Now 52 and a plumber at Kephart Plumbing, he also does work for Lorton-Mitchell Custom Homes. Charlie Iwashita was born, grew up and still lives in San Diego’s south Bay area. At Pt. Loma Sportfishing January 31, Charlie told dock reporter Bill Roecker some of his story about what happened on the 14 ½ day Avet-sponsored trip aboard the American Angler. The trip got 15 cows, including Charlie’s three supercows.

Charlie is the first angler in a very long time to hook three 300-pound tuna on the same trip, and maybe the first to hook and land two of them. The tuna weighed 322, 319 and 311 pounds on the boat. He passed the third one to Bobby Gott, the last man aboard not to have hooked a big tuna.

“You sure you want to hand me this fish?” asked Gott. “It’s real heavy.”

“It’s okay,” Gott remembers Charlie saying. “Go ahead and take it.”

It was that attitude that struck American Angler skipper Brian Kiyohara as selfless and good karma to a degree he couldn’t remember seeing before.

The first supercow Charlie hooked was on the third day of fishing, he said.

“The other two came on the next to last day and the last day of fishing. My best tuna before was a 202-pounder.

“I’ve been on this trip for the last three years. The big one came on a long soak. The bites weren’t fast; I call it ‘touch fishing.’ These big fish have been coming for years, and it shows what the fleet is all about. Be sure to credit Justin Fleck of the Excel for the assist.

“I was lucky to be born in South Bay,” continued Charlie. “My dad and cousin took the time to teach me to fish when I was a kid. I’ve been fishing all my life. I get good information from your website.”

Charlie’s 322-pounder won first place in the jackpot. His provided information said he got that one with a mackerel on a 7/0 Super Mutu hook, 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a Shimano 50 W reel modified by Cofe, or Larry Cofeen, and a Seeker 6455 XXH rod, a blank from Squidco.


Iwashita’s 319-pounder was caught on a sardine pinned to a 5/0 gorilla hook. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a narrow Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod built from a Squidco blank.

The third supercow weighed 311 pounds, the fish he handed to Bobby Gott. Charlie also got a 209-pounder on the same rig, the one that went into the water for the skiff chase that ensued with Shawn Steward as boatman in the skiff so generously provided by the Excel.

The bait was a sardine for the cow, and a mackerel for the supercow. The rig used a 5/0 Gorilla hook on 100-pound Izorline and 100-pound Spectra, with the exception of Yo-Zuri Hybrid line on the 209-pounder. The reel was a 30 TLD with a Tiburon kit by Cofe and a Super Seeker 6465 XXH rod.

The story of the skiff chase, previously posted, was embellished by Gott, who said, “Charlie’s fish went down swell, and mine went up. I got a 351-pounder in 1987 on the 105 with Doc Ski. Chartermaster Ben Frazier put on a good trip. I won a new HX Raptor at the first night’s raffle!”

The next-largest tuna, a 272-pounder, was ineligible, caught on a double sardine rig and a balloon by Ralph “The Long Ranger” Mikkelsen of Northridge, who turns 79 this March and has likely been on more trips than anyone not a crewman.

Ralph said he got it with Mustad 3997 hooks, one in the nose and one in the meat of the tail. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 50 W reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. Ralph said he didn’t use a harness or the rail, and brought that big boy to gaff in 30 minutes, around sundown. He had a comment about the skiff chase:

“We could have put six outfits on that fish and still wouldn’t have got it. Thanks, Justin!”

Robin LeMaster of Brawley got a 273-pounder to win second place. He thanked Ben Frazier, and said he fished sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu, with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 100-pound Line One Spectra, an Avet 30 W reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod. He also got a 209-pounder.

Tony Duprey of Santa Barbara found a 263-pound tuna with a mackerel on a 7/0 Gorilla ringed hook on 100-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He said he used an Accurate topless 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7565 XH rod to beat the fish in an hour.

“My best before was 211 pounds,” he told Roecker. “It was an immediate bite, close to the stern. I got him with some help from the crew.”

Patrick Gallagher of Ventura won third place for a 243-pound yellowfin. He bagged it with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 30 W reel and a custom five-foot Calstar rod built by Eric’s Tackle.

John VanDeventer of Canyon City bagged a 239-pounder after an hour-long fight. He said it bit on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 100-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 765 XH rod.


Richard Clark of San Diego caught a 227-pound tuna with a sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Accurate 30 reel and a Calstar 770 H rod. He said the fight went on for an hour and a half. Clark caught a wahoo that had been tagged.

Galen Steward took a 224 and a 220-pound tuna with chunks. He fished with 8/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Momoi fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 S reel with a one to one gear ratio and a Calstar 760 XH rod. He credited the crew for his catch.

Kub Ito of Harbor City caught a 210-pounder with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 100-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

Glenn Bummer of La Crescenta took an hour to boat his 205-pounder after it took a sardine on a 6/0 Mutu hook. He said he used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 30 reel and a Calstar 760 XH rod.

“Our good luck continued today,” reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck January 29, “with good fishing in the morning and excellent fishing in the afternoon.


“The morning brought a steady pick on these big tuna and we were able to keep one hanging all the time. When the afternoon rolled around, things heated up and we had as many as six going until dark.

“Most of the fish are coming on fly lined sardines but some guys are doing very well on the chunk. Vince Fathead Otani picked up his second cow today on a chunk. Auggie Roberts, Bob "Bubbles" Maugh, and Al Merrick also picked up fish above the 200-pound mark.

“All in all it was a good day to be fishing. We will be spending the night and doing it all again tomorrow.”



Baked Tuna Dinner

My wife made a tuna dinner that looked good when we read the original recipe in “Fish Dishes Of The Pacific…From the Fishwife,” a great book by Shirley Rizzuto, published by Hawaii Fishing News POB 25413 Honolulu, Hawaii 96825, back in 1986. The book has provided us with many delicious meals for years, but this time was one of the best.

I thought the dinner was one of the best tuna dishes I’ve ever had, maybe in the top five.

We have our tuna processed by Sportsmen’s Seafoods and Five Star Fish, the dependable outfits who meet long range boats at the dock, so this tuna was vacuum-packed and frozen, but it came out great. This piece came from Five Star.

We had to change the recipe a bit because we had no wine, which is called for in the original recipe. My wife also changed the vegetables to suit what was on hand.

Here’s what we enjoyed.

Two pounds of yellowfin fillet, sliced into one-inch steaks

Green onions, a red or green pepper, ½ cup of chopped celery

½ regular can of diced or chopped tomatoes

Small can of mushrooms (if you don’t have fresh, as we did)

Salt & pepper to taste

One large fresh tomato

Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On the stove, simmer the vegetables until soft. Add tomatoes and mushrooms, stir until blended. Take it off the stove, set it aside.

Put the tuna steaks flat into an oiled baking pan. Bake three minutes and turn the fish. You can add the sauce here as we did or wait another three minutes and then add it. Remove the pan, top with tomato slices and grated cheese, then slip it back in the oven for 3 or 4 minutes.

The result for us was excellent, non-fishy-tasting Ahi with all you need for a good meal except for bread, drinks, etc. It should serve four to six people.

“As far as a story goes,” said the report from American Angler January 28, “we think that it would be near impossible to conjure up one like this much less than to see it happen right before everyone's eyes. We have watched the tackle change over the years, been to many exotic places in search of yellowfin tuna, been on some of the great big tuna trips over the last 25 years and have witnessed countless epic battles, both won and lost but yesterday proved that we will never see it all.

“The story pretty much starts where yesterday left off. We have been talking about Charlie Iwashita every day on deck just because of his extraordinary display of selflessness throughout the trip. About a week ago after boating a few nice fish, Charlie hooked another fish and passed it off to another fellow angler that was down on his luck without even thinking twice about it.

“While this angler was fighting that particular fish Charlie proceeded to hook and land a 322-pound giant. Yesterday, you already know if you have been following the story; he boated a fish over 200 pounds in the morning and when he hooked another fish, he knew without thinking the right thing to do would be to help the last person aboard that had not yet landed a ‘heavy.’ That ended with the success story of Bobby Gene Gott landing an amazing 311-pound fish. Charlie was as stoked as Bobby and we struggle to think of as many examples of good deeds that we have been fortunate enough to witness.

“That brings us to today which was also our last day of fishing. We woke up in the morning in the right place because it was shortly after grey light when we began to see fish gather around us. Even though they showed excellent both visually and on the fish finding equipment, the fish were very hard to hook. We picked away on good grade fish between 100 and 160 pounds.

“Because of yesterday's big fish, we all knew the next bait could be the one, the bait to hook a cow. It was about mid afternoon when Charlie hooked a fish on an Avet 50, heavy line and a sardine. The fish shook his head, made a few short runs and then decided to go. It didn't take long to empty the reel and we attached a buoy and an 80-sized reel filled with spectra and we threw the original rig in the water.

“A few minutes later, we realized that the fish was not stopping and we scrambled to grab another backup rig. This time we attached one of our own 50 W reels to another float rig. The fish still did not stop and we rushed to make another backup rig which came together right in the nick of time. Our 50 W was almost at the knot when we threw that one in the water attached to another 80-sized reel. Amazingly, the fish was still running and the line on the third backup was disappearing at a steady rate.

“Decision time. Do we pull the anchor and risk everybody else's chance at a shot to hook a cow, or do we throw another thousand-dollar rig in the water when already there are three rigs swimming?

“The whole time we have been keeping the rest of the fleet involved in our story, when another "do good" event took place. After hearing about Charlie's previous exploits, Captain Justin Fleck of the mighty Excel volunteered to come over in their skiff to take part in the drama. When he arrived Charlie got in the skiff accompanied by Justin and Shawn Steward (he was unquestionably in good hands) and the battle continued.

“It wasn't long before they put the second backup aboard but that's when the work started. A 50w full of spectra took awhile to reel back and when they got to the original backup unbelievably the thing was still hauling butt.

After winding on a full 80-sized reel and getting Charlie's original outfit aboard, the fish was still moving and very much alive. Keeping in radio contact and getting the blow by blow Justin and Shawn both described the fish simply as" mean". They got the fish close three times only to have it rip more line off the reel.

“Finally after 2 hours, they got the fish and started heading back to the boat. Right away everyone wanted to know--how big?

“When we asked, we got the simple reply of, ‘Maybe about 180 or so.’

“We did our best to mask our disbelief with a simple ‘Right on, and have a safe trip back.’

“Everyone on deck and everyone listening on the radio was questioning the truth behind it all and it was answered when they got back and we put the fish aboard the big boat. It was an emotional scene of exuberance when hoisted up on the scale this great fish weighed in at 319 pounds!

The three backups in the water, hooking three 300-pound fish in one trip; all of which we have never seen before, was amazing. The heart that this great fish possessed was bested only by the good karma that is involved with everyone that was involved. The generosity of Justin and the Excel to the unequaled moral values that Charlie has makes this the ultimate feel good story.

“If anyone out there in Internet Fishing Land doesn't get the ‘do good things and good things will happen’ business by now, you probably never will.”

"If anyone out there in internet fishing land doesn't get the 'do good things and good things will happen' business by now, you probably never will."



Copying Cows

Excel skipper Justin Fleck has settled into a good bite on the southern banks. His latest report, dated January 28, shows a good prolonged nibble.


“Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday here on the lower banks. The tuna showed up at sunrise and stuck with us all day. This is not the kind of fishing where everyone has one on at one time, just a nice steady pick with one to three hanging. We hope we can keep this pace up for a while.”



Took A Look Around

“Slow this morning for us,” reported Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint January 28, “so we opted to go prospecting in search of greener pastures to no avail.

“We managed to scratch on 40 to 90-pounders this afternoon when we got back to our hotspot to somewhat save the day but had no shots at the bigger fish. We are sitting tight tonight in beautiful weather with high hopes for tomorrow.

“Today's shot shows Jerry Nguyen with a 222-pound yellowfin.”



