“Day two at the atoll began with that distinct uh-oh feeling,” wrote Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom February 27, “as the wind and sea were up big time and the sign of fish was decidedly down, almost non-existent better said, aside from a few small spots of miniature models. And so began a long, worrisome morning, as conditions were off to say the least and did not appear to be improving anytime soon.

“Then, like magic, the wind abated, the rugged, very sloppy sea state diminished, and the fish began to show. What followed was a banner afternoon/early evening of yellowfin tuna action that fulfilled many anglers vision of the Clipperton dream.

“Big fish were far more abundant today with the afternoon average 110 to 195 pounds, and plenty of those in the 140 to 180-pound class. There was some real deal pulling going on as these anglers were intimately acquainted with the fact that the Clipperton yellowfin tuna is of a completely different caliber that its brethren to the north. Highly spirited is an understatement when describing these warriors, supercharged and bad to the bone. No kidding, I would confidently venture that an average Clipperton yellowfin is a third again as strong as a yellowfin in the Revilla's and above; of course every rule has its exceptions, and I don't seek to start a cat fight among the champions of the northern climes. It is what it is. To a man everyone on board Royal Star at present now ardently believes. Seeing is believing. Simple as that.

“Photos for the day feature first time long range angler "Ming" all the way from Thailand. Prior to this journey Ming's largest tuna was around forty pounds. He handily dispatched this 181 to make his voyage early. Photo number two features the man himself Corbett Wright whose joy depicted earlier in the voyage in no way meant that he is not hard core when it comes to ‘the show.’ If I had to guess who among this group of anglers would break the ice with the first deuce Corbett would have been at the top of the list. Here he is with his late in the day 225 and a dazzling sun and Clipperton isle in the near background. There is no place like it; entirely unique.”



Oddities

We’re in the middle of the long range season, at the All-Star break for the Fred Hall Shows, if you will. The two boats out fishing at the moment are Royal Star, at Clipperton Atoll, and Intrepid, on her way south for several trips in Panama. Royal Polaris will be out looking, not for fish, but for whales, seabirds and other pelagic critters.

On recent occasions dock reporter I’ve seen some interesting things coming off the boats. Several times since big tuna season began anglers have asked me the identity of goldspotted sand bass, snowy grouper and needlefish, all common in the tropics, but not much seen up here in the temperate zone.

Early in February I saw Giovanni Braida, who was just off the Royal Polaris, loading a wahoo into his vehicle that looked as though it had been unzipped along its keel from gullet to tail.

“I’ve seen a lot of gaff-ripped fish,” I said to him, “but I’ve never seen one quite like that. What happened? I suppose he came in pretty easy after that.”

“Hell, no!” said Braida. “It just made him really mad. He took off then, and it was a long time before I got him back.”

AFTCO Launches New E-Commerce Site

(Press Release) Today AFTCO (the American Fishing Tackle Company) launched a new AFTCO site for the AFTCO fishing tackle division, and its first ever e-commerce site for the AFTCO fishing clothing division.

Saltwater anglers can now find answers to questions about AFTCO roller guides, rod parts, gaffs, fishing harnesses and fishing belts, outrigger clips, Unibutts, and all other AFTCO tackle items. They can now also make direct on line purchases from the entire AFTCO fishing clothing line, including fishing shorts, fishing shirts, fishing pants, fishing gloves and more. A dealer locater makes it easy to find the AFTCO dealer nearest you to purchase AFTCO tackle or AFTCO clothing.

The site includes easy direct links to both the Guy Harvey and Al Agnew e-commerce sites, as AFTCO is the clothing licensee for both these famous artists. It also includes old photos depicting AFTCO’s long history of resource and industry involvement that dates back to 1958. In the video section, you will find a collection of the coolest saltwater fishing videos to share with your fishing friends. Visit aftco.com.

Happy Buyer

“I picked up my 2012 version of your calendar at Turner’s Outdoors about a month ago. In January, I tried to purchase one earlier from Bluewater Tackle/SD Fly Shop but they were SOLD OUT! Again, the calendar is a beauty and a winner! With best regards,”
Norman O. (by email February 23, 2012)

“Stunning would be a fair description of the sign of yellowfin tuna, as well as the scenery,” reported Tim Ekstrom from Royal Star February 27, “we introduced the majority of individuals on board Royal Star to today. Clipperton Island, in all its glory, did not disappoint. In fact, it wowed even those who were primed and prepared, filled with lore and tales of atoll glory on the long ride down. Within a very short duration following our arrival, every angler on board recognized the significance of the surroundings. This is no ordinary run. This is material of legend. Now, they are savoring it in living color.

