At 12:30 PM May 30, Fisherman’s Landing manager Gary White told Bill Roecker he had heard from Art Taylor aboard the Searcher that the Vagabond had caught 40-plus albacore about 265 miles from San Diego. Vagabond was headed toward Alijos. The albies were mixed with some bluefin. Also, Red Rooster III reported encountering albacore as she was travelling south toward Hurricane Bank and Clarion.

Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home from Alijos May 30 with a fabulous catch of yellowfin tuna and yellowfin.

“We had limits of wind, tuna and near-limits of yellowtail,” said Jeff to dock reporter Bill Roecker at the Point Loma Sportfishing scales. “We found a school of yellowfin that was so big we had to leave.



“We found some bluefin, too, on the way down and the way back up, pretty much in the same place we always find ’em; about 300 miles down, in 63 and half-degree water. I think they’re just starting to filter in. We got some albacore there, too.”

Purfield’s owner, chartermaster Dick Schafer, echoed DeBuys’ thoughts.

One of the best trips I’ve ever been on,” he said. “We had some wind, but the fish bit anyway. Most of the tuna were 30 to 60 pounds. The yellowtail were always there. They bit real good on the dropper loop with a double sardine.

“The yellowfin ate bait but they took jigs, too. I got ‘em on the Salas 7X in blue and white and on the one with blue sides on a green swirl. The yellowtail bit on the 6X and the 6X Jr. in blue and white and scrambled eggs, in a strong current.

“Most of our baitfish came on 40 and 50-pound line,” said Schafer.

Lucky number 13 on the roster was Bob Park of Studio City. Bob won first place for the best tuna, a 113-pound long boy that took his sardine on a 2/0 ringed Mutu hook. He said he fished with 50-pound blue Izorline and 80-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate BX2-600N reel and a Phenix 700 XXH prototype rod he wrapped himself.

“The new reel performed flawlessly,” said Park. “I got bit after a long soak early in the morning. He ran out then went down and it took about 30 minutes to get him in.

“I also got the best bluefin and the best yellowtail,” noted lucky number 13. His bluefin was about 44 pounds, said skipper DeBuys, who weighed the yellowtail at 54.6 pounds. Park got the stocky mossback, built more like a tuna than a standard yellow, on a sardine and 30-pound line after a 20-minute fight.

Arthur Lecero of Mission Viejo won second place for a 64.6-pound tuna. Michael McMahon of Mission Viejo won third place for a 57.6-pound yellowfin. Mary Holifield of LA got her best-ever yellowtail, a 42-pounder, on a sardine and 40-pound line.



Back To Business

Red Rooster III is on her way into deep southern waters on the June Heat trip, the last one of the big tuna season. She left Saturday, so her first fishing reports may come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday.

Vagabond, Independence, Royal Star, Qualifier 105, Intrepid, Shogun and American Angler are all out fishing on short to medium-range trips, and the Excel departs on Tuesday, so news will be coming in on a daily basis soon. Expect some word on albacore and bluefin in the next days, and hope for some catches to be made closer to San Diego in the next two or three weeks, as the schools of tuna work their way north. The size of the bluefin and the longfin so far has been very encouraging. We may be in for a nice summer season.

“Things are going well for us here,” noted Excel skipper Justin Fleck May 26, “and the boat is looking and running great. We still have openings on several trips for the year so here’s a chance to get on the trip of your choice. I am sure that most of you have been following the reports as I have and are glad to hear of the albacore and bluefin being seen and caught. It also sounds like the spring yellowtail bite is in full swing. Needless to say, we are very anxious to start the season. Our first trip departs on June 1st and is five days long. We plan on mixing it up with equal amounts of time spent looking offshore and at the islands. Until then, wish us luck and we will see you on the water.”



Excellent Trip For Indy

“Today was spent in search of fish offshore,” said the report from Independence May 27, “and yet again the weather made things tough for looking. The gang came away with six bluefin for the day and that was it. They have one more to fish and will spend it somewhere along the coast to get out of the weather and then start for home. The trip has an excellent one as far as catching goes, we will report tomorrow.”



Ready To Leave

“Friday is departure day on the first voyage of the official season that is brimming with opportunity,” wrote Royal Star owner-operator Tim Ekstrom May 27. “With wind that has been snorting all week soon to pass, and a good group of us departing for southern zones over the next few days, I have to believe that we are going to come up with something significant offshore to report on. Also, when that weather breaks and the door opens at Alijos Rocks, look out! There is some very good fishing in the works in upcoming weeks.

There are also a couple of very significant schedule changes in the works for Royal Star that we will announce in the upcoming week. All in all we are ready to get out and join the fray after this extended period of down time. I will be taking the helm for the first trip of the season so look for reports to continue when the trip begins. It's time to go fishing!"



Vagabond Results 5-26-10

Vagabond posted this from the trip that returned May 26.

“Congratulations to our jackpot winners: Tom Bruch, 34 lbs; Art Ramirez, 34.5 lbs; and Paul Wade, 36.5 lbs.”

The three San Diego landings have had their construction work completed, and the last one, Fisherman’s landing, has moved into the new building. Bill Hankins Construction did a fine job, noted Fisherman’s Landing manager Paul Morris, and finished ahead of schedule.

“Bill Poole planned this over 20 years ago,” remarked Morris. “I was he was alive to see it. When Doug Kern came on here he promised Doug a new tackle store someday.

“I sure do miss him,” continued Morris, who’s been with the corporation over 30 years. “It was Bill who wanted the wood on the front of the building.”


The new building for Fisherman’s Landing is large, handsome and utilitarian, with a set of lockers down one side for the use of boat operations. It also has a big new tackle store, office space and sections for the captains and tackle rentals and rod repair.