New White Seabass Record

Tom Pfleger of Newport Beach, founder of PIER and the holder of numerous world records over the years, has earned another. The January-February issue of the IGFA’s International Angler noted Tom’s catch of a 51-pound five-ounce white seabass off La Salin, Mexico (sic) on squid and six-pound line gas won him the line class record for the species.

Half-Day Charter or Overnight?

“Bill,

I found you in the Feb. issue of Sportfishing Magazine in Tuna Mas! Great article. Could you please suggest a fishing charter for my 14-year old son who is an experienced fisherman. We are visiting Oceanside end of May. I am looking for a $400 half day charter, and regarding boats out of San Diego, I do not know anything about them. I would greatly appreciate your trusty advice. Any suggestions, please? 
Many thanks.” 
Kate C. (by email January 28, 2010)

Bill’s Reply

Hi, Kate: 
I’ll try to answer your question. Most half-day boats are 60 feet or more, and $400 for one might be less than they’re willing to charge. You could try to charter a smaller boat from San Diego at Fisherman’s Landing, Pt. Loma Sportfishing, H&M or maybe Seaforth Sportfishing. Or you could save the money and just buy tickets on a half-day boat in May. They’re usually not too crowded until school gets out in June, although I can’t guarantee it... 


I think he might also be able to make two trips aboard overnight boats from San Diego or Oceanside (11 PM to the next evening) for about that much. If yellowtail are biting that might be a good possibility, with bigger fish than are likely on a half-day trip. 
I hope this helps.

This season has offered anglers the best chance ever to hook a 300-pound yellowfin tuna, and fishermen are taking advantage of the opportunity. Today’s report from the American Angler is one more demonstration of the number and availability of supercows.

“We have been told before that sometimes our do-good stories on our reports can be a little much,” said the report from January 27.

“Charlie Iwashita hooked a fish when bites were really hard to come by. He landed a 210-pound fish which has topped off an already incredible trip for him. He took a break and a few baits later hooked another one and handed it off to Bobby Gene Gott. Bobby is an accomplished fisherman but due to bad knees and choppy weather he has been staying off his feet quite a bit. He got back on them right away when the fish spooled him and the backup rig was deployed. After a long epic battle, he boated an incredible 311-pound fish. Charlie, who not only has the upmost respect for his elders but has the compassion to go out of his way to help those in need, has compiled an enormous amount of brownie points.

“The overall day was frustrating as we had fish all around us throughout the day, but had trouble hooking them and we watched some of our other boats hook steady fish. We ended up with 7 good grade fish and the opportunity to hook a fish of a lifetime was realistic all day.”



On The Far Bank

“The weather continues to be beautiful here at Hurricane Bank,” noted the report from Royal Polaris January 27, “where we had a good day on tuna from 90 to 190 pounds, with a few Wahoo mixed in. We are going to fish this area tomorrow, so wish us luck!”



Excel’s Fishing Hard On Cows

“We had another good day of fishing on big tuna,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck January 27.


“The action didn't start until the late morning for us but once they got on us, they stuck. Angler of the day had to be Bill Sands of Valley Center. Bill started off the day with a 208-pound tuna for his personal best. Later in the day he beat that with a 218-pounder. Both fish were caught on fly lined sardines.

“Al Scow "the fisherman's pal," also added another cow to his impressive resume with a 215-pounder caught on the kite. The weather remains outstanding for us so we are going to sit tight and do it all again tomorrow.”



“Scratching At Quality Tuna”

“Another nice day of scratching at quality tuna while enjoying beautiful flat calm weather,” wrote Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint January 27.

“We ended up with fourteen fish today, most of which were 150 to 185 pounds, with three tuna over the mark that went 205 to 230 pounds. With lots of time left and a great weather forecast, we have no intentions of going anywhere else.

“Today's shots show Brandon Zimmerman as he shows off his first deuce, a 225-pounder.”

“Today we turned our luck around and had some action on big tuna,” noted skipper Justin Fleck aboard Excel January 26.

“The fish got on us in the grey and stuck with us all day. Most of the fish were in the 125 to 175-pound class but we did manage to boat a few fish from 200 to 255 pounds. Big fish honors today goes to Vince 'fat head' Otani with his 255-pound yellowfin caught on a fly lined sardine with 130-pound fluorocarbon and an 8/0 eagle claw 2004 hook. There were also plenty of heartbreaks today, which goes with the territory I guess. The weather is now flat calm and we will be here again tomorrow.”



Cows And Flat Calm

“Slow picking but the quality made for a nice day,” observed Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint from the southern banks January 26.

“We ended up with 14 fish, six of which were 203 to 295 pounds, with the rest ranging from 100 to 197 pounds. Everything was on the 100 to 130-pound flourocarbon and a flylined sardine, with the exception of one cow taken on the chunk. Our weather is flat calm and the forecasts say we can look forward to at least three more days of this. As most of you know from following along with the reports, the weather is critical on these lower banks so good forecasts are a cause for celebration. We are sitting tight tonight, with hopes they're on us again tomorrow.

“Today's shot shows Jan Abbott and Bruce Lozekar hanging on heavies.”

"We fought the weather once again as the wind and huge groundswell never seems to go away," read the American Angler report January 24. "We scratched away throughout the day but things didn't get right until the afternoon. Whether or not it was time of day or in the right place at the right time we had a great stop right before dark. There was plenty of action as bites were easy and fast to come by. After scratch fishing for cows this was just what the Doctor ordered. The boys are pictured with some of the fish after they got done gill and gutting all the fish."



Found The Calves Right Away

“We arrived at the lower banks around 0300,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck January 25, “and spent most of the morning looking around to try and figure out the water structure. After we found where we thought that we wanted to be, we put the anchor down and sat for a few hours with no luck. In the afternoon, it wasn't hard to find fish but they were not the size we were looking for. At the end of the day we covered a ton of good territory but came up empty-handed. We are going to spend the night and hope that it was just a down day. Wish us luck...”



Making A Move

“We left January 19 on the Jerry Brown Line One Spectra trip. We had stormy weather all the way down and the first three days on the lower banks. With only a handful of fish we are now traveling to the outside zone. Our computer is down so the reports will be updated through the office,” said the report from Royal Polaris January 25.



A Big Improvement

“Randy Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint drove around with Justin all day yesterday,” Royal Star skipper and co-owner Tim Ekstrom told Bill Roecker January 26, “and nothing much happened until just before dark, when the boat got a 232-pounder.

“Today, Randy says the weather is beautiful, with four days of Santa Ana weather predicted. This morning they’re already got six good fish on the boat, from 150 to 295 pounds!”

Joe Crisci docked Qualifier 105 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing January 24 after the 15-day Loftus & Martin charter with 23 anglers aboard. John Loftus and Larry Martin were aboard as chartermasters. The trip visited Hurricane Bank and the southern banks off lower Baja, and brought home five cows, along with an assortment of wahoo and medium-sized tuna to over 100 pounds.


“There weren’t many wahoo around on the Hurricane,” said Martin, “but 100-pound tuna were around us for five days. When we went in we saw a lot of fish on the inside, jumping.”

“Fishing was okay,” agreed skipper Crisci, “with one really good day. Sharks were bad out there, they ate most of our good fish. It was a full on maul. Then we fished the southern banks, and for two days we had excellent shows, but they weren’t biting as good as they were showing. We got most of our cows there.”

Tom Kellaher of Corona del Mar won first place for a 236-pound tuna. He said it ate his sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 130-pound Maxima fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra, and used a Penn 15 KG reel and a Penn five and half-foot rod.

Mordy Kay of LA tied for second with Gary Schall of Huntington Beach for second and third. Both men had 202-pound yellowfin.

Kay said he got his fish with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Suepr Mutu hook on 130-pound Maxima fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 66463 XXXXH rod.

“I finally got that SOB to bend,” commented Mordy.

Gary Schall got his tuna with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

“That’s an awesome rod,” he said. “I’m going to get a couple more, thanks to Randy at Seeker.”

An angler who identified himself as “Patrick from Costa Mesa,” got two cows. One weighed 217 and the other 202 pounds on the scales at Pt. Loma. He said the bigger one “just about killed me.”

Patrick fished sardines on 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He said he used Momoi 130-pound line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 755 XXH rod to beat the fish in 45 minutes.



Tough Weather Prompts Move

“We have heard about the weather back home,” said the report from American Angler January 22, “so we have to keep things in perspective. We have dodged the bullet thus far as we have enjoyed decent weather up to this point. Last night on the anchor we got tossed and turned like a rag doll. After a few good fish in the dark, including one giant cow that was lost close to the boat (all on Salas PL 68's), daylight arrived and we knew it was going to be a long day. The sea condition was in turmoil so moving around was not going to be an option. We were lucky to have good fish around us all day so we were always in the game.

“Bites were hard to come by and once hooked these big fish had to be landed under some of the most extreme fish-fighting conditions. Robin Le master did a great job landing a 273-pound beast and Kub Ito's persistence paid off with a 210-pound fish. We ended up with 10 good-sized fish, and throughout the day the wind clocked around from the south to the northwest. For those of you that have loved ones aboard with us don't picture the perfect storm as we always realize that there is not a fish that exists that is more important then one's personal well-being. We pulled the anchor and are making a move looking for action and the traveling is not bad as the sea condition is getting better all the time.”



Excel’s On Her Way Down

“We departed yesterday on a 15-day open trip,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck, “in rainy, windy weather. We picked up a nice load of bait, and cleared the point around lunch. Encountered some rough weather through out the night, but this morning it seems like it's getting better all the time. Today we will have a full tackle seminar. Tomorrow we’ll spend the day putting reels on rods and rigging gear. As of right now, we are heading down toward the lower banks. Wish us luck.”



The Cow Count

“Cows” are tuna weighing over 200 pounds. Supercows weigh over 300 pounds. Right now the count stands at: 454 cows, including 34 supercows over 300 pounds, tallied on January 24, 2010. The fleet’s opportunity to beat last year’s incredible scores on the giants, the supercows, remains excellent.

Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys brought the boat home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing January 22 after the last long trip of the fall-winter season, a 16-day run with 25 anglers aboard. They had six cows. The trip was sponsored by Rick Ozaki of West Coast Marketing, who was aboard as chartermaster. He had an encounter with a supercow.

Ken Buzzell of San Pedro won first place in the jackpot for a 273.9-pound yellowfin, a fish he’d been hoping for over a long time, his best tuna ever.

Ken said his tuna ate a sardine on a 5/0 ringed gorilla hook tied to 100-pound Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon.

“I got him in 15 minutes,” said Ken. “He came in backward, tail-wrapped.”

Buzzell used 100-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 W reel and a Calstar 770 H rod, wrapped for him by Alex Masumoto of The Rusty Hook.

Louie Marzari of Yorba Linda won second place for a 271-pounder.

“I’m 69,” he told Bill Roecker. “He was cooperative, I got him in 20 minutes with heavy drag.”

Skipper DeBuys was standing nearby.

“Man drag,” said DeBuys with a grin. “Louie got him on man drag.”


Louie said he baited a sardine on a 5/0 Hayabusa hook on 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 100-pound Yo-Zuri line, with 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. He fished with an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod.

Tony Sanders of Torrance won third place for a 250-pounder. He also had one at 222 pounds. He said the big one fought for two and a half hours.

Sanders fished a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader. He used 100-pound P-Line for a topshot, tied to 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 665 XXH rod.

Jeff Liu of Alameda got a 240-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Gorilla hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He fished with 130-pound Line One Spectra, an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

“My best before was a 237-pounder,” said Jeff, “so I didn’t beat it by much!”

Charley Smith of Menifee took 40 minutes to whip a 218-pound tuna that gobbled a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook. He went light, with 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 80-pound Izorline and 100-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 660 H rod.

Chartermaster Rick Ozaki had a good story.

“I was on a fish that was over 300 pounds for 45 minutes,” he remembered. “I had him close, and I saw the line pop out of his mouth when he chewed through it.”

