,
I just wanted to thank you for the videos. I know the club will love them. I'm pretty sure one of the videos last year already persuaded one of the members to try a long range fishing on a five-day, and now he is hooked.

"These videos could very well inspire even more high schoolers to go on a long range trip. I would again like to thank you for your generosity.
 Thanks." 
Alec Robbie, Trabuco Canyon, (by email November 1, 2009)

By Bill Roecker

“Guadalupe Island was spectacular,” Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys told dock reporter Bill Roecker at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 3. “The trip was a real ten.”

The boat was just back from a ten-day trip with 24 anglers.

“Guadalupe was the best I’ve seen in a while. We spent two days there. Then we went down to Alijos Rocks for two days, and that place treated us pretty well. The best fishing there was on green mackerel and heavy line.

“We went in to The Ridge for school-size yellowfin and yellowtail. Above there we had some very good fishing on porpoise. We spent our last day at Cedros, where you could catch as many big yellowtail as you wanted.”

Dennis Evans of Texas spent 20 minutes at The Rocks pulling in a 104-pound tuna. He won the jackpot for it. The fish took a mackerel on a 3/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 40-pound P-Line and 50-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod.

“He rocked me,” said Dennis, who chartermastered the trip. “We were only in 50 feet of water, but I got him out by letting the line go slack.”

Gary Ritchie of Palos Verdes got his second-place 101-pounder in 20 minutes as well, after it took a mackerel on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 60-pound Izorline and 85-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet HX reel and a Super Seeker 6465 XH rod.

Keith Kamimura of Fountain Valley won third place for a 93.8-pound tuna.



Sport Chalet Trip Scores

Ray Lopez skippered American Angler on a ten-day trip with 16 anglers, and docked the boat November 3.

Jeff Nichols of Huntington Beach won first place for a 95.5-pound tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 1/0 Gorilla hook tied to 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 80-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with an Avet JX reel and a GRUSA seven-foot rod.

Bill Randall of Foothill Ranch won second place for a 93-pounder, and Richard Tanaka of Ontario won third place for an 86.5-pound yellowfin.

Chartermaster Brad Lemoine of Sport Chalet won honorable mention for his 95.5-pound tuna.



Big Skin, Nice Tuna

Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne brought the ten-day Rod & Reel Radio charter home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 3. There were 26 anglers aboard.

The trip’s best wahoo was a big one, a 71-pounder trolled up on a “Tony the Tiger” striped Marauder by Marc Morello of Cypress.

Sam Levin of Prescott, AZ won first place for a 94-pound yellowfin tuna that ate his sardine on a 4/0 ringed Mutu hook. He said he used 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 40-pound Maxima line and 50-pound Spectra on a new Accurate BX 500 reel and a Super Seeker 6470 H rod.

Glenn Ueda of Rancho Cucamonga won second place for an 89-pound tuna, and Jon Watanabe of Harbor City won third place for an 88-pound yellowfin.



“Hit Like A Truck”

Royal Star arrived at Fisherman’s Landing November 3 under Brian Sims’ hand, after a 10-day trip with the Ventura County Sportfishing Club.

Dave Green of San Diego won first place for a 125-pound tuna he caught after a 20-minute scrap.

“He hit like a truck,” said Green, “but he came in soon.”

Green said he used a sardine bait on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 80-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 reel with a Sheets-Baker Conversion, and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Brian Zimmerman, the trip’s chartermaster, won second place for a 96.5-pound tuna. Tim Wilson of San Diego won third place for a 95.5-pound yellowfin he got when it bit his mackerel as he was reeling in for the last time and the boat was ready to hoist the anchor.

"Waking up to a serene sunrise and flat calm weather," reported American Angler skipper Ray Lopez November 1, "it didn't take long before sweating and burning muscles were common symptoms on deck.

"For the best results in this morning's game, a couple cranks off the bottom with a yo-yo jig was the ticket and having the luxury to drop down at any time and get a bite - made this fun in the sun day truly picture perfect. With everybody getting what they wanted, one couldn't think of a nicer way to end a trip.

"Fermin Diaz poses with one of our better models of the day."



Big Jacks Bite

“Icing on the cake,” reported Independence November 1. “Today was excellent fishing for yellowtail, most 15 to 18 pounds, and around 50 of those 30 to 50 pounds. We had non-stop action from day light till dark. Again the weather was perfect, sunny & hot. All methods were the hot ticket, what ever you threw into the water. This was a great way to end our perfect trip. We are traveling to San Diego.”