"Was it the best fishing we have ever seen? No. Was it a completely unique setting burgeoning with sights, sound, and spectacles previously unimagined? Definitely yes. The yellowfin were prolific and cooperative. Fifty to one hundred ninety three pounds was the size class. About twenty in the 120 to 193-pound class were landed in addition to another fifty in the size range of 50 and above. Absolutely guaranteed there are bigger fish around. If conditions remain similar time will prove this assertion correct. Today was an introduction if you will, an opportunity for one and all to yank and crank working out the kinks and lethargy from the prior couple of days travel.

"It was also our day to evaluate the lay of the land and formulate a strategy for the upcoming week. Suffice to say that the sign of fish alone was extraordinary; miles upon miles of birds, jumpers, and breaking fish. No exaggeration at all; literally fish sign for miles on end. Needless to say we are optimistic about the opportunity such indications represent. This is a fisherman's dream.

"Photos today are a glimpse of the moments that hopefully convey even a slight hint of the flavor of this setting. A quick shot over the shoulder of Robert Limon while he pulls on his first fish of the trip, a hearty, spirited 193 with Clipperton distant in the background. Photo number two features a "stock" Clipperton setting with anglers Chris Lomax, Ek, James Moran, and Ulysses Quijada enjoying the pain of battle on the bow."

Larry Brown and David Choate were chartermasters on the Red Rooster III trip that arrived February 26 at H&M Landing after 16 days in the southern zone, fishing for giant yellowfin tuna and wahoo. Fishing was good, better than the breeze and seas, said anglers, and a baker’s dozen tuna over 200 pounds, or cows, were caught along with all the fish they wanted. Brown had three for himself, at 200, 209 and 220.4 pounds.

Andy Cates skippered the trip. He said he had 24 anglers who fished hard in water holding at 75 degrees. He also noted the approach of spring in the islands.

“We had an awesome show on jumping humpback whales,” he remarked to dock reporter Bill Roecker.

Valene Garrison fished with her hubby John Whitley. The couple are from Half Moon Bay. Valene’s weighed 257.2 pounds and won first place. She said it fought for 35 minutes and took her around the boat twice. It was her second cow and best fish ever.

A salami mackerel on a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook proved fatal to the tuna, and she pulled it in with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra backing on an Accurate ATD 50 topless reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

John Dixon of Redondo Beach roped a 237 and a 232-pound tuna, his first cows ever. He said they came on mackerel baited on 9/0 7691 hooks on 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Tuffline spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Phenix 3X seven-foot rod. They bigger one won second place and came aboard in 35 minutes, said Dixon.

Martin “Papa” Gomez of El Monte won third place for his 227.4-pounder. His 14-year-old daughter Monica was there to see it all. She said she was surprised to see that tuna had red blood and not blue, as she has assumed was common to all fish.

Gomez got his winner with a salami on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He used 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri leader, 130-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

Richard Karron on Florida caught a 226.8-pounder. He wasn’t available for interview.

Greg Winfree had to fly home early, and wasn’t at the dock, but he caught three cows: 205, 209 and 209 pounds.

Chris Minnick of Pasadena took a 208.6 and a 199.4-pound tuna. He said he used mackerel on a 10/0 Gamakatsu hook on 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra, with an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a super Seeker 2 x 4 rod. Chris said his fish came to the boat in 15 minutes.

Ben Kita of LA has numerous 300-pound tuna to his credit, all on the Rooster. On this trip he produced a 206.4-pounder, it was discovered at the end of the weigh-in.

Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris docked at Fisherman’s Landing February 25 after the annual 18-day Accurate Flyback trip with Gary Gillingham as chartermaster for the 24 anglers aboard. There were four cows, with many smaller tuna and a variety of other species.

“It must have been the blind squirrel syndrome,” joked Roger Hawtree of Hawaii as he posed with his brace of cows at 248 and 209 pounds. They were the two largest fish of the trip. Roger said he got the big, the first-place winner, on a salami mackerel and an Eagle Claw 18/0 hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon.

Hawtree is a long-time long ranger. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker he used 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 770 XH rod for a half-hour before it came to the boat.

Chartermaster Gillingham of Accurate also bagged a brace of cows at 208 and 202 pounds. He fished with sardines on 6/0 Owner Offshore hooks tied to 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 (he used an Accurate 80, a salami on the kite with a 20/0 Mustad hook on the smaller fish) and a Calstar 770 XXXH rod.

“The big one took 45 minutes,” he said. “The last 15 minutes was brutal, with the fish up close and that heavy rod bent almost double over the rail with me down in the corner.”

Rob Creek of San Juan Capistrano had a surprise when a 72.9-pound wahoo appeared under his kite-baited salami.

“My best one ever,” he said. “The thing just slashed back and forth, trying to take it.”