DeBuys liked what he saw from his anglers.

“We got near-limits of tuna. This was the right group for the job,” he said. “Wherever we went, wherever I turned the boat, we had good fishing. It was an expert group.”



Super Cow For AA

“We saw sign in our two previous day's hot spots but every time we tried it, we could not hook any fish,” said the report from American Angler January 21. "By mid-morning the huge WNW groundswell was combined with 15-20 knots of SSE wind, which made it next to impossible to find breaking fish or mammals. Luckily we saw scattered fish associated with an area where we have caught them in the past so we gave it a chance. We were ready to pull the anchor and start looking around when we hooked our first fish.


“We were seeing meter life the whole time with a couple of boils so after we were engaged we stayed put on the anchor all afternoon. It was very tough to get a bite as we only had about 16 or 18 actual hookups. Even though we had choppy weather we still landed 10 fish. The most incredible fact was that 80% of the fish boated were 210 pounds and above which made it worthwhile to keep trying.

“We are proud to have Charlie Iwashita as one of our AA regulars. He is a great fisherman but also he proves the point of ‘you do good things and good things will happen.’ He was fortunate enough to already have a few nice fish in the bag this trip so when he hooked his second fish of the day, he immediately handed his fish off to a less fortunate Friend even though he knew the chances of it being a cow was 4 out of 5.

“After the good deed was done, it was a matter of a few baits before Charlie's life was to be changed forever. He hooked a fish and after a few minutes it was apparent that it was a good one. After about an hour his fish hit the deck and it weighed in at 322 pounds. Everybody was stoked and knew of the good gesture and we all realized that Charlie's fish was well deserved. Also pictured is are Pat Gallagher and Shawn with Pat’s 242-pound fish.”

The Catchy Tackle-Pelagic 15-day trip aboard Red Rooster III returned January 21 with 19 anglers and skipper Andy Cates at the helm. The boat visited the Hurricane Bank, Clarion Island’s Buffer Zone and the southern banks off Baja, and found near-limits of tuna, with a good catch of wahoo as well. There were five cows aboard and two chartermasters for the two sponsoring companies: Fred Knilans and Sonny Jones.

Dylan Malmberg of Encinitas caught two cows on two casts, he said, and weighed them in at 249 and 229 pounds at the H&M Landing scales. The big one won first place. Dylan said it took a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook.

“He got tail-wrapped and he almost spooled me,” said Dylan. “I sat on my rod with my feet off the deck. He fought me for two hours.”

Malmberg said he used 130-pound Momoi Diamond leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.

Catchy Tackle rep Fred Knilans won second place for a 237-pound yellowfin he got with a sardine on a ringed 5/0 Super Mutu hook. Fred said he used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Momoi Diamond line with 130-pound Izorline Spectra on n Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 M rod.

“He was a hard fighter,” said Fred. “I thought about my wife and kids the whole time.”

Bill Branstetter of Mission Viejo got a 235-pounder with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Baja Boomer Jr. rod.

A shout went up from Bob “Scrappy” Michener of Oxnard when his 210-pounder was weighed.

“It’s my 40th cow,” said Bob. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this! He’s long and skinny, and he pulled hard. I got 36 of the 40 on Accurate reels.”

Bob said his tuna ate a sardine on a 12/0 Mustad circle hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 100-pound Izorline mono and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760 XH rod.



Bumpy But Productive

“We started the morning on the anchor for the same results as the previous day,” read the report from American Angler January 20, “as it was apparent right away that we were in the wrong spot. The hunt started immediately as the crew cleaned the lenses on their pipes and went to work.



“We saw scattered sign in the morning for just a couple of fish and in the afternoon the stuff got together and showed pretty good. We hit a couple of spots late that had some fish with it but as the old story goes, we wish that we could have hooked more fish. We had some shots at some good fish and enjoyed a pretty good show but only tagged eight fish for the day.

“John Vandeventer (Big John) was one of the fortunate ones with a 239 which is quite an accomplishment because the boat was really jerking around due to the giant ground swell. Ralph Mikkelsen was up to his old tricks with the help from his buddy Shawn (Wingnut) Steward and bested today’s largest fish, which weighed a respectable 272 pounds.”



On Her Way In

“Skipper Jeff DeBuys called in with a report for the last day of fishing,” said the report from Independence January 20. “They tried for yellowtail on the ride north and had some action on the yellows for the fresh well. Everyone for a chance to catch a few and then they took off north.

"With the impending storms they are making as much ground as possible and may be in a little early, weather permitting. The Indy will arrive at Point Loma Sportfishing at 6:30 AM on Friday Jan 22. If you plan to meet the boat bring your rain gear…”



Loftus & Martin 15-Day Trip

“Our Satellite hand set is broken so we are getting most of the fish report after they get back from their trip,” noted the Qualifier 105 office January 18. “We did talk to skipper Joe Crisci, he told us that they just arrived at Hurricane Bank this morning. The weather is beautiful and everyone is having a blast. We will contact Joe and have the oral fish report soon. Joe's writing day to day reports and will give them to us in their entirety when he returns.”



Super Spouts Seen

The past days have been hard on us drylanders in Southern California. We like the water, but maybe not quite so much so fast. The thunderstorms coming in with the last few fronts have brought some rarely-seen tornados and waterspouts. This picture came from Jeanne Sleeper and was shot near Oak Street in Laguna Beach. She sent it to Captain Dan Walsh of Encinitas, who passed it along to FishingVideos.com.

Excel returned to Fisherman’s Landing January 20 under Justin Fleck’s hand after the annual Team Hoo Cow Hunt 15-day trip. The boat was loaded with large tuna up to 345 pounds, and visited El Banco off Mainland Mexico as well as the southern banks off Baja. Ken Bell and Mark Dorton were chartermasters.

“We found excellent drift fishing for 80 to 150-pound tuna on huge bird schools down there,” remarked Fleck to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “Our biggest fish were all on the southern banks.

“It was 82 degrees at El Banco,” continued Fleck, “and the bird schools were so big they showed up from many miles away on the radar, big old blobs of birds. Fishing was so fast the kite rotation lasted 15 seconds to two minutes. We didn’t have much more room for fish. We ended up with ten tuna over 200 pounds and two were over 300.”

Eric Griggs of Melbourne, FL spent three hours and 15 minutes battling a 345.6-pound yellowfin tuna.

“After an hour and a half I was getting anywhere with him,” said Griggs, “so they put me in the skiff. He bit on a double sardine rig under a balloon.”

Eric said he used 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 130-pound Momoi fluorcarbon, 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 80 w reel modified by Cal Sheets, on a Calstar 660 XXH rod.

Griggs posed with his fish, mildly concerned that his six-foot, five-inch height might make it look small. It still looked big. He said his best previous tuna weighed 237 pounds.

Wes Neally of Yorba Linda also got a supercow, a 302-pounder, on a sardine and a 6/0 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 Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXH rod.

“He came up on the bow after I went for a skiff ride during the three and a half-hour fight,” said Wes. “Yeah, he spooled me. He came up on the bow at the end. My best fish before was 257 pounds."

Dean Jefferies of Paso Robles won third place for a 286-pound tuna.

“It was two hours plus,” said Dean. “He stayed out on the surface and finally came up on the stern, thanks to Mike Ramirez for helping me.”

Dean said he used a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel worked over by Cal Sheets on a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.

Carl Dorton of Tarzana bagged a 274-pounder on a sardine under a balloon on an 8/0 REC hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-popund Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Sabre 655 XXXH rod.

Chartermaster Ken Bell of Camarillo got a 273-pounder he called “…a hard fish.”

Bell fished a sardine on an 8/0 Black Pearl Eagle Claw hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 VSW reel and a Calstar 7455 XH rod.

Mark Dorton (Carl’s son) of Woodland Hills found a 266-pounder with a sardine on an 8/0 REC hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra, on a Penn 50 VSW worked by Sheets and a Calstar 7565 H rod.

David Bowers of Adelanto got a 255-pounder on a double sardine rig under the kite. He said he used a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 W reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXH rod.

Al Shakespeare of Glendale spent a long time coaxing a 245-pounder that bit on a sardine and a ringed Super Mutu hook.

“Two hours,” said Al, “he was a mean fish.”

He used a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook and 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon tied to 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Sheets’ treated Penn 50 S reel and a Calstar 7455 XH rod.

John Nappo of Long Island, NY was on a turnaround, the second of two successive trips. He got a 210-pounder in 90 minutes on a sardine and a 7/0 Quick Rig hook on a BHP wind-on leader of 80-pound Seaguar and 100-pound Line One Spectra.

“My rig was awesome,” he told Roecker. “I got all my fish on both trips on an Accurate 30 and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.”

Steve Olson of Newbury Park had a three-hour fish of 206 pounds. It was a sardine-biter. He used a 6/0 Eagle Claw hook, 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and a130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 S reel worked over by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 655 XH rod.

Curt Wiesenhutter (388-pound world record holder) of Coeur d’ Alene, ID got a 202-pounder. It was a warm-up for his second trip, as he planned to go back out with the Excel.

“My luck wasn’t all good this time,” explained Curt. “I lost one big fish during a spooling and broke a hook on another.”

Curt got his tuna with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 655 XXXH rod.

Skipper Fleck said his Puerto Vallarta fish didn’t come from the bank itself, but from several miles off. One of the fish caught on this trip on the southern banks had been tagged and released by Royal Star in 2007, he noted.

“It was only six miles from there when we caught it again!”



First Spinning Reel Cow

“We had 27 cows and the supercow,” said Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne January 20, after docking at Pt. Loma Sportfishing. He was just back from the 12-day WestCoastFishing.com trip with 18 anglers. “We had four great days out of six days of fishing.”

Jack Gibson of Oceano had the supercow, a 338.4-pounder he fooled with a squid under a balloon. The big squish was pinned to a 20/0 Mustad circle hook, he said.

“He got most of my line on the first run,” Gibson told dockside scribe Bill Roecker. “Then he made three or four more runs during the fight. When he came up at the end we got him at the bow. My best fish before this one was 45 pounds.”


That made this one his best by 293 pounds, maybe the widest spread to date.

Gibson’s fish wasn’t eligible for the jackpot. He used a boat rig with 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6364 XXXXH rod.

Chartermaster John Bakos of WestCoastFishing.com won first place for a 277-pound tuna. He said he bagged it with a squid under the kite on the boat’s rig after a fight of an hour and a half.

“My best fish before was a 72-pounder,” he remarked. He also had a 210-pounder.

Kurt Kohler won second place for a 255-pounder.

David Tang of Tucson won third place for a 250-pound tuna, a fish he took with a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook and a four-ounce sinker on 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with an Accurate 12 topless reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. He also had a 219-pound tuna.

Kevin Fitler of Truckee caught a 255-pound yellowfin with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a topless Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 XXH rod.

Eric “The Wireman” Berga of Kona, HI also bagged a 255-pounder, with a sardine and a 5-ounce sinker. He said he used a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon tied to 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 reel treated by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 655 XXXH rod.

“I got him in 45 minutes,” said Eric. “My best one before was a 197.”

Jack Gordano of Monterey had five cows: 237, 212, 202, 202 and 200 pounds. He said he baited sardines on 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He used 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 30 reel modified by Cofe and a Calstar 6460 XH rod.


Likely the biggest story of the trip was the catching of a 213-pound tuna by Jamie Massion of Calabasas on an Accurate spinning reel. It was the first cow to be caught on spinning gear. He’s been trying to do it for a couple of years, as have several other anglers, but this time he was there at the proper moment.

The fight lasted an hour and a half, he said. The fish bit on a sardine on a 5/0 Mustad Hoodlum J hook. He used 90-pound Momoi leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate TwinSpin 50 reel. His spinning rod was custom-built by Bob Sands Tackle, a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH model, with the guides on “the wrong side,” of course.

He fished the rig on the rail, he said, with the aid of a device he calls “Thunder Down Under,” a cradle of sorts to keep the rig up off the rail, so the line goes back and forth without rubbing.