There’ll be a nice big round aquarium smack in the center of the store where the front door opens, on the counter with a zillion plastic swim baits. A skylight makes the place even more open and airy.

Things aren’t totally finished, of course, Things are still being adjusted, put away, etc. But Fisherman’s is up and running in its new building.

“We’re ready for the fish to start biting,” said Morris.

Pt. Loma Sportfishing had the least amount of visible repair work done, since it had the most recent renovation prior to the past year. But it got a new façade, and a new roof and many other items on the inside.


The Pt. Loma Sportfishing tackle store is much more complete these days, with a variety of clothing and tackle. They’re ready for fishing over there, too. Right now the Independence is out at Alijos Rocks, and will return Sunday morning with yellowfin tuna and big yellowtail. See their following report.

H&M Landing is done, the office folks are moved in and the place is ready to fish. Even the ice shack is looking good. There’s been some decent if sporadic yellowtail fishing lately and rockfish are biting, but the main bass bite has yet to begin.


The H&M lobby, tackle store and offices are also spacious and airy. The overall effect of all the construction at the San Diego Landings is wonderful, thanks to Bill Hankins. The buildings are clean and new and seem friendlier, larger and more accommodating. It’s been said there may be more parking in the lot and even more on the way, if a new area across the street gets approval.

Independence Update From The Rocks

“Captain Debuys called in tonight with another good report,” said Mark Pisano’s positing May 25, “very much like yesterday's action, good yellowfin tuna and yellowtail action for most of the day. The tuna are in the 30 to 60-pound range and the yellows are in the 20 to 50-pound range. The weather remains very poor with lots of wind and big seas to go with it. The guys are going to give it another day and hope the weather turns around so the offshore grounds will be an option on the way back north. If anyone would like to fish the Indy we have a few spots on the next seven-day trip departing May 30th or on June 20th. Signs look very good for the season so give your favorite long range boat a call and get in on the action.”



Vagabond Five-Day

This was posted from Mike Lackey’s Vagabond May 26: “We’re almost home with a great catch of yellowtail, and looking forward to going back out on Saturday. We’ve had excellent reports of Tuna fishing. Still a few spots on Saturday’s trip!”

The boat was due to dock at Point Loma Sportfishing about 1:30 PM. If there are photos or more reports you’ll see them here.

This report came from the Independence office in the evening after the first day of fishing at Alijos Rocks.

“Capt. Jeff Debuys called in tonight with a report on the first full day of fishing. Jeff said the weather is horrible to say the least, probably the roughest he has ever seen the rocks. The fish on the other hand did not care about the wind and big seas. The bite was absolutely fantastic on both yellowfin tuna in the 40 to 60-pound range and yellowtail in the 25 to 40-pound class. The Independence is a battleship in poor conditions while fishing on the anchor or offshore drifting. Things went well today and everyone onboard is pulling and yanking to their heart's content. We will check in later as the trip continues.”



Vagabond Fishing Yellowtail

Mike Lackey’s Vagabond is on a five-day trip. He had this report yesterday:

“Despite Mother Nature having a much better fish day. Wide-open bite this morning on school-size yellowtail. In search of trophy yellowtail for rest of day.”



The Guy Harvey Deck Sandal From AFTCO Bluewater

(Press Release)

After many years of experience on the water, AFTCO and Guy Harvey have created the Guy Harvey Deck Sandal. This sandal is going to be a favorite with anglers and boaters for its’ performance features designed for the most demanding on-the-water conditions. This sandal is great looking, super comfortable, and has superior traction. The Deck Sandal features comfortable suede leather uppers with Guy-Harvey signature, a high arch, sunken heel, and a non-slip, soft extra wide EVA foot bed with a Guy Harvey logo. The EVA foot bed was engineered for comfort, preventing your little toe from creeping over the side and making contact with many of the painful objects found on a boat. The sandal also offers a non-marking rubber outsole with skid-resistance that allows forward and side traction in both wet and dry conditions. This sandal will give your feet the comfort and protection they deserve, as well as keeping your boat deck looking sharp!

This fishing sandal is offered in black in sizes 8 to 13. We hope this sandal will be the answer to anglers and boaters foot comfort and protection while enjoying being on the water.

Locate a Retailer

For more information contact: Terry Simms
AFTCO Mfg Co. Inc
17351-B Murphy Ave
Irvine, CA. 92614
(949) 660-8757

As we suspected, the Independence is heading for Alijos Rocks, hopefully for some good tuna fishing. Yesterday she encountered some bluefin and albacore. Here’s the report from Sunday night.

“Good evening. The guys called in tonight to report that the weather was very windy and just about unfishable was they worked south toward the rocks. The offshore water conditions looked good when they ran over a meter mark that produced four bluefin in the 30 to 40-pound range and three albacore in the 20 to 25-pound class, The weather proved to be unfishable and they continued south. With a better weather forecast for the next few days, this could be an area to check later in the trip.”



Moving Day

"I've got a box of stuff under my arm right now," said Fisherman's Landing office manager Gary White when Bill Roecker called May 24. "We'll be in the new building tomorrow. The tackle shop's already over there."

Fisherman's Landing is the last of the three renovations at the docks completed this year. All the work looks great, and we'll have the latest shots of the new buildings in a couple of days. Looks like it's time to go fishing!

Independence is back at Point Loma Sportfishing for the next seven or eight months. She departed on her first eight-day trip of the new season on Saturday around noon. She had barely cleared Pt. Loma when rumors began flying about a catch. Her crew reported some windy conditions, but the boat has her stern to the weather and should have a decent ride south. No word on where’s she’s headed yet, but I’m guessing Alijos Rocks. If not, then probably the Yellowtail Triangle and Cedros Island. We’ll keep you informed as word becomes available.