The Red Rooster III is unable to send reports by satellite email, so this report came from the telephone and the Rooster’s office:
February 14: 21 yellowfin tuna, in the 80-pound class. About 15 wahoo.
February 15: 50 yellowfin tuna, 15 over 100, one over 200 pounds.
February 16: 52 yellowfin tuna. 3 over 200, 209, 215, 220 pounds
February 17:three over 200 pounds; 209, 220, 236 pounds.
Steady fishing. Nice weather. Smaller 50 to 80-pound tuna mixed in throughout the day with a few larger tuna now and then. All is well.



Royal Roundup

“Before I say any thing else I must make an addendum to last nights report. About 30 minutes after I filed it, Walt Howard landed a bait caught 145 tuna that won him a prize of an Accurate rod. Now I can begin. The fishing is officially over and we are traveling in reasonably calm seas to Cabo. We finished today very strong. Funny how the best is usually the last. Things are definitely changing here and soon it's going to go off big time with cows a plenty. If we only had a few more days. Actually as exhausted as we are we might not be able to handle a few days. The dark bite started back up to some degree this morning and we saw a trend that continued as the day wore on. The fish were getting bigger! There was a fairly steady pick at fish all day long right up until around 4:30 when we had to leave, and at times the bite was even better. The average fish today stepped quite a bit up in class and was in the 60 to 80-pound range, but there were many exceptions that went a lot higher. A good number of fish were 90 to 120, and a fair number were 140 to 185.

“The French connection (Francois and Claude Mangeot) who are regulars on this trip were on fire hooking up fish right and left. Dennis Ludington knew something that most of us didn't and was rapidly hooking fish and handing them off to his wife Tammie. The only problem was with the size of the fish, she couldn't land them fast enough to keep up with him. For others of us, as always, the bite was a "character builder" and left us scratching our heads wondering what we were doing wrong. Since this will probably be my last report (Frank will take over from here), I need to sum the trip us as best I can. No, it was probably not the big fish trip of a lifetime, but every trip is an adventure, and they each have their own personality.

“There was a ton of action on this one. I'd speculate that almost every one caught a wahoo or a tuna every full day of fishing, and speaking from lots of personal experience, that is by far not always the case. There was lots of excitement, and lots of things to see including a couple of sea turtles, a few Manta Rays, striped marlin (we hooked and released around a dozen), birds of all sorts (a.k.a. bait stealers), sharks (thankfully very few), red pelagic crabs, dolphins, many breaching immense hump back whales, flying fish (a.k.a. kite bait), ocean freighters, private yachts, Mexican Naval ships and I could go on, but you get the picture. There's more to these trips than fishing alone, and although it was tough, and there are some on the boat that never topped the 100 mark, we all had a wonderful time and when we get home will get busy consulting the schedule to figure out our next trip, or just telling Scotty to go ahead and put us down for next year.

“All this success and great times does not come by accident, and there are two entities that deserve special mention. First off the crew: I've learned from earlier reporting experiences, that no matter how much I write, no matter how I spin it, there's just no way to describe the job this crew does. If I heard it from one passenger, I heard it from ten, you ride the Royal Polaris because you can be sure the crew will take care of your every need, and every precaution possible will be taken to provide you a safe and enjoyable trip. The food has been incredible both in quality and presentation, and deserts have been "off the hook". Now as to all these fish we've been catching. Much of that credit has to go to the Accurate reels we were all using. I saw no malfunctions of any kind from any of the loaner equipment. Some of the guys toward the end of the trip switched to lighter line and were landing fish of a size they had no business landing. Some credit goes to the angler but again much goes to the reel. You're starting to see more and more guys on the boat who don't need the loaners because they've got their own Accurate reels. Once you've used one you'll understand why. Ok, that's it, in Dec. I'm aboard again and for now I'm looking forward to joining my lovely wife for some relaxation in Cabo, then back to the no doubt frigid Midwest.”

Five-year long ranger Andy Pulido of Long Beach had a little story: “I was first up on the kite, on our first day of fishing. I had a squid on a boat outfit and I saw the balloon marker go down. Forty-five minutes later I got him on the deck.”

Pulido’s tuna weighed 246 pounds on the Royal Star’s boat scales, and he posed with it for Bill Roecker’s camera February 18 at Fisherman’s Landing.

Tim Ziegler of Rancho Palos Verdes won second place for a 220-pounder he got on the kite with a mackerel and a 20/0 Mustad hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra. He used an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a 2 X 4 Super Seeker rod, along with a backup rig to get it all back. The fish fought for an hour, he said. He also got a 202-pounder.

Cliff Hamaishi of Pleasant Hill won third place for a 210-pounder he got with the boat’s rig and a squid under the kite. He said the squish was on a 20/0 Mustad circle hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra on a Peen 80 W reel and a Shimano six-foot rod.

“It’s my first cow,” he said. “I was very fortunate; I got two! The other one weighed 207 pounds.”