“I’m not sure what to say about it,” he told Roecker. “This is my second season of trying."

It was a major achievement, and the fishing community has been waiting for it longer than Massion has been trying.

Other cow catchers aboard the Intrepid were:

Greg Winfree, 247, 200

Jim Hartshorn, 234

Tina Alafa, 225

Michel Wallace, 218

Kingsley Sherwood, 216

David Choate, 213

Ron Wait, 204

Daniel Hannegan, 202

Doyle Lloyd, 202, 201

"Our timing for the beginning of the trip could not have been luckier," the American Angler reported January 19. "We had a nice ride home on the last trip and beat the storms as we headed south in front of them. We arrived on the grounds around daylight and found the past weeks honey hole to be dry. After giving it the first couple of hours of daylight we had to move and look for greener pastures. We saw sign of different grades of fish but couldn't really work with them. It was about lunch when we got our first batch of fish to stick with us, but they were 30-80 pounds and not really what we are looking for at this point in the trip.

"We finally found an area in the afternoon that was 'right'. We saw spots of cows jumping and there was decent fish in some of these spots. The thing out of our control is getting them to bite the baits with hooks in them. We hooked about ten fish and landed six from 160-210 pounds.

"Raj Nal got the first keeper of the trip with a 178 and Robin Lemaster boated our first cow with a 210 pound fish."

“The boat has had problems,” said the report from Independence January 17, “sending reports in the area they have been in as well as some computer glitches. Fishing over of the weekend was sensational with 49 fish in the two days in the 130 to 285-pound range, about seven or eight are over the 200-pound mark. Our weather down here has been very nice, and we are planning to spend another day in this big fish zone and try to top off the wells. We have an incredible catch on board and the plan is to start for home on Monday and do a little fishing while working home as weather permits.

“Just a reminder that deposits are now due for the 2010 season, so please let Judy know if anyone has had a change in plans or you would like to get on a trip. Many trips have sold out for 2010 and we also have many stand-bys to accommodate when spots open up. Thanks very much and hope to see everyone in the upcoming season, Mark Pisano and Paul Strasser.”

“We had another great day of fishing down here on the lower banks,” reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck January 16. “The action started at 0430 and carried on all day. The day was topped off with a pair of 300-plus pounders. Eric Griggs of Florida started it off with a 348-pounder caught on the kite. Later in the day Wes Neally followed with a 303 caught on a fly lined sardine. There were 20 other big ones boated throughout the day. The weather is flat calm now and we will enjoy another day here tomorrow.

“Our good luck continued today,” Justin wrote January 17, “when the big tuna started biting again in the early a.m.

“By the end of the day our fish holds were completely jugged with fish so we decided to go home a day early. Big fish honors go to the Team Hoo guys with Dean Jefferis with his personal best at 286 pounds, Mark Dorton with a 266, and Al Shakespeare with a 245-pound yellowfin tuna. Our new ETA to San Diego is 0700 on Wednesday morning.”

In The Action

“Here is an update for the last few days,” said the report from Independence January 15, “it’s been good fishing on more of the same grade of tuna from 90 to 120 pounds, a mixture of some in the 190-pound range. Wahoo fishing has been best at times. The weather is good and we are headed towards the beach and will report on Monday with more updates. Thanks for checking in.”



Back To Fishin’

“After yesterday’s adventure to Mag Bay to escape the bad weather and to do some repair work, make some bait and have dinner in the calm, we made it back out to the cow grounds around 4 am,” noted Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne January 16.


“The weather went down to five knots and the seas mellowed out so the fish came up. At first we didn't have much sign so we made a move and got re-positioned in the hot zone! We had up to five cows hanging at a time today. We kept at least one going all day long and ended up with some real Jumbos! Big fish honors today go to Jack Gibson for his monster of a fish Super Cow at 352 pounds, next to John Bakos for his 284-pound Tuna and Fishybuzz (David Tang) for his new personal best 246-pound Tuna. Father and daughter team of Jack Gibson and Tina Alafa teamed up for their two cows at 352 and 225 lbs.”

“From before daylight until we pulled the anchor at dark,” wrote David Choate January 17, “you could literally hook a good sized Tuna at any time during the day. We had seven going first thing in the morning and got them all through good crew work and the anglers working together very well. If my count is right, I think we caught seven over 200 just today. We caught a lot of that "Teenage" sized fish, 140 to 190 pounds that will fool even the best of us thinking we have a much larger fish hooked. Chef Javier and I both feel this was an excellent trip, probably the best we have both ever been on.”

Norm Kagawa pulled his Shogun into her berth at Fisherman’s Landing January 18 after a 15-day open party trip that visited most of the southern cow pastures. Second skipper Bruce Smith said the trip left the Hurricane Bank and went into Clarion Island after a few days. In the Buffer zone they found very good biting tuna from 100 to 140 pounds.

“Then we went into the southern banks,” said skipper Kagawa, “and on our first day there we had good fishing on bigger fish, with one cow. The next day wasn’t good, and we made a beeline for home.”

The trip produced four cows, and four trolled 18-pound albacore, the first of the year, on the way down. The longfin were encountered about 200 miles south, roughly in the area when the fleet usually finds them in the spring. Skipper Smith said the water on the southern banks was holding up well for the season at 74 degrees.

Bob Dosek of Chino got the big fish, a 240.8-pound tusker and his best fish to date.

“I got him in a hour,” said Bob, on a mini-mackerel. “There was a 15-foot swell running, and he took me to the bow for the whole fight. I was very tired afterward.”

Dosek used an 8/0 Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon tied to 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Tiagra 50 reel and a Shimano TC4 rod.

Dave Stoltz of Ventura won second place for a 211-pound tuna that ate a smaller yellowfin on a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook.

“He bit out there over 300 yards away from the boat,” said Stoltz to dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and then he ran in at me and made me wonder if it was a shark or something. The he left again and went out and down. He came up 50 minutes later on the side of the bow. My best fish before was 196 pounds.”

Stoltz used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Seeker 655 XXXH rod.

“Dorado” Dave VanVoorhis bagged a 206.6-pounder with a flying fish flylined on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook he tied to 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 SW reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

“We went, we caught fish, and the people were nice,” said Royal Polaris skipper Roy Rose after he docked at Fisherman’s Landing January 17. “There’s no better people than Taka’s. You can say it was a very good fishing trip. We had some good wahoo fishing, too, at Hurricane Bank. Most of ‘em came on the iron.”


Roy’s 25 anglers on the 17-day Taka’s Tackle trip had enough tuna and wahoo to fill the holds, and the skipper opted to bring the boat in a bit earlier than the projected date of January 18.

There were five cows in the catch. Four of them came on the kite and so weren’t eligible for the jackpot.

Ichiro Shintsubo of Irvine bagged a brace of vacas at 225 and 204 pounds to win first place. He said he got the big one in 25 minutes after it ate a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 130-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Pete Mirelez of Buena Park won second place for a 171-pounder, but he got a 215-pound tuna on the kite with a flying fish baited on a 12/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He fished with 130-popund Izorline and 130-pounbd Izor Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod.

“It took me 45 minutes,” said Pete. “He’s my best fish.”

Bill Gilpin of Camino Island, WA won third place for a 165-pound yellowfin tuna.

Dominic Cardoza of Lakeside bagged a 226-pounder with a sardine under the kite on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Jack Preston of Alta Loma got a 213-pound tuna with a flying fish under the kite. He said it took 25 minutes. He used a 12/0 Mustad 7691 hook on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra, an Accurate 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.



“Straight Down For Three Hours”

Tim Ekstrom docked his Royal Star at Fisherman’s Landing January 17 after a good 12-day trip to the southern banks that filled his holds with tuna, including 15 over 200 and a brace over the 300 mark needed for supercow status.

The two 300-pounders were nearly identical in size, with one pound of difference, “…as though they were brothers or something,” said one angler on the dock.

Jeff Crouse of Costa Mesa, a maintenance supervisor in the Long Beach Unified School District, got the biggest, a 332.5-pound giant yellowfin, after a long fight.

“He was straight down for three hours,” said Crouse, who winched the tuna up after it ate a sardine on a 9/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate BX-2 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

“My best tuna before this one was a 92-pounder,” remarked Crouse.

Miles Redman of Lakewood bagged the other giant, which weighed 331.5 pounds. All the fish were weighed on the boat before being gilled and gutted for the refrigerated saltwater holds.

Redman took two hours and 45 minutes on his tuna, which bit a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He said he used 100-pound Izorline fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 765 M rod.

“He spooled me,” said Miles, and then he got most of the line off the 80 W backup reel. When I got him to the boat, he finally came up in the starboard corner.”

Darren Seiji of Vallejo won third place in the jackpot for his 292.5-pounder. It bit a sardine on a 5/0 Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod. His fish fought for two and a half hours.

James Cahillane of Hilton Head, SC caught a 277-pound tuna with a chunk bait on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook, said his dad, James Sr., who posed for a shot with the fish after Jr. boarded a plane for home. The young Cahillane used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra, said James Sr., and an Accurate ATD 50 on a Calstar 7460 H rod.

Dan Esmay of Alpine got a 263-pound sickle fin on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He said he used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Longtime angler Bruce Chisholm of Temecula fished on the Star with his equally experienced wife Eunice, and bagged a good one at 255 pounds. He also had one at 213 pounds. Bruce said he fished sardines on 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks, on 130-ppound Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Ray Lemming and a Calstar 655 XH rod.

Chuck Greenstone of San Francisco caught a 237-pound tuna on a sardine pinned to a 6/0 Super Mutu hook. He fished with 125-pound Soft Steel Ultra and 130-pound Tuffline Spectra on an Accurate TDR 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

John Cox of Irvine used a chunk to entice a 219-pound tuna. He said he fished with a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 90-pound Momoi fluorocarbon and 130-pound Tuffline Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod, and bagged his fish in one hour.

Mike Noremberg of North Pole, AK got bit on a sardine and took an hour to land a 215-pounder. He used a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Calstar 770 H rod.

Wayne Nichols of Long Beach nabbed a 214.5-pound tuna on a sardine and a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod. The job took two hours.

Clyde Smith of Scottsdale found a 210-pounder and dealt with the fish in 25 minutes. Clyde baited a sardine on a 5/0 gorilla hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra, on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Jay Love of Carlsbad got two cows at 207 and 202 pounds. He said he fished sardines on 6/0 Super Mutu hooks. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod. His larger fish gave him a 45-minute tussle, he said.

“I was listening to let’s Talk Hookup on a Sunday morning,” said Kent Iwata of Valencia to dock reporter Bill Roecker at Pt. Loma Sportfishing January 16, “and I decided to go out on the American Angler on Tuesday.”

Most anglers would want a bit more time to get ready for a 10-day trip with skipper Brian Kiyohara and 22 passengers to the lower banks for big tuna, but things went the right way for Kent, and he produced the best tuna of the trip, a 294-pound yellowfin that won him first place in the jackpot.

The Angler returned with her fish holds filled with 24 cows and many smaller tuna.

Iwata said he baited a sardine on a 5/0 Gorilla hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He said all the anglers aboard were given fluorocarbon. He tied it to 100-pound Blackwater Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 reel on a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

He’s my best fish,” said Iwata. “He fought hard for two hours.”

Dave Boes of Seattle won second place for a 273-pounder. He also had one at 255 pounds. He fished sardines on 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He used 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 100-poundSpectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 6460 H rod.

“It took an hour and a half,” he said. “He ripped me! I was about spooled and had the backup ready. The 255-pounder did spool me and he got half the line off the 80 W backup reel. When that one came in we got him up on the bow.”

Harvey Rosen of Benicia won third place for a 267-pounder.

“He fought like a junkyard dog for an hour and a half,” commented Harvey, who said he used a mackerel on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 mounted on a Calstar 7465 H rod.