Qualifier 105 had a three-day trip that visited San Martin Island and spots south of the Coronados. She chased yellowtail and found some barracuda and rockfish. Her last report came in as she was still trying for forkies, back at the islands, as an angler hollered, “Hookup!”

“We left last night (Friday) on a two-day trip,” said the report from Royal Star, skippered by Brian Sims, Sunday morning. “We have an eager group of anglers onboard including a few first timers to Royal Star. Due to the unfavorable weather on the outside and the good local yellowtail bite, we elected to stay inside on the Mexican coast for our fishing today. We started off quickly in the morning boating a nice grade of yellowtail from 15 to 22 pounds. The action was exciting as yellows boiled around the boat and bit the surface iron and the live bait. Things slowed down a little in the afternoon, but we managed to scratch a few more fish. We are staying put for the night and will be hard at it again in the morning.

Skin Spinning

“Photos today feature a couple of lighter moments,” wrote Royal Star owner-operator Tim Ekstrom May 21, 2010, “during the last Revillagigedo trip with Stuart Exall and Kurt Schaefer doing the honors. Stuart was actually the first angler to bring the big spinners for throwing poppers a couple of years back. On that particular voyage, the wahoo were going nuts over the big poppers he calls "Stick Baits" that are made and marketed by "Jai" of Seven Seas tackle in Thailand.

“Wahoo that hit the stick bait are typically at peak velocity and fly from the water to reach heights that are believable only if personally experienced. I have to say that the sight of a 50-pound wahoo 15 feet in the air with a surface jig or popper clenched in it's jaws, never loses an ounce of magnificence to me. No matter how many times I see the image, it still elicits the same result. I am typically the first one hooting or emphatically exclaiming my awe.

So Stuart brought along his big spinner for presenting the stick baits. After watching the show, and salivating at the sight of such tremendous explosions on the poppers, I was eager to take advantage of Stuart's gracious offer to try it out. From that point on, I was throwing that thing at every opportunity. It is good fun. But, that's all it is. I definitely would not recommend the surface popping method with a big spinning rod to any angler serious about wahoo production. Overall the percentage of fish hooked to landed is poor at best. But it is all about the strike. The sight of those big "skinnies" flying out the water is worth it every time.

I don't think the shot of Stuart pulling on a wahoo in The Lunker Hole was one that he hooked on a popper, but the image does the trick anyway. Also, the image of IATTC senior scientist Kurt Schaefer testing one of the other "specialty" rigs favored by the Thai anglers on the February voyage does a fantastic job of representing what we call getting "reamed" on a big fish. In no uncertain terms, this would be an example of gear being pushed beyond its boundaries by our standards.

In this case we were having some good fun however testing the limits. Believe it or not, as I recall we landed this tuna that came in around eighty or ninety pounds. If we hadn't seen all the anglers from Thailand pull this off numerous times with the same equipment in February, we probably wouldn't have believed it possible outside the category of pure luck. Regardless, with Stuart observing closely, Kurt, applying the techniques of the highly accomplished Thai anglers, gave the battle all he was worth, and won.

“Don't forget about the new two day voyages we added in June. Presently we have one opening available on the first eight-day, departing May 28. Give Tracy a call if you can squeeze a trip in.”



Back In The Water

Art Taylor’s Searcher is out of dry dock and back in the salt.

“Our 5-day trip from June 12-17 sponsored by Qualia Reels is a go,” he reported May 19, “and we are looking forward to getting offshore. Recently a local boat reported hooking a bluefin on live bait, though it was lost at deep color. This happened at about 105 miles from San Diego where good conditions were also reported.”



Vag’s Fishing, Too

Mike Lackey’s Vagabond is also out fishing this weekend, acklowleged Pt. Loma Sportfishing. She left port Friday and is due back at the landing Wednesday, May 26.



It’s About Long Range

“Bill, I have been asked to answer questions on long range for the local tackle shop on their big sale on the 28th, 29th. What better prop than one of your videos (“Wahoo & Summer Tuna”), on the Indy! Thanks,” Rick B. (by email May 22, 2010)

Local Yellowtail

The Jacaranda trees are blooming with their purple flowers, so you know June is close. The calico spawn and the good bite it usually brings can’t be too far off. It’s this time of year that angler attentions turn to that first love, the California yellowtail.

They’re here, and they’ve been hanging around for a while. Anywhere from 10 to 25-pounders, yellowtail are being caught aboard 1/2 and ¾-day boats between La Jolla and the Coronados Islands and The Rockpile. Uncooperative weather has made it hard to come by these fish. This weekend things looked promising, and some fish were caught Saturday, but the wind came up, and Sunday was a poor day to be on the water. A few days of nice weather should turn things around for yellows and for barracuda, too.

Westways, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s magazine, has printed a nice piece about fishing by writer Barry Stringfellow of Hermosa Beach in the June issue. Barry wanted to return to his roots by coming back to fishing, so he went to Bishop Creek and Diamond Valley Lake.

Then he went on a ten-day trip aboard the American Angler in November with skipper Sam Patella. He was nervous, the only rookie on the boat, but the anglers aboard made him feel right at home, and the crew helped him a lot, he said in his story, “Gone Fishing.”

Sam took the group to the southern banks, where they found good fishing. Stringfellow was impressed with yellowfin tuna. He called them the “Shelby Cobra of sport fish.” He got his first big fish, a 124-pound tuna. He had a good time and had nothing but good things to say about his experience.

This is the kind of general interest piece that helps long range fishing. As more new anglers learn about long ranging, they become converts like Stringfellow. This can only help all in the business, including long range anglers. Thanks to the American Angler and all the fishermen aboard who helped a new angler. His good experience benefits us all.

