“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.