Dale Prichard of Redondo Beach caught a 256-pound tuna on a sardine and a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu. He said he used 80-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra on a 4/0 Avet reel and a Calstar 6460 XH rod. Dale also had tuna of 208 and 210 pounds. His big fish took an hour, he said, and all three were his first cows.

Karl Bornemann of Hemet took a 249-pound tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu and 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, tied to 100-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 16 VS reel and an older Truline six and a half-foot rod. The job took 45 minutes, he said.

Mark Johnson of Ventura bagged a 231-pounder on a sardine and a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a TLD 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod. The fish fought him for two hours.

Bob Hara of Santa Monica found a 226-pounder with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Corey Burak of Westlake, NY decked a 219-pound yellowfin tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate BX-2 30 reel and a Calstar 670 XH rod. The fight lasted an hour, he said.

James Barker of East Nicolaus got a 215-pounder on bait and a 210-pounder on the kite. The baitfish took a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Eagle Claw hook and 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He said he used 130-pound Line One Spectra on a new Accurate BX-2 50 reel and a Seeker 6364 XXH rod he wrapped himself.

Bob Danner of Marysville used 35 minutes at the rail to bring in a 214-pound yellowfin. He baited a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a six and a half-foot rod of unknown make.

Mark McClintock of Goleta got a 205-pound tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook and 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He used 100-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 64665 XH rod to take his best fish in an hour.

Steve Bowman of Las Vegas came home with a 204 and a 201-pound tuna. The big one fought 45 minutes, he said. He fished with 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

“Old” Bob Henke (78) of Whittier also nabbed a 201 and a 204-pounder. They were the trip’s first cows, on the first day of fishing. He said he baited sardines on 5/0 Super Mutu hooks on 80-pound colored Blackwater fluorocarbon. He used 80-poundSperctra on an Avet 30 reel and an American Angler boat rod.

Jigmaker Matt Salas, of Redondo Beach bagged a 202-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Izorline Spectra. Matt fished with an Avet 30 reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

Skipper Kiyohara was pleased with his trip, especially with the flat calm weather.

“We had 19 anglers who got one over 200 pounds,” he noted.

“We ended up the last morning with the fish getting on us right away, related the report from American Angler January 14. “We boated a handful of 110-140lbers which topped us off and we called it a trip. Dr. Burak is pictured with one of them and in the background is a sample of the weather that we have enjoyed.”

“With reports of choppy weather ahead, we pulled the anchor and headed for the barn. And with news of scratchy fishing on the way down, we were blessed with not only good weather but also great fishing conditions and we were lucky to be on the grounds when the fishing turned for the better. Everybody was well prepared tackle-wise and under the tutelage of our crew, we were able to make the most of it.”

“Everybody ended up with at least a couple of the 170-pound plus type grade with almost 95% of the guys landing one over two hundred pounds. The group did a great job bonding into one solid unit with many new friendships developed.

“A special thanks to Accurate - Jack Nilsen for providing all the loaner reels and rods for the passengers to use and try out during the trip. They had the opportunity to check out the larger ATD (Accurate Twin Drag) reels for the big tuna and the BOSS series reels for mid-grade fish. Accurate also gave away two BOSS reels and sponsor, Gary Teraoka came down day of departure and organized the trip giveaways. We'd like to thank the following donors: Izorline, Eagle Claw, Smitty Belt, Maui Jim, Baja Fish Gear, FishingVideos and Mario of Sportman’s Seafood for all their great prizes.”



Wind Came Up

“We arrived at the lower banks at 0430,” said Excel skipper Justin fleck January 14, “and were greeted with 25 knots of wind and 10 to 14-foot swells. NOT NICE! We did manage to get the anchor to hang and catch a few tuna from 100 to 170 pounds. The weather forecast is calling for this wind to back off by tomorrow night, lets hope that they are correct.”



Got Ground Gratitude

“Sorry about no report for yesterday,” said the report from Shogun January 14, “but we were traveling, fortunately it was through flat calm weather.

“Today is a different story all together. Last night about 01:30 the wind started to blow and didn't let up all day, in fact as I write this report the wind is still humming through the riggings. We made the best of it, got lucky and had our anchor find a patch of hard ground that we were able to stick to for the majority of the day.”

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Gave Us The Slip

“A slower day today,” reported Intrepid January 13, “with the exception of a few flurries on smaller grade fish in the 40 to 110-pound range. We did get a few good ones and had a few more heartbreaks again today. There was one fish in particular that fought its way to freedom right at dark that was a real beast and in the end it swam away a free giant.

“It was a great show as far as big fish blowing up all around all day long though. We will be here again tomorrow and hope they get back in the biting mood for us.”



A Few Heifers

“We had a couple of chances on big fish,” said Andy Cates aboard Red Rooster III January 13, “matched with a couple of tackle failures. We did manage eight fish from 150 to 185 pounds but landed nothing bigger. We are giving it one more day here and then heading up to finish off at the Lower Banks. We saw just enough sign here to try it again so hopefully it works out.”



Skinnies Biting

“The wahoo continue to make a good showing,” said the Royal Polaris report from January 13.

“The yellowfin are still make an effort, but the bite is very slow. Most of the wahoo are in the 35 to 45-pound range. Most of our yellowfin were in the 70 to 90-pound catagory. The wind has picked up a little, with 15 knots of breeze out of the northeast, and sunny. We will try for bait again tonight, so wish us luck and we will keep you posted on our daily events.”

Drew Henderson backed Tommy Rothery’s Polaris Supreme into her slip at Fisherman’s Landing January 13 after the annual George Davis charter with eight anglers aboard. The trip this year was a 13-day excursion with a fly back option from Cabo.

“I guess we’ve been doing this for a dozen years,” remarked George at the landing scales.

“Five of our eight fishermen got their personal best tuna this time. It was also our best trip for weather.

There were four cows aboard, with many other fish from 100 to 200 pounds.

Charlie Middleton got two of the big tuna, at 259 and 274 pounds. He won the single-place jackpot.

“I got the big one in 15 minutes,” said Charlie. He said he used a sardine on a 6/0 super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Maxima line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Tiagra 50 W reel and an Ugly Stick rod.

Brian Davis (George’s son) of San Dimas bagged a 234-pounder with a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 100-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Izorline on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 670 XXH rod. Brian wasn’t at the landing.

Jeremy Chandler of San Dimas took a 238-pound yellowfin on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu. He fished with 100-pound Blackwater, 100-pound unknown main line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a custom Longfin 765 XH Calstar rod. Chandler posed with Charlie and Drew for pictures.

Eddie Stokes of Covina got very close to the cow club with a 198-pounder.

Al Tokunaga of North Hollywood found the trip’s most unusual catch. Fishing at four AM, Al dropped in with a sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook and a six-ounce sinker. He hooked what he thought was a big tuna, Al told dock reporter Bill Roecker. Skipper Rothery thought so too, and got the anglers up for the bite.

After about a half-hour, the fish was close enough to see an outline, and somebody shouted that it was a marlin. It was a billfish, all right, a swordfish of around 100 pounds. It was filleted, and all the anglers went home with swordfish for the table.



Landing Work Proceeds Quickly

All three San Diego landings are being worked on this winter. H&M Landing and Fisherman’s Landing were demolished, except for the store at Fisherman’s (which is open daily for business). Pt. Loma Sportfishing is getting a new exterior.

H&M’s new building is well up and underway. Work is underway on the foundations for the new building at Fisherman’s, and Pt. Loma is under wraps.



The new buildings will be ready for the next season, hopefully. A new monument-display is also in the works. The drawing shown here is by Bill Watts. The skipper at the helm in the sculpture looks much like Bill Poole, the pioneer long ranger who was so instrumental in starting long range fishing trips, a most fitting memorial.

New 2-Speeds

Daiwa has added new reels to the Saltist line. They are two-speed reels, said the countermen at Fisherman’s, and they come in the normal sizes for small salt water reels, with a price of around $400. This one is a Saltist 50.

Good Life On Angler

“The unbelievable weather just doesn't seem to end,” said the report from American Angler January 12, “as we were gifted another great day on the water. The day didn't start out that great as we found ourselves with no fish around us and the couple of other boats that were here had fish hooked. We didn't get located until about 10 in the morning, but once we did the opportunity to get a big one was once again available.

“We released some fish and ended up tagging about a dozen fish from 160 to 255 pounds. Dale Prichard caught the biggest fish, that weighed 256 pounds (he also had another one over 200 today). Dr. Corey Burak, Ruben Flores, Mark Johnson (pictured), Karl Bornemann, and Bob Danner were also part of today's two hundred pound club.”



Excel’s About Loaded

"We stuck with our plan today,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck, “and had some action on 80 to 150-pound fish throughout the morning and left at noon to head up to the lower banks to try for trophies. This move will give us five days of fishing for cows. The weather is still picture perfect for us.”



A Good Day

“Hoodad here,” wrote David Choate for the Intrepid January 12. “Since we had such a great day today, Kevin is busy busy getting another RSW well chilling down just in case. We worked our way to another area last night, had a much better looking screen on the machines and we caught some squid for bait. Things just looked and felt like it was a positive change.

“And indeed it was a better day. We had some heart breaks, but we also had some fantastic fishing on 160 to 277-pound Tuna. When the smoke all cleared, the day's total was 17 good Tuna, with ten of them making the Cow mark, ringing Chad's Cowbell! Losses? We had some. Equipment failures, hook pulls, just name it and we had it. But such is the nature of the beast when chasing trophy Tuna.”



Rooster Among Cows

“Good evening folks,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates January 12. “We finished our day off nice with an area that had sign of big fish. We had about eight bites in the afternoon and managed to land a 223, a 235, 236 and a 241. Needless to say we will be trying it again tomorrow and releasing fish under the 200-pound mark. Lets hope it works out.”



Supercow Makes A Good Day

“We got off to good start,” said Royal Star owner-skipper Tim Ekstrom January 12, “with a handful of opportunities at great big ones just after daylight then, unlike the previous couple of days, were able to keep something on the end of the line throughout the morning. A shift in conditions, and a disappearing act by the fish around us elicited a mid day move, but the afternoon and evening came on again with a classic hit on big cows late to end the day on a high note. We are very pleased with the results that included one more behemoth 331-pound brute for Miles Redman, six others from 202 to 292 pounds, and a handful of others that just missed the mark. In addition to our results in the hatch, the sign of these monsters was excellent with the main body showing itself for the first time since Saturday morning.

“The best part of Miles' exceptional catch is that the previous night, just after hitting the sack, he got up, headed back out on deck, and sought the assistance of crewman Blake Wasano to help him re-rig. I don't recall the exact dialogue but it was something to the effect of " I can't sleep. It is bothering me that this outfit is not ready and rigged like I want it for tomorrow. Can you help me get set up?"

“Blake, who is a meticulous tackle professional, took almost a full hour to replace Spectra, build a short top shot of Izorline 100-pound fluorocarbon, and prepare Miles for the day to come. Miles had a premonition of some sort. Right down to just before he got bit, he said, "This bait is the one".

“When he did hook the giant, it absolutely smoked his Shimano Tiagra 30 leading to a full hour of the reel in the water on a backup out five to six hundred yards from Royal Star. It was an exemplary battle afterward that resulted in a significant victory for all of us, but none more than Miles who is presently on cloud nine; and rightly so. An extra comment about the Tiagra 30 is also in order as it preformed flawlessly after being submerged for over an hour.”

Norm Kagawa’s Shogun just made the move from the Hurricane in to Clarion Island, where she is fishing the Buffer Zone offshore from the island. Second skipper Bruce Smith made this report about January 11:

“It was a great day here at the island. We arrived at Clarion at first light not long after we came upon our first marks on the tuna fish. Pandemonium ensued for the rest of the morning. Towards lunch the tunas started to back off and it was more of long drift plunker bite scenario until dark.”