With one more trip into southern waters after giant yellowfin tuna, the count for the 2009-2010 big tuna season stands at 562 tuna over 200 pounds, including 39 fish of supercow ranking; tuna over 300 pounds.

Red Rooster III is sold out, and will make that last trip, the one called “June Heat,” leaving the dock May 29. We’ll keep you updated, and after that trip I’ll offer a final count. This season has been the excellent for 200-pounders, and the best in memory for supercows.

Limits ‘O Tails

Malihini had limits of yellowtail for 11 anglers yesterday at the Coronados Islands, said Katrina at H&M Landing May 19. The 55 fish were reported to run from 10 to 15 pounds and were caught at the surface. They bit on surface iron and bait. About 20 fish were caught in the morning, and the rest later. Today the Producer is also out there fishing for yellows.

New Guy Harvey Vintage T-Shirts by AFTCO Bluewater

(Press Release)

Guy Harvey’s line of T-shirts, featuring his colorful and dynamic marine art, is immensely popular among fishermen and those who just appreciate beautiful art on quality tees. AFTCO Bluewater has brought back six of Guy’s more popular vintage designs; “Marlin Yellowfin,” Redfish 2 Seatrout,” “Bull Dolphin,” “Tarpon Trio,” “Bluefin Tuna,” and “Atlantic Collage.” The art has been printed with a cracked effect, giving it even more of a vintage look. We used pre-washed, pre-shrunk, 100% cotton, ring-spun t-shirt blanks that have been garment dyed. These shirts have a loose fit and are super comfortable. The New Guy Harvey Vintage Shirts are going to give you a feeling like this is your long time favorite t-shirt!

Guy Harvey Vintage Tees are available in short sleeve and long sleeve. We’re offering the colors Red, Blue Jean, Khaki, Moss, Navy, Charcoal and Mustard. The shirts are in sizes S, M, L, XL, and 2X. The MSRP for the short sleeve is $23.99, and the MSRP for the long sleeve is $29.99. Be sure to grab your new favorite older-looking tee!

For more information contact:

Terry Simms
AFTCO Mfg Co. Inc
17351-B Murphy Ave
Irvine, CA. 92614
949-660-8757

"Wahoo & Summer Tuna"

New FishingVideos.com DVD is Hot!

The new DVD has over an hour of high speed action and numerous smart fishing tips!

Owner-skippers Mark Pisano and Paul Strasser are wired up with microphones and featured on the job, helping and teaching anglers how to fish with iron and bait. Pisano’s son Mark is 11, already an accomplished angler. He cranks in wahoo and yellowfin tuna matching his own weight on the long rod.

Strasser shows how to smooth out kinked flourocarbon leaders. Pisano demos wahoo jigging. Skipper Jeff DeBuys talks tackle choices and shows how to fish rod on the rail style, and where to spot tuna cruising in the shallows at Alijos Rocks.

This is epic summer fishing! Skinnies bite fast when the Rusty Hook charter slows to a troll. Husky yellowfin tuna, muscling in on tasty sardine baits, outnumber the wahoo wolfpacks. A huge whale shark circles the boat during a tuna bite! Schools of tuna to 90 pounds and more take live bait fished on stealthy rigs during two long August days of intense action on the Independence. There’s a bonus when the trip finishes up off Isla Natividad. It’s a pileup of birds, mammals, sardines, mackerel and yellowtail!



Join Bill Roecker and owner-skippers Mark Pisano and Paul Strasser, with Captain Jeff DeBuys on deck during hot bites. Rodeo calf roper Cody Felts of Houston bags his first tuna. See how to jig up a dawn wahoo, pick the right ‘dine, and how to straighten out your kinked flourocarbon.

Shot in Sony Professional HD format, this fast-moving DVD will keep you pinned to your seat with anticipation and surprise. You’ll see that great meals, wonderful personal service and laid-back comfort are specialties on this cushy 112-foot sportfisher, the Independence. Get “Wahoo & Summer Tuna" at your favorite store or online!

The first time Tom Burke went fishing on a long range boat he won the jackpot for a bluefin. The Buffalo, New Yorker came back this year on the Qualifier’s annual Accurate trip hoping to get a 100-pounder. His luck was still good, and Burke came up with a 291.2-pound yellowfin to win the jackpot.

Not to say the fish didn’t have a chance. It got its money’s worth out of Burke by beating him up for two and a half hours. Then Tom had to sweat getting it through the sharks, which he did.

The trip spent about three days each at the Hurricane Bank and offshore at Clarion Island. The bank provided a good catch of wahoo. More wahoo and the bulk of the big tuna came from Clarion’s Buffer Zone. There were 19 anglers on the 16-day trip skippered by Joe Crisci and led by Jack Nilsen and Gary Gillingham of Accurate. They ended up with ten cows and two tuna that weighed in at around 199 and a half pounds.

“We had a good ride down,” said Gillingham, “and good fishing for three days at the bank and again at Clarion. Eight of our anglers had a personal best.”

Burke’s first-place fish certainly qualified as a best. He said he got it with a sardine on a 5/0 VMC hook tied to 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Pete Corselli of La Habra won second place for his best tuna ever, a 269.2-pounder.

“He went around the boat three times, with his sickle out of the water and everybody on the boat hollering about it,” said Corselli, “and I thought, ‘I’m never gonna get this fish. When I finally pulled him over to the boat we gaffed in midship on the starboard side.”


Corselli and several of the other anglers aboard the trip are featured in the just-finished video, “,” coming in a week or two from FishingVideos.com. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker that this fish bit on a sardine pinned to a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook on 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Regular long ranger Allen Lemberg of San Diego had some pretty fair luck himself, winning third place for the best one of his three cows. The fish weighed 262, 253 and 248.4 pounds. The best one was only two pounds short of his personal mark, he noted. Allen said he lost two other big fish, one of which was bigger than the three he put on the boat. It was lost when he straightened a hook, he said.