Randy Toussaint skippered the 14-day trip with 17 anglers, and took them to the Buffer Zone and Hurricane Bank.

“The water was about 75 to 76 degrees,” he noted, “and the good bait seemed to be flylined mackerel. We had some good wahoo fishing, too.”



Zeke’s Devine Intervention

American Angler arrived February 18 with 19 anglers from the annual Ken’s Custom Reels (Oceanside) trip of 15 days. Chartermaster Ken’s regular customer Zeke Harloff of Oceanside won the jackpot for his best tuna ever, a 262.5-pounder.

Zeke’s been fishing long range for five years, he said, “…and this make seven cows. It was Devine intervention, because it was at the last minute, and I was up on the bow. He took me around the anchor twice and around the whole boat twice.”
Zeke used a mackerel on a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline spectra on a Tiburon SST 50 reel and a Calstar 770 XXXH rod.

Kambiz Moradi of West Covina bagged a 211-pounder on a mackerel and an 11/0 Gamakatsu hook to take second place. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 VSX treated by Cal Sheets, and a Calstar 770 XXH rod to bring it in after 20 minutes.

Jack Esson of Arleta won third place for a 202.5-pounder. He got it with a sardine at three AM. He fished with a 9/.0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook on 130-Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra, and he used a Triton 50 W reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

Don Bilteau of San Mateo rounded up the cow catchers with a 220 he got on the kite with the boat’s rig and a double trouble pair of sardines dangling.

“We had good wahoo fishing,” commented skipper Sam Patella, “and a scratch on the big ones.”

“The guys are returning with a big load in the hatch,” wrote Tim Ekstrom in the Royal Star office, posted February 15, “interspersed with a more than respectable quantity of jumbos. Throw in a better than average percentage of fresh wahoo and the catch rounds up to the category of excellence. All perfectly cared for and stored fresh in RSW – yes, the entire catch, and the professional attention required to produce and maintain such premium quality is well worth it.

“I believe we have finally taken the bull by the horns with the Royal Star website, receiving proper training to maintain the daily report and photo section internally. This milestone has been a long time coming. It is our sincerest desire to maintain a seamless flow of reports, photos, and information from here forward. When the reports make it through they will be in our possession to post accordingly. For those following reports during the previous two voyages if you look back you will find the missing photos are now posted in the appropriate locations!

“Otherwise look for daily information to continue as Royal Star makes her way north over the next few days in preparation for arrival on Saturday the 18th; laden with fresh product, there should be plenty for all family and friends to share in upon return.

“I grabbed a couple of photos I had from the previous voyage to share today. Both were taken by Royal Star angler Dave Sumethasorn. I posted one version of the guys making the long reach to gaff veteran angler Larry Ward’s 272 on the bow. At full resolution this does the effort far more justice. Time at the rail, effort, and even a little know how go a long way toward success.”



262 And Done

“We finished off the trip with a few more nice tuna,” said the report from American Angler for Valentine’s Day, “including Zeke's 262lber and now we're on our way home. Everyone has plenty of fish and ready to bring it home. To all those who let their loved ones go fishing over today's holiday - thank you and Happy Valentine's Day!”



Early Start

“The day started very early on the R.P.,” said the report from Royal Polaris for February 14, “and we had a good bite going by 4 A.M. Unfortunately we still haven't found the size of fish we are hoping for and the majority of this morning's fish were in the 30 to 70-pound range. As has been the case so far this trip, the majority of the larger fish are coming off the kite, and although we couldn't reach the 200 mark today, we did have some excellent kite fish. Rob Creek scored an estimated 150-pounder and almost simultaneously Brent Hough landed one on the other kite about 10 pounds larger. For the bait fishermen it was another very tough day of scratch fishing with a lot of fish from 30 to 50 and few 70 to 100 pounds. For the day we had 70 tuna and five very nice wahoo. Ed Delaney got an exceptionally large one on iron that may be around 70 pounds. It appears so far this trip that we've got our work cut out for us but all we need is a little luck and some increased cooperation from the jumbos, because mentally you can be sure we're up for the task.”



New Guy Harvey AFTCOOL Men’s Polo by AFTCO

(Press Release 2-13-12) The Guy Harvey AFTCOOL Polo has come a long way from being just a tennis or golf shirt. These shirts are made with our incredibly soft 60% cotton – 40% polyester blend micro pique AFTCOOL fabric. This is a fabric uniquely engineered to absorb and pull moisture away from your body, keeping you cooler and dryer than traditional polo fabrics. This polo has great styling with lots of colors, a two-button placket, ribbed collar, and ribbed cuffs. Guy Harvey designed this cool marlin embroidery on the front-left chest. Whether on the water, on the docks, being active, or just out on the town, our polo will have you looking sharp.