Fleck Finds Furious Fishing

“We had an incredible day of tuna fishing down here,” wrote skipper Justin Fleck for his Excel group January 11. “The fish were 80 to 150 pounds and they were hittin'. Our stop started on a bird school and ended as a six-hour drift, with three to ten fish hanging the whole time. Needless to say, these guys are loving it. We have just about hit our quota on this size fish so we have decided to spend the morning here and hope for a little more action before we head out on a hunt for jackpots. The weather remains flat calm for us.”



Independence Day Is Big

“We had another stellar day on beautiful grade yellowfin tuna,” noted Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys January 11, “most of which are 90 to 120 pounds with some bigger ones mixed in. We also had about 15 wahoo as a bonus. The weather has continued to be very nice and warm. Tomorrow we hope to get on some of the bigger fish that have been around. Everyone is tired, happy and just now getting a chance to sit down and have a great dinner.”



"Blowing Up All Around Us"

"We got on a spot right at dark and got the anchor down," said the evening report from the Intrepid January 11. "They stuck with us through the night and are biting a little today. So far we boated five cows, biggest at 234 pounds and three fish under the 200-pound mark. We have one hanging at the moment with lots of fish blowing up all around us."

Early evening report January 11: “Our first day down here on the lower banks was a tough one. We had fish under the boat for most of the day, but they were not interested in coming up and chewing in the least. In the afternoon we pulled the hook and went out on the hunt and were able to locate a school associated with some black porpoise. We got over them and drifted with them for a while, but again they would not bite. We caught only two Dorado and one Striped Marlin (released) for our day. We have lots of time left and see good sign, so we are sure our time will come in the next few days.”



Royal Star Reflections

“A few bright moments early set us in the right frame of mind,” said Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom January 11, “then the action quickly changed to all show and no go as the big fish again lurked, crashed, and dashed around the boat without so much as skinning a bait carrying a hook. It made for a long day.


“Not that there was any suffering going on, between the grease calm weather, fine company, and fine fixings from Chef Drew Rivera, we all made a good time of it. But no doubt it would have been better, much better, if even a small percentage of the fish that teased us with incredible skill had provided some action.

“The reality of it is that this pattern has been well established. One day on, two days off. Two days on, one day off. Three days off, one day on; and so forth. What it comes down to is time, effort, skill, timing, and of course that ever-important component that plays a pivotal role in every successful catch - luck; good luck that is.

“So we head into day four continuing to feel optimistic though I have to admit my confidence got hammered yesterday. Missing out on a big hit is never enjoyed, and something I will never become accustomed to. I do recognize the mathematical certainty of such occasions however and begrudgingly accept that they cannot be avoided altogether. Our present focus is still on trophies but we are not above boating any of those mid rangers if they happen along.

“Photo of the day belongs to long range veteran Clyde Smith who finally prevailed after a couple of missed chances at giants with this 210-pound yellowfin. Congratulations to Clyde on this catch and we hope there are many more to come.”



Searcher Finds Feeding Rare Orcas

This report isn’t fresh, but we thought it of interest to long rangers, who often see these magnificent creatures close to the boat, and wonder what they’re doing.

“On November 9, 2009, we were returning from a very successful shark-viewing and fishing trip with crew and Searcher family and friends aboard,” read a report from Searcher owners Art and Celia Taylor. “Offshore Ensenada, we found some orcas and stopped to check out the action.

“There appeared to be one mature male, one sub-adult male, four or five females or younger males, and two calves--one with a cut-off dorsal fin. We watched them chase and capture a dolphin, and they swam very close to the boat.

“We sent our photos (taken by Steve Lamb) to Alisa Schulman-Janiger who maintains a photo catalog of the orcas from California and Mexico. She matched a few of our photos to those from a little-known population of killer whales, called Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orcas, a pelagic population not normally seen here. There were additional sightings of this group of orcas from whale watch boats in San Diego in December.

“Alisa shared our photos with other researchers familiar with ETP killer whales to add to the known individuals in that group. ETP whales tend to have darker saddles (the color patch behind the dorsal fin) and often have stalked barnacles (Xenobalanus sp) on their dorsal fins.

“Alisa tells us ‘This is an EXTREMELY important sighting of a very rarely seen type of killer whale; thanks so much for passing it on!’”

“This was a good day of fishing,” noted Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom January 10, “that was akin to the big fish action of days old when a few bruisers are mixed in the masses of their smaller brethren requiring anglers to gear up and weed through hoping that their lucky number would eventually be called. Most important in these circumstances is resisting the temptation to gear down and stick with the big guns as three big boys that weighed 332, 263, and 255 attacked during the action as well as a couple more of their friends that won their freedom.


“Without the time to get wordy today, suffice to say we are very encouraged by the signs and are geared up for tomorrow. There is going to be some very good big fish action here over the next few days. I can feel it.

“For our photo congratulations to Jeff Crouse who battled an exploded reel with no anti-reverse during the final twenty feet to triumph over his three hundred thirty two pound fish of a lifetime. It was an incredible fish story that I will have to share later. Suffice to say it took all of our wits, and brute strength, to overcome a colossal hurdle that easily could, and probably should, have cost Jeff his massive trophy. Thank goodness it didn't.”



Better To Be There At The Right Time

"We have all heard the sayings such as 'I would rather be lucky than good,' but the truth of the matter is that timing is probably the most important factor,” said the report from American Angler January 9.

“We were lucky enough to get on a spot early and right out of the gate were very busy on 30 to 70-pound fish. We kept three to 10 going for several hours and by lunch we opted to leave them biting. We ended up with a great catch that included a half a dozen fish over 100 pounds such as the one displayed by Karl Bornemann and our Nathan Madruga.

"We went looking for something different and finally found it before dark. We hooked a half a dozen fish and they were all size large. Dale Prichard made short work of his 208 and then we had a short run of bad luck when we lost three in a row. We boated the last two that we had hooked in the dark. Mark McClintock did a great job of representing Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties with one that weighed just over two and Harvey Rosen caught one on behalf of his son Burke, that was a whopping 267 pounds."



Good Ones Off The Mainland

“Well we went for it,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck, “made the move across to Puerto Vallarta to start out our trip. The speed was not in our favor on the way down so we didn't get here until after lunch. We did manage to catch 24 tuna out of a drift that started out on a bird school. The fish were 90-150 pounds. We are spending the night and will try it again tomorrow.”



On The Way Down

“We made a stop this afternoon at our Grouper hole," wrote Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne January 10.

“The big bottom dwellers did not disappoint us. We had many hookups on skipjacks. Some of the yellowtail we hooked also got hammered by the grouper. We managed to get nine on board along with plenty of yellows. Big fish today goes to Dan Hannegan with an 80 to 90-pound gulf grouper. We got a visit by a giant sea turtle, one of the biggest we have seen, maybe 150 to 200 pounds, and managed to get a couple of pics of him.

“It was a fun couple of hours for us and we are now back underway towards the lower banks.”



Supreme Finishes Up

“We had a very good start off early this morning,” said the report from Polaris Supreme January 9. “Al got the first ever swordfish landed on this boat at about 3:30 am.

“Jeremy backed that up with a 182-pound yellowfin, also caught in the dark. Then we stayed pretty wide open until about 7:30 am, on the smaller grade tuna which all were released. We then went looking around for larger grade tuna for the rest of the day.

“Today we wound up the trip and are heading into Cabo to fly home tomorrow. The guys are breaking down their tackle and looking forward to sitting down to a nice lobster and filet dinner. I have to say these guys are some of the toughest guys we've seen. They really hung in there with such a great effort on their part in trying for the cows. This was an outstanding group and we all had a great time.

“We will be at the dock on Wednesday morning to weigh in the cows that were caught in the beginning of the trip. Come down and see us.”



First Spot’s A Winner

“We had a really nice first day here today,” said Andy Cates, Red Rooster III skipper on January 10. “We had excellent action on fish from 75 to 230 pounds. There were a few bigger ones mixed in but up to 180 pounds was the biggest. Tomorrow we are going to spend some time looking around to see if there is much bigger fish. Bill Campbell won the daily jackpot with a $200 gift certificate to Anglers Center in Newport Beach. He was stoked.”



Big Sunrise, Big Fish

“We awoke to the most memorable sunrise of the season,” wrote Bruce Smith aboard the Shogun January 11.


"The fishing still was on the slow side. Dave Stoltz stuck with fishing the big baits and was rewarded with the first cow of the trip, as his tuna taped at 210 pounds. Good going Dave! By the time 12:00 rolled around and only a hand full of wahoo and tuna coming aboard, Norman made the decision to move the boat to the nearest island. We will be at Clarion in the morning, hoping for some much needed action.”

“We saw better sign of tuna today,” said the report from Shogun January 8, “and in the afternoon had a fair snap at them. Hal Guy and Gus Angelidis came away with the two biggest for the day, Hal's tuna is pushing the 160 pound mark.

“The weather/wind is still at 14 knots, not bad except that the current is pulling straight into it which makes for some rolling around while sitting on the anchor.”



Cow For The RP

“Weather continues to be excellent with a slight breeze, clear skies, and sunny. We had to put balloons on the kite today,” observed the report from Royal Polaris January 7.

“Fishing continues to improve on Yellowfin, with most of the fish in the 90 to 130-pound catagory. We did get our first 200-pound Yellowfin today, and luck angler was Peter "Calico" Mirelez. Pete's fish weighed in at 215 pounds, this was Pete's first duce. It was a mixed bite today, with about 50% coming on the kite, and the rest on Sardines.

“We will give this a try tomorrow, so wish us luck and we will keep you posted on our daily events.”



Topshots & Fluorocarbon

“Hi Bill, 
Hope your holiday season is going well. I've been buying your videos, trying to learn as much about LR fishing as I can before I take my 1st trip. I was curious about top shot length. What do you use as a standard length when fishing your 30/40/50-pound rigs? I was just watching the Hot Zone last night and noticed that you had flourocarbon attached to your main line, instead of rigging straight to the spectra. In your opinion is that a better way to go? Also do you use a spectra backing on all of your reels regardless of what pound test your using. For example on a reel that holds 300 yards of 30-pound test, would you just fill it with mono or would you always put on a spectra backing with a top shot? If you go with the spectra/mono, what length top shot would you use? 
Have a Happy New Year!” Felix C. (by email December 30, 2009)

Bill’s Reply

Hello, Felix: 
Thanks for your patronage! Here’s my take on medium (30 to 50-pound) outfits. Spectra tangles are much worse than mono tangles, so I use a topshot of mono to keep me out of tangles close to the boat. I like 100 yards (or more) of mono. I count on the Spectra to add considerably more line to my spool, so if I hook a fish larger than anticipated I still have enough backing to stop it. This is my personal option; many anglers tie fluorocarbon to Spectra with no mono. 

I do use Spectra backing on all my reels with 30-pound or heavier line. I’d like to have 200 or 300 yards of Spectra on there, but as you know reels have differing capacities, so there is variance here. 

On medium gear I like to have five to 10 yards of fluorocarbon leader. I trim these ends with each caught or lost fish, to eliminate nicks, scrapes, frays or other abrasions. I use more leader than necessary, so I can cut the ends off several times before tying on a new length of fluorocarbon. 

Like most fishing notions, what I’ve said here may inspire disagreement, but this is what works for me. Good luck to you, Felix. Stay out of those Spectra tangles by paying attention to what’s going on with your line.
 Smooth seas and light breezes,
 Bill

Brandon Hayward, saltwater editor at Western Outdoor News, recently took a ten-day trip aboard the Excel, a boat he used to work aboard as a deckhand. This time he was aboard as a passenger, and with some hard fishing Hayward put two cow tuna on the boat. They weighed 202 and 252 pounds. He remarked that he only made two or three casts between those hookups, and that his smaller fish came on a large Accurate 50 reel.

To catch the 252-pound tuna, he baited a sardine on a 5/0 gorilla hook tied to 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 12 topless reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

“I love that rod,” he said. “You just lay it on the rail. I lost my first big one. Then I went to the 100-pound and hooked the 252-pounder.”