Allen got his fish on sardines and 5/0 VMC hooks, he said. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on the late Dr. Bob Fechner’s Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Seeker 6465 XXH rod.

Paul “Scooter” Silverman of Windsor, CO wasn’t in the jackpot. He got a 274.2-pounder with a sardine on a 7/0 Mutu ringed hook on 130-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He fished with the late Del Marsh’s Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Baja Boomer rod.


“That one took me around the boat five times,” said Scooter. “I got him after an hour.”

Keng Chee Jin of Singapore bagged a 237.8-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 755 XXH rod to get his fish in 45 minutes.

Pin Yam Ng of Malaysia was a hot stick, said the other anglers. He got a 226 and a 233-pound tuna, with sardines on 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He fished with 130-pound Jin Kai line, 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 770 H rod.

Chartermaster Gary Gillingham of Duarte spent a tough hour on a 223-pound tuna.

“He came up with his sickle out of the water for about ten minutes of that time,” he said.

Gillingham fished a sardine on a 6/0 Offshore hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He said he used An Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Calstar 770 XXXH rod.

Singapore Fishing Outfitter Alvin Lim was aboard, with a group of five other anglers. They posed with one of the two cows caught by Ng.



Older Than Wiesenhutter’s Record

Most long rangers know that the oldest IGFA world record for yellowfin tuna is also for the biggest one: Kurt Wiesenhutter’s 388-pound, 12-ounce supercow caught way back in April of 1977. But for age, that one doesn’t hold a candle to the oldest record of all, for a yellow perch, of all things! That record is held for a four-pound, three-ouncer caught in 1865 by Dr. C. Abbot in Bordentown, NJ.

Fisherman’s Processing, a new operation on the water not far from Fisherman’s Landing, is impressive, and it’s open for business. It’s owned and operated by four equal partners: Frank LoPreste, Randy Toussaint, Tim Ekstrom and Sean Sebring. The first three are well-known skippers. Sean is the man who runs the canned albacore trade, the summer trimming and bagging operation and the ice sales at Fisherman’s Landing, where his helpers are known as “the redshirts.”

Tim Ekstrom explained the thinking behind the new plant, which looks big, clean and new at 2837 Historic Decatur Road, off Cushing Road in the recently-converted Naval installation off North Harbor Drive, the one landmarked by the landlocked training ship most people see driving past on the way to the airport or the landings.


“After Anthony’s Processors closed a couple of years ago, we saw a need to get three good operations available again,” Tim told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “During the peak of the season, so many boats were coming in with fish that the processors were swamped with same-day orders, and some of the anglers were frustrated with long waits. We felt we wanted to improve the same-day turnaround.

The new business was waiting to start work on some of the fish coming off the Royal Polaris on May 10 when Ekstrom was interviewed. A tour of the plant offered a viewing of the like-new landscaped exterior, with a dock outside for access by private boaters.

Inside, the 4700-square-foot plant has new fish-cutting tables and vacuum-packing stations, a giant freezer running at minus ten degrees, a smoker and a huge refrigerator to hold fish for cutting and smoking. There’s a forklift and truck dock on the opposite side from the water. The office takes a corner of the big waiting room, which has a card table on one end and a big-screen TV and lounges with a magazine table at the other. A gallery of Bill Boyce’s work is featured.


The boat dock is on the end of the building where the waiting room is, and there’s ample parking on the far end for anglers arriving by car. So now there should be no more overlong waits for anglers who want same day fish preparation done by professionals. Fishermen will be met at the dock by three processors once again, and they’ll be comfortable while their fresh-caught fish is made ready to eat.

Fisherman’s Processing is close to the airport, Shelter Island launch ramp, the landings and is on the water of the bay itself. The website is www.fishermansprocessing.com and Ekstrom says the plant will ship processed fish anywhere, by air.

The latest posting from Qualifier 105 indicated the boat should arrive at Pt. Loma Sportfishing around nine AM tomorrow morning, after an arrival at US Customs in San Diego about eight. The trip was sponsored by Accurate, and has some big tuna aboard. The story will be posted here tomorrow.



Released Great White Dies In Gill Net

Pete Thomas blogged some sad news about the recently released (Monterey Aquarium) white shark, saying it was caught by an Ensenada gillnet fisherman. To see the story, go to his blog HERE.

Roy Rose docked Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris at Fisherman’s Landing May 10, following the 17-day SDLongRange.com charter with 15 anglers aboard, including owner Frank LoPreste and chartermaster Brandon Kreutel of Escondido. The boat was packing a dozen tuna over 200 pounds, including the 306-pounder caught by LoPreste, his first supercow.

“It was good fishing,” said skipper Roy. “It got a little choppy last night, so we slowed down. We had beautiful weather at Clarion and on the Hurricane Bank.”

LoPreste said he got his best fish ever, a 306-pound yellowfin on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Calstar 770H rod, and got the big tuna to gaff in an hour and 15 minutes. Frank also got a 220-pound tuna.

“”I saw him boil on my bait,” said Frank to dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and he just about spooled me running out. He went down then. He was a tough fish, and it was fun to have him on through the whole fight. I stayed on him hard and he took me around the boat four times.

“He never really rolled over on his side except for a little bit right at the end. It me nervous to see him come up showing nothing but back. In the end we got him in the port corner.”

Chartermaster Brandon Kreutel of Escondido won first place for his 290-pounder, his best fish.

He fished a sardine on a new Mustad 39943 perfect circle hook in the 8/0 size, and used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Blackwater Spectra on an Accuarte ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 XH rod.

“He was just a good one,” said Brandon. He fought for 45 minutes and came up in the starboard corner. I had to stick it in my gut and pull.”