The MH63001 – Guy Harvey AFTCOOL Polo is offered in White (WHT), Aqua (AQU), Red (RED), Yellow (YEL), Blue (BLU), Melon (MEL), Kiwi (KIW), and Black (BLK). MSRP is $59.99. To see the entire Guy Harvey sportswear line, go to http://www.guyharveysportswear.com.

Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint had this report February 14: “Great morning to finish up the trip that started at 0300 with a full speed bite on the salamis. It was hot and heavy until just after daylight when it backed off to a slow pick which is typical down here. A total of 62 went in the hatch, the bulk of which were 50 to 90 pounds with a handful of 100 to 150's and two over 200. We are presently traveling up in good weather looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation. Tim Ziegler is in today's shot with his second deuce of the trip, which weighed 220 pounds.”



Sam Liked It

“Great day today,” said the report from American Angler February 13. “We had 41 tuna, most from 50 to 150-pounders, with two standouts. Kambiz caught a 211-pounder and Ms. Marianne had a 158-pounder, her personal best. One more day and then it's time to start home.”



O-Dark Thirty

“There was a good turn out for the 3:30 A.M. fishing session,” said Royal Polaris’ report for February 13, “but unfortunately only the anglers showed up. By 9:00 AM we had only one tuna to show for our efforts, but it was not a small one. Gary Gillingham landed a 208, the first and only deuce on board so far. With the total absence of any other action, and reports of improving conditions elsewhere, we are currently on the road again traveling smoothly under near ideal conditions and sunny warm skies. We will have our sushi buffet tonight, and the chefs began preparations immediately after lunch and as always will pull out all stops for this feast.”

Intrepid returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing February 12, after the 15-day Catchy Tackle/Soft Steel trip with Wayne Martin and Tony Garza representing their companies as co-chartermasters.

They experienced the same slow fishing that has affected long range boats since the full moon, but came away with some big tuna and a fair catch of smaller yellowfin, with a mix of wahoo and yellowtail thrown in. Fishing was mostly on the Hurricane Bank and offshore from Clarion Island.

Twin cow tuna took the top two spots. Chuck Lowe of Yorba Linda won first place for a 216.6-pound tuna. He got it with a chunk bait on a 10/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook. Lowe said he used a 130-pound Basil topshot of Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

“It took 45 minutes,” he said, “and it’s my best fish. This is only my second long range trip.”

Figuratively breathing down Lowe’s neck, Seiji Iwamura of Modesto won second place for his 216.2-pounder. It bit on the double trouble sardine rig under the fishing kite. Seiji said he used 8/0 hooks from the boat, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

“He took me around the boat three times,” said Seiji, who is said to be 88. “He was a good runner. He bit the one remaining sardine on the rig and took off like a jackrabbit! I fought him for about 40 minutes.”

Mitch Chavira of Carlsbad won third place for a 198.2-pound tuna. The fish took a black skipjack baited through the back on an 11/0 Mustad 7691 hook on a topshot of Soft Steel 130-pound line on 130-pound Line One spectra. He fished with an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6364 XXXH rod.

Norm Moltar of Redondo was on the trip. He’s been taking long range excursions on San Diego boats almost as long as they’ve been running them. Moltar is 91.

Skipper Osborne said, “We caught what we saw. The big one came under the lights one night and ate a chunk. We caught him a while later.”

Intrepid will be at Pt. Loma Sportfishing through next week and will then depart for a series of trips in Panama into April.



Cow Highlights Day

“Today’s highlight was Sailor Jack Esson's 202.5-pounder,” said the report from American Angler February 11, “and Don Bilteau's 220-pounder and Matt Bruce's 179-pounder along with a few other tuna, for a total of 24 and 19 wahoo. We are switching gears again...”



Goodbye, Outside

“Rough weather and slow fishing is the report from the bank today,” noted the report from Royal Star February 11. “We started out with a few tuna to 190 pounds before it went stone cold for us, prompting a quick troll for 10 wahoo and a hasty departure for the inside. Our weather has improved drastically as we travel in.”



Secret Weapon Has Plenty Of Attractors

Carl Schmidt is a tackle specialist at Fisherman’s Landing. He likes to fish just about anywhere, and this year he entered the saltwater bass contest in San Diego Bay determined to get a good place among the winners. He placed 11th, higher than the other anglers from his organization.

Several weeks prior to the contest Carl showed me his secret weapon.

“It looks like a dredge,” I remarked.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s an Alabama rig. But you can’t show any pictures of it until after the contest.”

“Okay,” I said, “I won’t.”

But the contest is over now, and here’s a peek at Carl’s secret bass weapon. Notice that he has the best part hidden, anyway.