That JJ Can Play

“What a way to finish up! We picked the right place to hunt for kelps today,” noted the report from Intrepid November 1.

“The action was good on both big wahoo and lots of dorado. We found kelps all day long and kept bent rods going for everyone as we traveled northbound. All this action was after we stuffed ourselves on Javier’s Sunday Brunch on The Intrepid. It was a huge display of Gourmet Food, that consisted of King Crab Legs, Oysters in the half shell, Shrimp, Crab claws, Prime Rib, Beef stir fry, Chicken stir fry, Fried rice, Eggs Benedict, and an AMAZING display of pastries.

“Last night we were treated an hour long solo act of Blues Music by Chef James 'JJ' Jordan and his great guitar skills. What a GREAT show!"



Star On Smooth Water

“For what would be our final full day of fishing we targeted two things, yellowtail and flat calm weather,” wrote Brian Sims for the Royal Star November 1.

“With mother nature's cooperation we found both. In the morning we made a couple of drifts for all of the 15 to 18-pound yellowtail that this group wanted. Every bait that hit the water was engulfed by hungry fish. It was the biting fish we wanted to round out a great trip. In the afternoon we went looking for Trophy class yellows. After checking numerous, off the beaten path spots, we found just a handful of 30 to 40-pound fish. We are headed up the line in good weather and will be in on Tuesday morning.”

By Bill Roecker

Dave Kennedy used to be the chef aboard the Royal Star. He was a very good chef, too, and I appreciated both his good company and his delightful meals, which were innovative and delicious, but some were almost too pretty to eat.

A few of my best long range meal memories came on an unforgettable Royal Star trip to Panama, with eight days on the water, searching for big tuna, with Kennedy as the chef. He was generous with his time for the camera and with sharing his recipes. The trip was unlike any other, and left me with a desire to go back and try that fishing again.

Since then, many anglers have come up to ask, “Hey Bill, what ever happened to that guy who used to put out those great meals on the Star?”

The answer came in Sunday’s Union Tribune, in a nice article by Caroline Dipping, “the Long Road to the Firehouse,” on page one of section G. If you missed the paper, you can see it HERE along with a pair of nice photos of Kennedy in his fire company duds.

It seems Dave had a good struggle, trying to become a fireman in his 40’s, going through the sort of boot camp all firemen must endure. He broke a foot doing it, and had to come back for a second try. Anybody who didn’t think he’d make it didn’t know Dave very well.

Kennedy made it onto the Vista Fire Department, where he’s now a firefighter at Station 6. The guys there all seem to enjoy his cooking. I’ll be darned. They have a tradition there that anyone from the department who appears in the media must treat the rest to ice cream. Dave owes a bit of that, now. He joked that he’d have to buy stock in Coldstone.

We couldn’t be more pleased that this nice guy has found a spot for himself that benefits so many citizens.

"Dear Anglers:

"After a few days of reflecting on my relationship with Bill Poole, I wanted write a few words about it. I worked for Bill on the Royal Polaris in Fall, 1975, when the boat was new. After working on that great boat for a short time, I knew that's what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a captain of a long-range boat just like Bill Poole.

"He and Steve Loomis taught me so much in the two years I worked there. They helped me get my captain's license and so much more.

"After a short break from the business in 1982, I got the opportunity to run Searcher (formerly Cape Polaris). Frank Lo Preste hired me, and after a year and a half we worked out a deal for me to purchase Searcher. Frank handed me this incredible boat on a silver platter. He and Bill cosigned on the note to guarantee it for the bank. Bill wanted to make sure the deal went through. Both Bill and Frank have done this several times to help out guys like me attain their goal of owning a sportboat in San Diego.

"Over the past 25 years owning Searcher, Bill has given me advice on a regular basis. He was always candid and honest. He didn't have any problem telling me if I had a bad or good idea. Bill was always there day or night. He used to say 'Call anytime,' and he meant it. I am truly blessed to have been associated with such an incredible man, and to have been his friend and colleague. I will miss him a lot.

"Celia and I have placed a banner on the transom of Searcher, temporarily renaming the boat Cape Polaris in Bill's honor. He and Ingrid had her built in 1970 and I am honored to own a Poole boat. The banner will stay in place until the boat starts operating in February.