Allen Hartman of San Clemente won second place for a 238-pounder that worked him over for an hour and a half. He soaked a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

“He took me around the anchor line five times,” said Hartman. “He came up on the port corner of the stern.”


Jim Nailen of Los Osos won third place for a 224-pound tuna. He said it bit a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook and 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon tied to 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Cofe, and a Calstar 765 H rod.

He fought for 45 minutes, into the dark,” said Nailen. “We got him about eight PM, after Roy tricked the sharks so they wouldn’t eat him.”
Steve Hicks had a 269-pounder.

Chris Petersen of Castaic bagged a brace at 264 and 228 pounds. The big one took him about 45 minutes to deck, he said. It ate a bait on a double sardine rig under the kite with 6/9 Super Mutu hooks. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line On e Spectra on an Accurate ADT 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

“He came out of the water looking three feet wide,” said Chris, “at the same place Frank got his fish. He hit and took 400 yards right now.”

Steve Emmert of Dublin also picked a pair. They weighed 260 and 206 pounds. He said he fished the double sardine rig under the kite, with 6/0 Super Mutus, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on aa Penn 50 VSX by Cal Sheets and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Jack Gruschus of Corrales, NM is 76, but he nabbed a 222-pounder with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. It was the first baitfish over 200 pounds, and won him a news Accurate BX2-600 reel.

Kathy Rounds of San Diego caught a 218-pound tuna with two sardines under the kite. They were pinned on 6/0 ringed Super Mutus, and she fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.



Q-105 Stops At Cabo

“We rolled into Cabo just in time for a beautiful sunrise,” said the report for May 10.

“Cabo is a great place with a lot of new hotels. The place looks different each time we go. All went well there with the Mexican agent coming out and greeting the gang getting of the boat, then after a little paper work off they all went in a water taxi. We then departed around 7:30 AM for San Diego. Our plan is to check into customs around eight Thursday morning and as soon as that's taken care of, head for home. We have a nice load of fish on the boat. The next couple days we will do an overview of the whole trip.”

“Stacked up like cordwood, that’s how we found the wahoo this morning,” said the report from Qualifier 105 May 8. “We pulled the anchor around 5:30 am and started looking for birds. We found a big spot of them crashing on bait balls and the tuna were right there with them. At first, the big ones were jumping out of the water chasing small bait fish; we stopped and hooked a bunch of medium-size fish. We landed about a dozen or so before they moved on. A picture of some of the gang is included.

“After that, we wanted to try for some wahoo, with the trolling jigs out and every one standing-by things happened fast. We found an area that was loaded with fish and we put about 75 into the holds! Skip Kenison is walking around with a huge smile after landing 4 in just two stops this morning. He loves wahoo and is happy to have a bunch to take home to eat.

"I forgot to mention a big fish yesterday. Pete Corselli, long time Qualifier 105 fisherman landed a possible personal best with a tuna around 275 pounds. This guy is a great fisherman and has helped some of the newer guys with suggestions regarding their gear. His freezer will be full with a few big tuna and a pile of Wahoo. Last night after dinner, we had a bunch of jacks swimming around the boat. A couple of the Singapore group put on some poppers and we had a blast. The fish were about 12 to 20 pounds and they put up a great fight. We released them all afterwards. Sometimes, fishing is just about having fun. Tomorrow we will be fishing a new area with a Monday morning arrival into Cabo San Lucas to drop off about half our group.”



Due To Dock

Royal Polaris is scheduled to arrive Monday morning at Fisherman’s Landing with a great catch that includes an apparent 300-pounder caught by owner Frank LoPreste, who was fishing aboard on a busman’s holiday.

The season’s first troll-caught bluefin tuna is aboard Chuck Taft’s Sea Adventure II, according to manager Rick Marin at H&M Landing. The fish was caught this morning, and was said to be around 20 pounds. There were a few short-biters that were missed as well. The boat also got an offshore yellowtail, but no details were available on that fish.

Shogun caught the first long range bluefin of 2010 on their way to Alijos on March 28.

Sea temperature charts like Terrafin have reported warm water in some offshore areas, said Rick, with the temperature showing as high as 67 degrees, though a more realistic expectation might be closer to 64. The FishDope map showed 63 degrees over the 141 Spot.

Take A Kid Fishing—It’s Free!

If you didn’t get the word last month at Day At The Docks, kids with adults can go fishing at Fisherman’s Landing, Pt. Loma Sportfishing and H&M Landing aboard overnight trips as well as the half and three-quarter day boats. Robert Falcone at Pt. Loma Sportfishing said anglers who want to bring a kid for free need to make a reservation and mention the coupon to take advantage of the offer, good until the end of the month. Fishing license is not included on the kids for free deal.

Locally, the bite has been a mix of rockfish and bass. Tim Green’s Premier got a yellowtail this morning off Point Loma, and barracuda are being spotted. If weather doesn’t roll the water over into something too cold to produce, the southland could be very close to the start of tuna season.

"Great weather, great food, great company,” said the report from Qualifier 105 May 7, “and even better fishing! We had another great day here. We trolled up wahoo first thing while we were looking around for tuna, then we found em. Some of the big fish today were: Allen Lemberg had a fish that could be his personal best at around 270, he has a great trip going with five or so big tuna and plenty of other smaller fish. Lou Lacouette had one that taped at 216 pounds and he is on his first long range trip! He has a few other fish over 100 pounds also, nice trip for Lou and I'm sure not his last trip, or fish. 