Here’s some of what Brandon had to say about using small reels:

I was lucky enough to recently spend my vacation doing what I love the most on the water: fishing cows. Those big, round, sickle finned yellowfin that are the ultimate in long range fishing.

After getting home I got around to unpacking my reels from the trip about a week later. (Don’t gasp—I cleaned them on the boat.)

Reaching into the reel bag, I picked up my Accurate ATD 50 topless first. Thoughts of the 202 pounder I got on the “big reel” popped into my head. Then I grabbed the “little” ATD 12 and thought about the 252 I got on it. I replayed the fish in my head—the cast, the long soak, the bite, the dumping 400 yards of line, the end game—it all came back to me.

Sometimes anglers come up with realizations about their trips after they get off the boat. This was mine.

The “small reels, big fish” saying that Accurate pushes is real and here to stay. There’s a time when the added advantages of a small reel—castability, mainly—are the differences between getting bit and watching.

Some guys like to say, “You can’t fish cows with that thing!” “Kid, you’re going to have your work cut out for you if you get bit by a cow using that.” This is what the other guys sometimes say when they see a little reel like an ATD 12.

But they don’t keep this in mind: you can get over 500 yards of 100-pound hollow Spectra on the ATD 12. Back in the days of fishing straight mono on 50 wides, anglers were still “only” getting around 500 yards. The little reels have the drags, they have the gears, and they have the line capacity.

So here are my questions: What’s the difference? Why can’t a guy fish a little reel that has the same general capabilities as the stuff—like 50s and 80s—that was standard back in the mono days?

Some might say that you have a bigger spool—a bigger barrel if you will—with a 50-sized reel. And you do. But the little reels are so beefed up and a so tuned in, that anyone who is comfortable with a rod and reel can catch a cow on a little reel.

After all, sometimes the “little” things turn up “big” results.

Brandon Hayward
Western Outdoor News

That big tuna caught by Rob McAdam on his charter aboard Royal Star that returned December 22 made the top ten list, marked with an asterisk, to indicate it wasn’t weighed on land. It would have slipped into ninth place had the weighing taken place on certified scales on solid ground. Here is the most recent version of the list.

Bill Roecker’s All-Time Top Tuna (Qualified under jackpot rules)



1. Mark Gasich, 399.6 pounds, Polaris Supreme, Clarion Island, November 15, 1992


2. Dave Manella, 395.4 pounds, Royal Polaris, Clarion Island, Feb 19, 1993


3. Curt Wiesenhutter, 388.75 pounds, Royal Polaris, San Benedicto Island, April 1, 1977


4. Dennis Williams, 381.1 pounds, Royal Star, Finger Bank, Baja, November 26, 2008


5. Al Herzog, 380 pounds, Qualifier 105, San Benedicto Island, January 11, 1981


6. Corky Yokoe, 376.38 pounds, Royal Polaris, Clarion Island, January 5, 1996


7. Joe Simmons, 370 pounds, Qualifier 105, Clarion Island, June 1989


8. Dick McKenzie, 364.8 pounds, Royal Polaris, Clarion Island, April 20, 1982


9. Dick Minor, 363.9 pounds, Polaris Supreme, Roca Partida, January 1993


10. Mike Ashford, 362.1 pounds Red Rooster III Clarion Island June 16, 2009
11. Roger Hawtree, 361.9 pounds, Royal Polaris, Clarion Island, January 12, 1992
12. Jim Nemlowill, 361.63 pounds, Red Rooster III, Socorro Island, December 6, 1981

*John Carbone, Doc Ski and John Grabowski all pulled on a 377-pounder aboard Q-105 at Clarion Island December 14, 1991.
* Rick Okuni of Walnut Grove had a tuna that weighed 368 pounds on the American Angler while fishing on the southern banks. It was not weighed again January 5, 2009 on the dock.
* Rob McAdam of San Francisco took a 364-pound tuna aboard Royal Star on his charter that returned December 22, 2009. The fish was not weighed on land. Rob got it with a chunk on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

"Well I'm sitting here watching the gorgeous sunset over nice calm seas looking towards Hawaii," owner skipper Tommy Rothery said January 4 aboard Polaris Supreme. "Hope everyone over there is having a great time like we are here. They are probably getting ready for some cocktails with their sunset while we are done here and are getting ready to sit down with some juicy, fall off the bone, baby back ribs, fresh corn on the cob, beans and jalapeno corn bread.

"Our fishing today was not quite as spectacular as yesterday. Although it was slower we still had a fun day and there was enough to keep us here another day. Today Charlie was the hot dog with a 251-pounder, 170-pounder, and a 136-pounder. Al got a 110-pounder and Eddie landed a 162-pounder. George released a 165-pounder. Bryan released a 115-pounder. Jeremy released a 85-pounder. And Craig released three over 100 with one at 110, one at 120, and one at 130 pounds. Bob hooked a good one at dark, but he got away real quick. So another day done."



Shogun Gets Longfin

Shogun is heading south on her 16-day trip for giant yellowfin. Skipper Bruce Smith reported the catch of albacore on the second day of travel.

“We left yesterday on the annual January 16-day and par for the course on the second day out of San Diego (today the 3rd) we came up with the first albacore of the year. Mr. Dave Hensely and the infamous "beer" Bob Dosek were the persistent anglers that had their trolling rigs in the water when we went by the willing tunas. Our weather has been flat calm as we make our way south.”



New Channel Islands Boat

“We hope everyone had a great holiday and new year,” wrote Aloha Spirit owner and operator Shawn Steward. “I am just getting in touch with you all to inform you all that we are looking forward to the 2010 fishing season and we are booking charters for the year right now and trying to get the first week of March going with our 5 am open party trips to start the new year. Weather permitting we will try to get up to the West End of Santa Cruz Island for the rockfish, white fish and sheephead to start the new year.

"On another note myself and Joe Villareal from the boat MIRAGE purchased a new half day boat for Captain Hooks to replace the Speed Twin. The boat we purchased was previously called the CITY OF REDONDO and we are giving the boat a total face lift with new deck, paint, new bait tank and will be bringing a friendly and customer service oriented experience for the beginner or the seasoned fisherman. We are renaming the new boat the "CHANNEL ISLE" and it is a beamy, low to the water fishing platform that is a true 65-foot long with a true width of 24 and a half feet, very stable and comfortable. For reservations call 805 382 6233 or for charter info call 805 844 5566.

"We look forward to fishing with you whether it is on a full day on the Aloha or half day on the CHANNEL ISLE. Have a great year and see you March 1st.” Shawn Steward and the crew

Christmas Trip Questions

“Hi, Bill: I‘d like your advice on what the best long range boat and time frames are for a guy who'd like to try long range fishing. I was thinking about a trip on the Excel this upcoming month. Are there better times of year that offer the bigger yellowfin tunas that are complemented by chances of better weather and smoother seas than my first inclination? 

“I'm a Northern California, Bay Area guy and getting the time off shouldn't be a problem.  As with every other fisherman, I fancy the image of myself posing for a photo with recently caught cow or super-cow in the foreground.  My best guess from my research so far is that this takes at least a ten or 11-day commitment to get down to the fishing grounds that make this possible. 

“I've been following your reports now for months after having discovered 976-Tuna and the long range reports you make available there have been very interesting.  As you are the guy on the dock, I was hoping you'd give me a minute and some advice. Do certain boats fit certain personalities or skill levels of fishing more than others, or is it a potpourri of experience and ability?  My experience fishing involves two years now of fishing with the Baja Pirates of La Paz fishing fleet on Triumph 210 boats with my biggest quarry to date being a 30-pound dorado.” Jim J. (by email December 21, 2009)

Bill’s Reply

Hi, Jim: Welcome to long range fishing! The trip you've picked should be a good one. It will likely offer a chance at a cow tuna. No guarantees, of course.

These things depend on the water and weather conditions, and of course the fish must be there. They have been there at that time for the past several years, so you should do well.

My experience with the fleet’s boats tells me they will all do their best to bring up a newcomer. If you're lacking in gear, the boat may be able to help. If you want advice on equipment or bait selection, the crew will help you with that. If you want to learn how to make a long cast with a sardine, you'll get help.

Each trip on every boat is different. The crew changes, the passengers change from trip to trip, and the fish use their tails to move around. As far as smooth seas go, you've picked a time that usually (note my hedging use of the word), provides good weather conditions, in my experience.

Be ready for tuna of 20 to 300 pounds, listen to the crew and skipper's advice, and enjoy the good food and the comfort of fishing long range from San Diego!

Tight Lines,
Bill

Brian Sims brought Royal Star home to her berth at Fisherman’s Landing January 5 after a ten-day trip that produced ten tuna over 200 pounds, including one that weighed 300.5 pounds on the boat’s scales.

The big fish was caught by Tim Ziegler of Palos Verdes, who told Bill Roecker, “he was a hard fish. He broke the ring on my hook.”

Fortunately the line didn’t find that hole until the fish was gaffed. The ring broke next to the weld.

Tim said he baited a chunk on a 9/0 Eagle claw ringed hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 70 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod. The supercow fought for an hour and a half.

Steve Busch of Poway won second place for a 281-pounder that came on a sardine and a 7/0 Hayabusa hook on 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 100-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Jaime Pryzbyla of Alhambra won third place for a 260-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 6/0 Mustad J Hook, 100-pound Seaguard fluorocarbon, 100-pound Ande line and 100-pound Izorline Spectra backing. E used a Penn 50 S reel and a rod lent by the boat.

Nate Luginbuhl of Ellington, CT took a 255-pounder on a sardine and a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 100-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 S reel and a Shimano Talus rod.

Robert Hirsch of Santa Cruz got a 240-pound tuna with a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook on 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He fished with a Penn 30 SW modified by Larry Cofeen (Cofe) and a Calstar 765 H rod. The fish fought for 35 minutes.

Doug Taylor of Oak Park bagged a 220.5-pound tuna with a sardine on 9/0 Mustad hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 80 N modified by Baker and Sheets, and a new Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

“That’s a great rod and reel combo,” he said. “It just murdered that fish, in 15 minutes.”

Ron Hobson matched Taylor with another 220.5-pounder. He said it bit a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 700 XH rod. He also got a 207.4-pounder on 60-pound fluorocarbon and a Penn 30 S reel on a Calstar 765 H rod.

Father and son team Don and Derek Bolser of Gainseville, FL caught a brace at 204 and 202 pounds. Don got his first cow with a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Tiagra 50 W reel and a boat rod. Son Derek, 16, used a boat rig for his first cow.



Two Potential Records

by Paul Sweeney

Shauna Barton for Izorline and David Choate for Accurate were the chartermasters aboard the Intrepid when she returned for a ten-day trip January 5.


"We spent four days down on the lower banks," Intrepid captain Kevin Osborne said after docking at Point Loma Sportfishing January 5, 2010. "We also spent a day on the Ridge for some wide-open yellowtail, and maybe a potential world record grouper."

Osborne plans on submitting two potential world records: a Junior All-Tackle record for 16-year old Jeff Tedmori and his 206.4-pound yellowfin tuna, and chartermaster David Choate's 125.6-pound gulf grouper.

The ten-day charter returned with 12 tuna over 200 pounds total.

Javier Salguero of Inglewood won first place after a two and a half hour fight with a 291.4-pound yellowfin. Javier fished a sardine on a 4/0 Owner super Mutu hook, 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, a Daiwa 50 two-speed reel and a Calstar 768 rod.

"We were catching 80 to 100-pounders when I hooked it," Javier said.

Dane Barriault of Lake Havasu won second place for a 261.2-pound tuna. He said, “It just about spooled me." Dane used a 4/0 Owner hook on 130-pound Izorline, an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2x4 rod. He also caught a 218-pounder.

Bill Jamison of Bakersfield caught his best fish, a 260.2-pound tuna, good for third place in the jackpot. Bill fished a sardine on a 6/0 Owner hook, 130-pound Blackwater top-shot, an Accurate 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXX rod.