“Again this morning the bite started around 3:00 AM, reported Intrepid February 6, “with the first fish hooked on the chunk. Then it was another, and another chunk fish hitting the deck, and just before daylight the kite began to hook some good Tuna. It was a steady early morning bite, but unlike yesterday’s all day bite of 89 Tuna and 30 Wahoo, today they shut down and vanished around 8:00 AM. It was clear it would be a different day, which has been the theme on this trip with changing current and conditions on a regular basis. So we began our search for more Wahoo and found some fun action on the skinnies to round out the day.”





Cool New AFTCO Men’s Performance Tees

(Press Release)

We wanted to give our active AFTCO fisherman a performance shirt with super cool t-shirt graphics. We have now done just that! “Rigging, ““Green and Gold,” and “Stand Off” are three awesome new graphic designs that were sublimated on our quick-dry 100% polyester performance blanks. Sublimation is a process where the ink from a design is changed into a gas vapor, and then absorbed permanently into the cloth fibers. By doing this, you don’t feel any of the ink from the design, just the cloth fabric. These shirts also wick away moisture from the skin, and have a UPF rating of 30+ UV sun protection. Not only will you look cool with this tee, you will be cool!

These shirts are offered in both long sleeve and short sleeve. The M61275 -“Green and Gold” Performance Short Sleeve Tee is offered in White (WHT). The M61276 -“Rigging” Performance Short Sleeve Tee is offered in White (WHT), Carolina Blue (CBLU), and Red (RED). The M61277 -“Stand Off” Performance Short Sleeve Tee is offered in White (WHT), and Carolina Blue (CBLU). MSRP for short sleeve is $24.99

The M62275 -“Green and Gold” Performance Long Sleeve Tee is offered in Silver (SIL). The M62276 -“Rigging” Performance Long Sleeve is offered in Silver (SIL). The M62277 -“Stand Off” Performance Long Sleeve Tee is offered in White (WHT). MSRP for long sleeve is $29.99.

And it was a good thing, opined long ranger Mike Gooing of Costa Mesa, because he picked up three more cows to add to his record of about 20 years worth of long ranging. Two of them weighed 224 and 244 pounds, but Mike won the jackpot for his second-ever 300-pound yellowfin tuna. The first one came back in 1993, the year dock reporter Bill Roecker took over the beat from Pug Jones. This one weighed 314 pounds when skipper Justin Fleck hung it on the Excel’s scales at sea.

Excel and Gooing arrived at Fisherman’s Landing February 6 after the 15-day trip with 28 anglers. They tallied 14 cows for their efforts.

Gooing got his on a chunk bait and a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He used 130-ppund Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 W reel modified by Baker and Sheets, and a Calstar 660 XXH rod wrapped by Bobby at Glenn’s Tackle.

“I had him coming at 20 minutes,” said Mike, “ but he got into a really bad tangle with another fish. The crew saved it for me, though.”

Henry Flores of Alta Loma brought home a 247-pounder, good for second place. He said it bit a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook on 60-pound blue Izorline and 50-pound Line One spectra. He didn’t say why he was using such light gear, but there were plenty of medium tuna and wahoo around. Flores used a Penn 16 VSX reel and a seven-foot Calstar rod.

Nonon Alvarez of Cerritos took a half-four to whip his 223-pounder. He said his third-place winner took a chunk on a piece of wire, with 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

Mike Jennings of Larkspur, CO bagged a 225 with a chunk on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished the meat with 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Calstar 760 M rod.

Al Merrick of Carpinteria caught a 222-pound tuna with a chunk on a 6/0 Owner Mutu hook on 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He fished with 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

“He made four big runs, and then he died,” said Merrick, “and I had to crank him up.”

Paul Corbitt found a 220-pounder, but wasn’t available for interview.

Pilot Tim Turis of Atlanta added to his cow collection with a 221-pound yellowfin. He said the fight went 20 minutes after the fish took his mackerel on a Mustad 9/0 39943 hook. He employed 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 T by Cal Sheets and a Calstar X46XH rod.

Bob Maugh of Apple Valley managed a 219-pounder. It found his sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He fished with 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7455 XH rod to beat the fish, which fought for an hour and five minutes.

Jim DeKay of Downey fought his 211-pounder for an hour and a half. He said it took a salami mackerel on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook fastened with 130-pound Big Game fluorocarbon. He used 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 765 H rod.

Phil Ruemmler of Pasco, WA spun his 208 and 210-pounder in with a mackerel on a 9/0 Mustad J hook on 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon leader. He used 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 130-pound Izorline spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXXH rod.

Vladimir Kusturic rounded out the list with a 204-pound yellowfin tuna. He wasn’t available for more information. The Excel’s catch was excellent for both wahoo and tuna, with an added sprinkling of yellowtail and nine halibut.