"Winner of a new Accurate reel today was Keng Chee Jin with the first fish on the deck over 200 lbs, also one of a few fish he's landed. Yesterday's reel winner was Pin Yam Ng, today he landed several nice fish, included is a picture of one of them, Pin is on the right, Seng Ko Lim (Alvin) is on the left, lending a hand. We had one big heartbreak today when Dave Klein hooked one that required a backup rod to be attached to his. Something gave, and we lost the fish, a big, big one. Dave has a few good ones with one that will probably go 200 pounds. Just about all our anglers had good fish today and tomorrow we will be here again.”



A Good Finish

“Today was a great day,” noted the report from Royal Polaris May 7. “We had excellent conditions and the weather was just beautiful. We had excellent fishing on Giant Yellowfin tuna. Most of the fish today were in the 180 to 200-pound range, with the largest one being 269 pounds.

"Lucky anglers today were Steve Hicks with a 269-pound Yellowfin tuna, Chris Petersen with a 264-pound Yellowfin tuna, and Frank LoPreste with a 222-pound Yellowfin tuna.
We are on our way home, but we will keep you posted on our daily events. So until tomorrow, wish us luck on the weather."



Fishing For Mossbacks

“Hi Bill, I am hooked on your videos. One word, WOWOWOW! I would like to experience that. Can you suggest the best time of the year and the boat you would book a trip on? I’ve been to Loreto, East Cape, Mulege; but the fun and the fish you caught are the ultimate! I prefer mossback yellows, but I’m not picky. Just a fun trip; I have worked two jobs these past two years to be a good dad and provider, but I need to spoil myself. Help a fellow fisherman (if I spend hard to come-by money) I need it, it’s worth it." Joe (Coach McCree) by email May 6, 2010

Bill’s Reply:

Hello, Joe (Coach McCree):
Thanks for your very complimentary letter. We much appreciate the positive feedback. Let me try to answer your request.


I trust you have been to our site and the current events section and to the products section too, of course. On the front page of the news you’ll find a list of the boats in the long range fleet, where you can get specific information about the trip you might be planning, and find a boat that suits your needs.

The best time to target big yellowtail is from now until the end of October, I would say. Spring trips are often shorter than fall excursions, which go deeper into southern waters. You’d have a good shot a big yellowtail on a trip visiting Cedros and the Benitos Islands, Guadalupe Island or at Alijos Rocks and The Ridge.

You’d do best on a trip of four to seven or eight days, I think, depending on how things work out for you time and finance-wise. If you book a trip over the weekend you’d miss less work. All of my videos on shorter trips for the past several years feature yellowtail fishing, I believe, so you could see more about how it’s done aboard any of the fleet’s long rangers. Check the products page to see trailers or previews of the videos.

If you have my calendar you can see all the boat schedules on the layout near the back. That might help you to decide. If you don’t have the calendar, send me your address and I’ll give you one. Your chances at a mossback during the next six months are very good, I think.

Good luck to you on your mossback fishing trip!


“Well today was just about as good as it gets,” said the report from Royal Polaris May 5. “We had beautiful weather, with flat seas, clear skies, and sunny. It was the perfect day for catching giant yellowfin tuna. We had three fish over 200 pounds and one fish over 300. Most of the other yellowfin were in the 140 to 180 pound range.

“We had some lucky anglers today. The first one I want to talk about is Frank LoPreste. Most of the time you talk about Frank, he's running the boat, but he's on vacation this trip. Frank would get his personal best today, and the fish weighed in at 306 pounds. How's that for your first trip as a passenger? Our other lucky anglers were Brandon Kreutel with his personal best of 290 pounds, Steve Emmert with a 260-pound yellowfin tuna and Chris Petersen with a 228-pound yellowfin tuna.

“We will head for home tomorrow morning around 11:00 hours. This has been another great trip for all aboard. So with that note, wish us luck and we will keep you posted on our daily events.”



Big Day On the Q

"Another fantastic day on the Qualifier 105. It started about an hour after sunrise and lasted all day! We pulled the anchor were we spent a great night, and started to troll around. A couple of fish were up and chasing some sort of baitfish just out in front of the boat so we stopped. It didn’t take long before a few heavies were hooked. The first few fish seemed to be BIG as our anglers were all fishing heavy tackle and having a tough time slowing these monsters down.

"One angler who did a great job from start to finish with NO help needed in any way from the crew was Pin Yam Ng. He landed one that taped around 265, and then the next to hit the deck was Allen Lemberg with a fish right at 200 lbs. The next was Scooter Silverman with another 265! All three are something to be proud of and their true weights won't be known until we reach San Diego next week. A little comedy today up on the bow, we are lucky to have two chefs that can and will work on deck if we need them.

"Today Cappy was up on the bow with an angler who needed to get around the anchor. This can be tricky, you lie on the winch that pulls the anchor and hand the rod under the anchor rope. Thing was, here is Cappy laying up there fighting a huge fish trying to pass the rod under the rope and we are drifting! No anchor rope in the water just in a pile on deck, when that was pointed out to Cappy the look on his face was priceless! Today’s picture is (L to R), Pin, Scooter, Allen, and "Jacurate" in front. All three fish were landed with the world’s best reels, Accurates!

"Tomorrow we are planning a repeat of today and there are some huge fish in the area, wish us luck."



Wahoo Tagging

Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom was just back from the second of his two tagging trips to the Revillagigedos archipelago when we spoke May 5.

“How many wahoo did you tag on your expeditions this year?” I asked.

“We made two trips,” said Elkstrom, “one in February and one in April, with scientists from the US and Mexico in charge. Kurt Schafer is from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission or IATTC, and the Mexican program is the INT, from the National Fisheries Institute of Mexico. We tagged over 100 wahoo this year, but we’ve been doing this for many years. The main focus is on tuna, of course.”

“What kind of tags do you put on the wahoo?”

“They’re spaghetti tags, with the place and date encoded. When the fish is recaptured, the tag will have that information. Wahoo have a wide range, but so far they tend to be recaptured near the original tagging spot. A fish tagged at Clarion Island is likely to be re-caught there, in other words.”

