Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris docked at Fisherman’s Landing April 21 after an 18-day trip with 22 anglers that produced six cows, or tuna over 200 pounds. Anglers aboard said they pretty much had all they wanted, in cool weather. Wahoo fishing was very good.

“The skins bit the bombs real well,” commented Seaforth Landing manager John Yamate. “They bit bait, too.”

Yamate had the trip’s biggest fish, which weighed 281 pounds on the boat and 253 pounds (gilled and gutted) at the dock. John also had a 230-pounder, accounting for a third of the cows (there were six, all caught on the kite and therefore ineligible for the jackpot).

Yamate said he got one of his cows on a flying fish and one on a mackerel. He used 130-pound Blackwater Spectra on a Penn 80 reel and a Calstar 770 XXHG rod and got the big one in 20 minutes. The smaller tuna fought for 30 minutes, he noted.

Bill Nakaki of Tracy took his best tuna ever, a 264-pounder that bit on a flying fish and a 12/0 ringed Super Mutu, he said. He fished with 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 reel blueprinted by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Ron Jew of San Francisco caught a 259-pounder on a mackerel and a 14/0 Gamakatsu hook. He said he used 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 W done by Cal Sheets back in 1980 and a Calstar 765 H. The fish fought hard for two hours.

“He kicked my butt so hard I had to part my hair to brush my teeth,” agreed Jew, “and all of that.”

Richard Losey of Carlsbad found a 242-pounder with a salami mackerel on a Mustad 11/0 Demon hook. He fished with 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod, to take his best fish ever in 30 minutes.

Steve Franco of Pacifica bagged a 217-pound tuna with a sardine on a 20/0 Mustad hook. He said he fished with 130-pound Line One spectra on a Shimano 50 W reel and a Calstar 655 XXGH rod.

Mike Hieshima of Carpinteria won first place for a 198-pound tuna he caught with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook by Owner. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker he used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 100-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate 30 reel and a super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

Susan Beck of San Clemente won second place for a 196-pounder, and Bill Nakaki of Tracy won third place for a 182-pound tuna.

“Well the morning did not disappoint,” wrote Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom April 19. “All the anticipation, preparation, and prediction combined for exactly what we called as the 75 to 100-pound tuna pushed into the shallows at daybreak, running smack into us along the way. Throw a handful of opportunities at cows in the mix, and a few handfuls of 50 to 60-pounders, and the setting was reminiscent of so many classic Socorro bites etched in my memory. It was a very good time and highly productive as anglers threw their weight into the effort with youthful exuberance. By the end of the second hour however, the effort was whittled down considerably. As my chief mentor Steve Loomis always said, "It all boils down to horsepower". Such was the case by mid-morning.

“Getting dragged around by spirited 75 to 100-pound yellowfin on heavy gear has a unique way of wearing one down. Funny thing is that this type of action, on this size class tuna, is actually more arduous that reefing on two hundred pounders. Generally speaking the bigger fish tend to settle in to a relatively stationary position after the initial few runs. This allows anglers to position themselves to pull to their maximum ability and focus on the fine points of fighting their fish. Not so much with the mid-grade yellowfin, racing around against buttoned-down drags on heavy gear. Everyone works harder to maintain order and keep their lines in front of them during this type of action that puts anglers through the ringer, challenging and exhilarating to say the least.

“It’s all in good fun. And that was definitely the predominate theme as everyone thoroughly enjoyed the action packed morning. Afternoon was a different story as the catching wound down to one here and there despite continuing to see plenty to fish for. This scenario is as regular as rain at this island though and did little to detract from the lingering stoke of the morning. In fact, after the amount of energy most anglers expended from 0500 to 1130, the more leisurely pace of the afternoon was rather well received.

“Finally, photo of the day features long time Royal Star veteran Liz Franzino with another extraordinary catch in less than five months! And while today's 212 is dwarfed by her mammoth 315-pounder landed in January, today's burly bruiser was no slouch. Most extraordinary about these fantastic accomplishments is that Liz is a whopping four feet, ten inches; petite is an understatement when describing her physical attributes. If this doesn't prove that the door is open to anyone wishing to target giant yellowfin I don't know what will. I regret to say that my photo skills are not well represented by today's efforts, but the catch makes up the difference. Look for tomorrow's report from our next westerly destination.”



Giant Alijos Yellowtail

“The fishing seems to be getting slower by the day here at the rocks,” observed Shogun skipper Bruce Smith April 19. “Conditions haven't changed much, we still have good current and the water temperature is still 65.5, but for whatever reason the tuna and yellowtail have backed off. Our weather is up a little bit, nothing bad, 15 knots of northwest wind. On a standout note, Kuni Shimabukuro landed a 60-plus-pound yellowtail this morning.”

The next day the boat moved north, and the report read, “We arrived to Cedros at 13:00 to find windy and cold conditions on the south end. After a couple of hours of battling the elements Norman (owner-skipper Norman Kagawa) moved the boat up into the lee of the island where conditions improved, but not the fishing.”



Australian Review

Bill Roecker’s book, At The Rail: Long Range Fishing has been reviewed by the Australian offshore magazine “BlueWater Boats and Sportfishing,” in the April/May 2011 issue. Editor Tim Simpson was responsible for the piece, offered here. The next issue of Bluewater will feature an article by Roecker on fishing for giant yellowfin aboard San Diego’s long range boats.