Chartermaster Jerry Brown of Gold Hill, OR wasn’t there this year, being busy with other things, but his annual trip aboard the Royal Polaris scored big with skipper Roy Rose, who docked the boat February 5 with a catch of 28 tuna over 200 pounds.

“Big Daddy” Don Burnside of San Diego won first and second places for his brace of cows that weighed 284 and 248 pounds. Don has fished chunks a great deal over the past 20 years, and got this score just as the method is returning to favor during a lack of current on the grounds.

Don told dock reporter Bill Roecker he bagged the big boy with a chunk on a 9/0 Mustad 39943 hook. “That’s my new favorite,” he said. “I get a good hookset with the chunk almost every time with that hook.”

Burnside used 130-pound Momoi leader and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 XH rod to take his winner in 45 minutes. He also got a 64.4-pound wahoo on a homemade red and silver bomb, and skipper Rose posed with that fish.

Craig Drummond of Corona won third place for a 227-pounder, but he also had tuna of 208 and 207 pounds. He fished a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Owner Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra, and fished with a Penn 50 T reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Five cows came to Jim Nailen of Los Osos, as many as anyone has caught on one trip this year. They weighed 206, 209 215, 219 and 222 pounds. He fished chunks on 9/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks, tied to 130 Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel tuned by Cofe and a Calstar 7465 H rod. He got the best one in 25 minutes.

“I would have had six cows,” he said, but I lost a rod and reel under heavy, 44-pound drag when I tried to pick it up out of the corner.”

Dan Gaudy of Upland took an hour with his 222-pounder, and also got tuna of 207 and 209 pounds. He fished sardines on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XH rod.

“We drove into the fishing ground about lunchtime,” said Gaudy, “and boom! It was on!”

Jim Tallerico of Las Vegas came home with a 214-pound tuna that attacked his flying fish under the kite. He used a 20/0 Mustad circle hook, 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra backing on a Penn 50 W reel tuned by Larry Coffeen, and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

Vince Biondo of Del May took 45 minutes to coax his 213-pounder to the boat. He enticed it with a sardine on a 6/0 Owner Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Joe Amagrande decked four cows. They weighed 204, 204, 209 and 213 pounds. He fished the sardine on 6/0 Super Mutu hooks, with 130-pound Momoi leader and 130-pound Line One spectra backing on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

“I got one each day,” remarked Joe.

Charlie Fouquet of El Cajon found a 213-pounder with a chunk on a 14/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Daiwa 50 reel modified by Cofe and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXXH rod.

A flying fish under the kite worked for Steve Oba of Brea, who popped a pair of yellowfin at 202 and 210 pounds. He pinned the flyer to a 20/0 Mustad circle hook, and used 130-pound Line One spectra on a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar 770 XXXH rod.

“My reel jammed up when it freespooled,” said Steve, “and the rod and reel went over the side, but a deckhand dived in and got it back for me.”

The trip’s arrival was delayed a bit Sunday morning, after the boat encountered some sea junk, in this case a piece of heavy line or hawser just inside the Coronados Islands as the RP entered her home stretch. A diver freed up the gear enough for Roy to park the boat, after getting some 30 pounds of the stuff off the prop shaft. Chris Rowland, who manages the canning section at Fisherman’s, held a short length of the now cut-up line for the camera.

Tim Ekstrom tied Royal Star to the dock at Fisherman’s Landing February 4 after a 15-day trip that got 23 cow yellowfin for his anglers. He commented on the truly excellent fishing for all boats in the lower zone.

Larry Ward, 76, of Kerrville, TX won first place for a 285-pound tuna, but he also had one at 272.

“This one got 400 yards on the first run,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and then he fought on the bottom. I was worried because some of the other guys got broke off like that.”

Ward fished a salami mackerel on a 10/0 Mustad J hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Power Pro spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod, and got the fish after 50 minutes.

Alfredo Salgado of Norco spent an hour and a half getting to know his 280-pounder before he coaxed it up to be decked.

“I did a lot of praying,” he remarked. “It was the last fish on the last day.”

Alfredo fished a salami on a 12/0 Mustad hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound spectra, on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

On his first trip, Wayne Waldron of Portland, OR won third place for a 278-pound tuna. He said he got it with a salami on a ringed Owner 10/0 hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 100-pound Line One spectra, an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Black Steel Seeker 6460 XXXH rod.

“I got him in 45 minutes,” he said. “I pulled hard in my harness. My best fish before this was an albacore and a halibut up in Oregon.”

Kohei Kikuchi of Nipomo bettered the hat trick with a foursome of cows: 252, 237, 218 and 208 pounds. He said he did not spit on his bait, “…but I used lots of drag.”