“How are they caught?”

“Most of them are caught on trolled jigs or on cast jigs,” said Ekstrom. “The trolled fish come in hot, but seem to have a better survival rate.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve been enlightened on the broad differences between tuna and wahoo,” said skipper Tim, “and while we release the tuna with care as well, the wahoo have to be treated with extreme care. They’re much more delicate.
 
“We tag most of the wahoo in the water, but some are brought aboard and measured. The reason for the extreme care is that there are safety issues with live wahoo on deck, for the crew and for the fish as well.”

"We made the right move!" read the latest Qualifier 105 report. "After a tough time at the bank, we moved a little closer to home and had an outstanding day. We started out with some wahoo and then it was tuna time. After chasing a few bird schools for most of the late morning, we found a spot that wanted to bite and bite good. The first four guys to hookup knew these were big ones. The kites went up and all hell broke loose. We landed about 40 nice size tuna with fish from 60 pounds to a fish that taped 276!!! The angler was Tom Burke from New York. He is fishing this trip for the 2nd year in a row and hooked the fish of a lifetime. The battle was a good one, it lasted about two hours and Tom lapped the boat 6 or 7 times. Our dinner was New York steaks (just for Tom) and twice baked taters. With new line to put on reels its time for me to go, more tomorrow, the Q crews out!"

“We started out with a tough day of fishing at the bank,” said the first of three reports from Qualifier 105. “The sharks were on us from the first fish we hooked. The first victim was Skip Kenison; the fish was a good one we hooked on the kite. After about 45 minutes, the fish was at color, like someone flipped a switch; it turned brown, as in brown sharks. These things are ferocious; they will devour a 200-pound tuna in seconds, leaving only a skeleton.

“One of the Singapore group, Pin Yam Ng from Malaysia, lost three tuna to the sharks, two of which were over 100 pounds. He will get his tuna sooner or later. In addition, Allen Lemberg had a couple of fish eaten. He did land a couple of nice fish today, one right at dark when he was the only angler at the rail! Our picture today is Dave Klein of Chico with a fish around 165 pounds; this fish was one of the few to get past the sharks today.

“A funny story happened when our crew member Jack tried to hit a wahoo on the head and missed, sending the bat over the side, we all had a good laugh and Jack took it fine. We have hopes of fending of the sharks tomorrow and will try for more wahoo; we ended up landing around 20 of them today.

Second Day: “What a tough day we had here at the bank. It started with sharks on us in the dark, and they did not leave us alone. We pulled the anchor shortly after daybreak and trolled for wahoo. Even that was tough. We made lap after lap around the bank. It is a small bank and it seemed like the fish were else were today. Monday morning we will try again. Hope the sharks leave us alone.”

Third Day: “This morning was almost the same as yesterday. After a couple of hours fishing with no luck other then sharks, we pulled the anchor. Trolling was about the same, a couple wahoo and that’s it! Everyone on board stuck it out till lunch, that’s when Joe decided to make a move. With just a couple tuna for our efforts this morning we bailed to parts still undecided. One good fish we did land today was Wes Cerny with a nice 140-pound tuna. We have plenty of time left to fish so we are not in panic mode just yet, our bait is the best we have had in many trips, and our anglers are all having a good time. Therefore, with homemade lasagna for dinner tonight and a fresh wahoo lunch already in our bellies, we will regroup this afternoon and hope for some better fishing tomorrow.”



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Questions About Alijos

“Hi Bill, 
 I was re-watching Alijos Tuna Flyer today. In the video the Captain was advising the anglers to stick with the 40 and 50-pound outfits and not to downsize. It made me curious. Why do guys bring so many combos? Is there really a need for a 30, a 40 and a 50-pound rig? Why not just stick with one 50-pound setup and just downsize the fluorocarbon leader as necessary?  

“I'm only referring to bait outfits at the moment, not casting. I'm planning on a 6-day flyer to Alijos Rocks next fall and would appreciate your advice. I currently have a 765M Grafighter with an Avet 30W (80-pound) for trolling and heavy bait fishing. I was thinking of picking up either a Seeker 6470H of Grafighter 700H with an Accurate BX-2 600 (50-pound) for everything else. For casting, I'm thinking of getting an Accurate spinning reel. What's your opinion?” Felix C. (by email May 3, 2010) 

Bill’s Reply

Hello, Felix: Thanks for watching! Captain Fleck, with severely limited time on the grounds, was advising his anglers to use outfits that offered the best chances of boating their hooked fish. Going down to 30-pound rigs may mean getting more contacts, but 30-pound line on 60-pound tuna makes for a longer, tougher fight. In other words, the fish has a better chance of escaping. If you’ve caught most of the fish you intend to take home, skippers like Justin usually don’t mind if you “drop down.” If you’re not a salty, long-time angler, it would be in your own best interests to ask the skipper any questions you might have about rigs and techniques.

Many of us bring six or more outfits on such a trip. This allows having a backup rig or one of a different strength available immediately, in case we need to make a change in the middle of a short but hot bite. You could of course get along with a single outfit, but then you don’t have any choice about what to do when there’s a problem like a jammed reel, or an eye comes off a rod, or you lose a topshot…there are many more negative scenarios. It’s better to have at least two or three rigs ready to go. You can usually rent what you need if you don’t own it.

Those two seven-foot rods are fine for the Alijos application, and that new BX2-600 reel will take anything an Alijos tuna can dish out. You’d be well-served for fishing at The Rocks with such an outfit. I haven’t used a spinning outfit for years, but if I did, that’s the reel I’d choose. At this point in time, spinning gear is making a comeback in tuna fishing. The top-level reels being made now can take the punishment.