Honorable mention goes to Terry Williamson of Pine Mountain, CA, who caught a 264.2-pound tuna. Terry used a 5/0 Owner circle hook, 100-pound JB Line One spectra, 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, a Penn 30 reel and an unknown rod. Terry also caught a 201-pound cow.

"It was 80 degrees that day," Terry said, "and my buddy just caught a dorado. So I threw a bait out there trying to catch a dorado!"

Sixteen-year old Jeff Tedmori of Newport Beach caught a 216.4-pound tuna on the kite as well as his potential Junior All-tackle record 206.4-pound tuna. Jeff flylined a sardine on a 6/0 Owner Super Mutu hook, 130-pound Seaguar Premier line, an Accurate BX2-50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXX rod.

Jimmy Biondo of Valencia caught a 209.4-pound yellowfin on a 6/0 Owner circle hook, 130-pound Seaguar, an Accurate 30 W reel and a Super Seeker XXH rod.

Nicholas Rekrut caught two cows: a 237 and a 202-pounder.

Alex Reknut caught a 201-pound yellowfin.

Chartermaster David Choate's potential 125.6-pound World Record gulf grouper was caught using a Mustad hook, 130-pound Seaguar using Sato Crimps and Jerry Brown glue, 100-pound JB Line One Hollow Spectra, an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXX rod.

"You don't have time to click into a harness," David said after describing getting bit by a grouper.



Impressive Feat for Gardena Angler

by Paul Sweeney

Owner skipper Sam Patella returned American Angler to Point Loma Sportfishing January 5, 2010 after a ten-day Calstar charter. The trip returned with one cow; a 287.6-pound yellowfin for angler Greg Lee.


Most of the catch was 70 to 100-pounds, but the standout tuna, a 287.6-pounder caught by Lee, was good for first place in the jackpot. His catch is an impressive feat considering that Lee is deaf. The Gardena angler used a 5/0 hook, 130-pound fluorocarbon, a 50-size reel, and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Dan Federoff of Dana Point won second place for a 175-pound tuna. Dan used a 5/0 Owner gorilla hook, 80-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, 80-pound P-Line wind-on by Basil, 80-pound Berkley Big Game spectra, a Penn VSX 16 reel and a Calstar 700 XH rod.

American Angler regular Nacho Camarena of Oceanside took third place for a 144-pound yellowfin caught down at the lower banks.

"We pretty much had glass seas the whole trip," Nacho stated, then pointed at the calm water. "It was just like this here at the dock."



Foursome For Joe’s Guys

Joe D’Aquisto docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing January 5 after a ten-day trip with 15 anglers, who bagged four cows along with a good catch of other tuna.


Michael Rosenthal won first place for a 231.7-pound tuna that bit his sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and an “Armbreaker” short rod of five feet made by Calstar.

Hans Rueckert of LA took an hour and a half and a skiff ride to bag the larger of his two cows for second place. That one weighed 220.7 pounds. The smaller one went 202.6 pounds. He used the same outfit: a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 80-pound Big Game on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 7670 H rod.

Terry Marx of Las Vegas won third place for his 220.5-pounder, which he got with a sardine on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Line One backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Lamiglass acid wrap 5110 rod.

Ed Scheenstra of LA bagged a 205.4-pound tuna.



Eight Over 200

“We spent all our time down there on the southern banks,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck at Fisherman’s Landing January 5. He had just finished a ten-day trip with 33 anglers.

“The water’s still at 75 degrees,” he noted, “and the 40 to 90-pounders were really biting good. We got near-limits of tuna. We also had great yellowtail fishing on the beach.”

Dave Parker of Rossmoor won first place for a 218-pound tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu and 80-pound Bass Pro Shops line tied to 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a TLD 30 reel and a Calstar 6465 H rod.

“It took two hours,” commented Parker. “For 25 minutes of that time he stayed up on the surface with his fin out.”

Ken Mayer of Reno, NV won second place for a 214-pound yellowfin. He got his with a sardine on a 7/0 Super Mutu and 80-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 W reel treated by Cal Sheets on a Calstar 6465 H rod. This fish also stayed on the surface for about half the fight, he said, and it duked it out with him for an hour and 20 minutes.

Jim Beck of Huntington Beach took an hour to beat his third-place winner, a 209-pound tuna. He said he put his sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel by Sheets and a Calstar 6460 XH rod.

Gary Kramer of Willows bagged a 201-pound tuna with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 80-pound Izorline on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

“It took an hour and 40 minutes,” he said. “It’s my best fish ever and my first cow.”



“Got Some, Lost Some”

Jeff DeBuys brought the Independence home January 5 with 29 anglers and a couple of cows aboard. It was the Baja Fish Gear trip and chartermaster Ed Tschernoscha was also aboard.

“We had a great group,” said Ed. “Lots of the guys got their best fish ever.”

“There’s still good sign down there,” said Jeff. “We got some and we lost some. We had great fishing on tuna of 50 to 120 pounds.”

James Gollaher of Carlsbad won first place for a 238.8-pound yellowfin tuna that took a sardine on a 5/0 Hayabusa hook under the kite, on the boat’s kite rig.

Kevin Dubler of Julian won second place for a 230-pounder he bagged with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 80-pound Yo-Zuri pink line and 100-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 30 W and a Fenwick six-foot rod.

Jim Stevens won third place for a 184.8-pound tuna.

We’d like to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year! Fishing was pretty dang good this past year, as was the increase in traffic for us here at FishingVideos.com. Our website had over 100,000 “unique visitors” this year and over eight million hits. More advertisers are becoming aware of the advantages of appearing on the site with the freshest, most accurate information on long range fishing available.

Last summer, San Diego’s day boat fleet had a tough time with the albacore, because the fish didn’t seem to come very close or stay very long. But the long range fleet had one of its very best years ever, scoring on the albies at 100 to 200 miles. Yellowtail fishing at the islands of the Benitos, Cedros and Guadalupe (when it was open) was as good as it gets, with plenty of fish and lots of whopper mossbacks.

Yellowfin tuna fishing was super at Alijos Rocks and a few other spots, like off San Pablo and at Guadalupe. The Alijos fish seemed larger than usual, with 80-pounders common and the average often running about 50 pounds. Dorado fishing started out with a big bang last summer, with the fish running north fast all the way up to the Channel Islands. Something happed in the early fall, however, that sent the flatheads packing.

What can we say about the fall fishing? It was hot, with The Rocks continuing to produce limit catches right up to the end of the year. The Ridge had moments of glory for yellowtail and wahoo, with school tuna making the mix there even better. When the big tuna began to bite in the second week of November and pods of marlin began showing on the southern banks, the fall season fully lived up to its expectations.

Some of the biggest tuna are pushing 350 pounds or more. To break into the top ten, tuna anglers need to come up with a fish of over 362 pounds, so that may well happen before the winter/spring big tuna season ends in June. Last years’ count ended at 49 supercows weighed. They were part of the 504 tuna the fleet caught over 200 pounds.

Right now the count stands at: 319 cows, including 28 supercows over 300 pounds, tallied on December 29, 2009. The fleet’s opportunity to beat last year’s incredible scores seems excellent.

Good as the fishing was, it was a tough year for fishermen, as the sport lost numerous anglers who had reached the highest levels of achievement. Bill Poole, a founding father of long range fishing and the builder of the San Diego sportboat fleet, passed on October 21. Bill showed us how to be confident, comfortable and successful on the best fishing waters in the world. The fleet he built saluted Poole the day before Thanksgiving with a marvelous show off the end of Point Loma.

We lost at least one sportboat captain. Butch (Robert) Harris, who had captained the Cherokee Geisha, died in a gulf coast accident involving a barge at the dock.

Earlier in the year, saltwater fishing lost a real shaker and mover in Carl Newell, who changed salt water fishing much for the better with his graphite reels and short-stroking technique. I’ll never forget fishing with Carl and Russ Izor and other great anglers on Poole’s Excel.

About that same time, the best-known skipper between La Jolla and Dana Point also left us. Richard (Dick) Helgren gave me my first ride as a journalist, and taught me much about fishing with light gear and anchovies, back in the day when there were no sardines. He operated Helgren’s Sportfishing in Oceanside (on his Oceanside 95 we once caught 50-pound yellowfin within five miles of the harbor), and will also be sorely missed.

We lost Del Marsh, known to more west coast anglers than almost any other fisherman. Del’s presence was marked on at least three continents. He caught more species than you can think of, and he could pull your leg in a hundred different ways. Every time I fished with Del he told me he’d never go again because he was too old, for the last two decades.

Just before Christmas, Tony Reyes died. More than any other, he was the man who made multi-day, mother-ship/panga trips into the Midriff Islands of Baja a startling reality for American fishermen. There’s no other way (well, maybe with a seaplane) to get into those islands to enjoy the pristine fishing and incredible, remote and rugged scenery they offer.

We remember remarkable men because of their attitudes. All of these men were positive, cheerful anglers with an appreciation of nature in general and aquatic life specifically. They just liked to be out there, in the middle of living events that have been going on for much longer than people have been around. I seldom if ever heard them snivel about a lost fish, or even about how they’d been treated by others in a highly competitive business. If our sport is to survive and prosper, we’d better hope for more like them. Here’s to these men, and the legacies they leave.

On Some Nice Fish

American Angler is out on her first trip after Christmas, fishing on tuna. Here’s her report from December 30:

“We had another nice day of fishing today on these 70 to 100lb grade fish and we are going to give it a go again tomorrow.

“The weather has been pretty good, a little windy at night but today was nice and sunny out.”



Excel Fishing Southern Waters

“We started out today with a quick hit for 50 or so of those 40 pound grade tuna,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck December 30.

“After that we decided to dedicate the rest of the day looking for a kelp or something floating to give these guys a chance at catching a skin. Unfortunately the wahoo gods were not on our side and we came up empty handed. Talking to the other guys, it sounds like a little bit of big fish showed today so we are going to try our hand at trying for giants for the next couple of days.”



A Few Big Ones

“Today was on the slow side,” said the report from Independence December 29. “We did manage to land 4 larger size tuna, one at 220 and the other three in the 160 to 180-pound range. The weather is on our side with very little wind and a nice calm sea state. We are planning to look at a new area tomorrow and see how it goes.”



A Possible Jr. World Record

“We had a good day fishing Trophy Yellowfin,” reported skipper Kevin Osborne aboard Intrepid December 30.

“We had 18 fish from 130 to 228 pounds. We ended up with five fish over the 200-pound mark for the day. The sign of life is getting better by the hour and we will be making bait again tonight and giving the Cows another battle tomorrow. The highlight of our day came when 16-year-old Jefferey Tedmori landed his first Cow at 202 pounds and then again about one hour later he got his second Cow of the day at 221 pounds. This is a potential Junior All Tackle World Record!”



And A Heartbreaker

“Good Evening Folks,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper Joe D'Acquisto December 30. “We arrived at the three hundred pound bank at eleven o'clock. We got the anchor down at one. It took a little while for the fish to get on us but at three we where busy. We ended up with eight fish, one maybe over two, the rest where one hundred and twenty pounds to one hundred and ninety pounds. We had a few casualties and lost one big one at gaff. We are staying here tonight and will be here tomorrow. Wish us luck.”



Five-Day Trip

“Our good luck continued again today,” reported Royal Polaris December 30, “with more beautiful weather and lots of hungry yellows. We now have full limits of yellowtail, most of which are in the 15 to 20-pound catagory. Tonight we will head up the line and try to finish off our catch with some rockfish.”



Royal Star Doing Steady Biz

“Today was exactly what the doctor ordered,” said the report from Royal Star December 30.

“We stayed at anchor all day and had fish going all day, with just a few short exceptions. The fish today were mostly 60 to 110 pounds, and biting the flyline. Our weather is good and we are hoping for more good fishing tomorrow.

“In today's shot Mike Carlson hoists one of his fish.”