"Also check out our new 2010 schedule, there will be a small black ribbon in Bill's memory.

"Good fishing (which we all enjoy thanks in part to Bill Poole),

"Capt. Art Taylor"

By Bill Roecker

“Good wahoo fishing,” remarked Royal Polaris skipper Roy Rose after docking the boat at Fisherman’s Landing November 1. “We fished at Alijos Rocks, The Ridge and up above.”

There were 28 anglers aboard for the ten-day trip, and they had a number of larger tuna from The Rocks, as well as a good catch from The Ridge. The most unusual specimen came from “up above.”


Bob Brister of Palm Springs caught the last fish of the trip, he said. It was a 58.2-pound white seabass, and it came up from 20 fathoms on heavy, 100-pound line, as Brister was looking for a big yellowtail to horse away from the rocks.

“My best white ever,” said Bob, who got it with a sardine.

Ron Brister of Austin, TX won first place in the jackpot for a 92.2-pound yellowfin that took a sardine on a 4/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 40-pound Izorline and 80-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 6-3 reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

“It took an hour,” said brother Ron."He was a stubborn fish, but he came up in the end at the port corner.”

Marcos Flores of La Habra won second place for an 86.8-pound tuna. Duane Gray of Laguna Beach won third place for an 84.4-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.



Fish Of The Year? Already?

Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing November 1 after the 14-day annual Winter Wanderlust trip of 14 days with 20 anglers. He had two very large tuna aboard, one he estimated at over 330 pounds. There were 11 cows on the boat.

“There weren’t many close to 200 pounds,” Cates told Bill Roecker as he cinched up the big one. “They were either 220 or more or they didn’t make it.”

Hoisted on the certified scales, the massive critter came in well over its estimated weight, tipping the digital scales to 351.2 pounds, a weight that has in past years often made fish of the year honors.

The giant yellowfin was caught by 75-year-old Bob Peters of Medford, OR, and won first place in the jackpot. He said his best previous tuna went 260. Bob said he used a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri leader, 130-pound Izorline and 100-pound Line One Spectra.

As Cates was hoisting the tuna, I remarked to Bob, “That is one big SOB, he might be bigger than Andy thought.”


“I called him a lot worse than that,” said Bob, “when I was pulling on him.

“He made several runs,” added Bob, “and took about two-thirds of my line. He came up in the front of the boat, on the port side.”

Jim Kokesh of El Granada had a fish on the cusp of 300 pounds, but the scales said it weighed 294, good enough for second place. Kokesh said he took it with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Blackwater Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Boomer Jr. rod.

“He fought long and hard,” said Kokesh, “for about two hours.”

John Nelson of Escondido won third place for a 277.2-pound tuna. That one bit on a live skipjack festooned with an 11/0 Mustad 7691 hook. Nelson said he used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.

“He took me around the boat once,” said Nelson. “He came up in the port corner.”

John Wichmann of Oceanside bagged a brace of cows weighing 236 and 258 pounds. He fished sardines on 5/0 Super Mutu hooks. He fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 XH rod.

Mike Butler of Sonoma took a 235.8-pound tuna on a four-pound yellowfin pinned to a 12/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker he used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXH rod.

Joe Davidson of San Pedro caught a 226.5-pound tuna on a sardine and a 12/0 Mustad circle hook. He fished with 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 130-popund Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Shimano TTS 50 reel by Cal sheets and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

Larry Martin of Dayton, NV bagged a 265.5-pounder with a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Maxima line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

“It took about an hour and 15 minutes,” said Larry, “in the skiff. Everyone should go for a skiff ride at least once!”

Charles Tanaka of San Francisco got a 2565-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook. He told Roecker he used 130-pound Seaguar and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 topless reel and a Calstar 770 H rod.

David Snyder of Thailand came back to the US to fish, and caught a 220-pounder on an 8/0 Mustad J hook, a 94150, he thought. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 30 T reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

“My best fish,” he told Roecker. “He fought for 45 minutes, and he came up at the bow.”

Fred Wakefield of Tustin got the trip’s “small cow,” a 211.9-pound yellowfin that bit on his sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 100-pound Momoi Diamond line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod, custom-wrapped by Melton’s. He said the fish fought for 40 minutes and came up on the starboard stern corner.