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.