He got his with salamis on 8/0 Mustad 7691 hooks. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 570 reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

Floyd Abbott of Hobbs, NM got what he called, “…a well-behaved fish. He didn’t take me five steps along the rail. Skipper Ekstrom came by and laughed, and said something about sharks. The fish came on in 20 minutes.”

Abbott’s 219-pounder ate a sardine on an 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline spectra, a Sheets-treated Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Floyd’s wife Jan Abbott of Hobbs, NM took a 214-pound tuna with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook and 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. She used 130-pound Izorline spectra and an Avet 50 reel on a Calstar 6460 XXH rod to bag the tuna in 30 minutes.

Martin Rudolph of LA picked off a 238-pounder with a salami mackerel on a 14/0 Mustad hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra. He fished with a Penn VSW 70 reel and a six and a half-foot unknown brand of rod.

“He fought me for an hour and a half,” said Rudolph. “I cried like a baby when I finally got him up.”

First-timer David Sumethasorn of LA took 40 minutes to beat a 225-pound jig-biter, but he also got tuna of 219 and 211 pounds. He got that big one on a Salas PL-68 jig in glow paint. He used 100-pound leader and 130-pound Line One spectra, and fished with an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

Geoff Houck of Temecula bagged a 215-pounder in 40 minutes, after it took a salami on a 9/0 Mustad J hook on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra. He used a Sheets-modified Penn 50 VSW reel and a Calstar 770 XH rod wrapped by Ken’s Custom Reels in Oceanside.

Bruce Helton of Phoenix managed a brace at 250 and 226 pounds. He fished sardines on 7/0 Mustad Demon 4X Perfect Circle ringed hooks, he said, and used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 100-pound Line One spectra, an Okuma Makira 20 reel and a Calstar 760 M rod.

Marius Coetzee of Klerksdorp, South Africa caught a 209-pound yellowfin on a chunk bait stuck on a 9/0 Mustad J hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra. He fished with an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

John Grabowski docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing February 3 after the 15-day Bluefin Jim & Pelagic charter with 19 anglers. Sonny Jones chartermastered the Pelagic side of the trip, which produced 18 tuna over 200 pounds. One of those was just a meal away from 300 pounds. About 100 wahoo were also caught, mostly while tuna fishing.

“They bit from three AM until dark just about every day,” remarked Sonny. “At night we used heavy gear.”

The star of the trip was second-time long ranger Scott Harper of Camarillo, who caught the winner, a 293.6-pounder, on a double squid bait on Mustad 20/0 circle hooks under the kite with the boat’s kite rig. That rig uses 130-pound Izorline, an Accurate ATD 80 reel (they call it “The Tractor” aboard), and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

“My best fish before this trip was a 160-pounder,” Scott told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “I got him in 15 minutes on that rig. It was a pleasure to fish with the legend John Grabowski.”

Scott also caught two other cows, at 270 and 252 pounds. With that pair he used another outfit: a salami mackerel on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook, 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra, a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXXH rod.

Bill House of Rogersville AL won second place for a 274-pound tuna, and he also had fish of 230 and 217 pounds. He fished mackerel on 10/0 Mustad 7691 hooks tied to 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra, an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. He got the big one in 50 minutes.

Jack Thrush of Millbrae won third place for his 254.9-pound yellowfin, and also had tuna of 211 and 202 pounds. He said he got the big one in 40 minutes, and fished sardines on a 5/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra. He used an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Calstar 770 XXXH rod.

Sonny Jones of Santa Ana bagged a nice 240-pound tuna after taking a skiff ride to catch the fish, which came up tail-snagged and dead after a mile and a half chase. Sonny pinned a mackerel on a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra backing on a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod.

Hector Lopez of San Diego caught a 229-pound tuna with a salami on the kite. The big bait was on a 10/0 7691 hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline spectra on a Penn 50 reel treated by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 770 XH rod.

Mike Berkman of LA bagged a 215 in 15 minutes. He baited a salami on a 10/0 7691 hook, and used 130-pound Izorline, 130-pound Line One spectra, a Talica 50 reel and a Super Seeker 1 X 3 rod.

David Malmberg of Leucadia picked off a 212-pounder with a mackerel on a 10/0 7691 hook and 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.

Ray Broders of Pt. Townsend, WA pulled in a 211 and a 209-pounder. He fished with sardines on ringed 5/0 Owner Super Mutu hooks. He used 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra, a Cal Sheets-treated Penn 50 reel and a rod he described as “…a generic six-footer.”

Bill Campbell of Placentia spent a sweaty half-hour getting his 206.6-pound tuna on a sardine pinned to a 5/0 Owner Gorilla hook. He fished with 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod.

Paul Lepore of Dana Point whacked a 204-pound tuna with a salami on a 10/0 7691 hook.

“It was a 30-second fish,” he said. He used 130-pound Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate 50 (Paul’s an Accurate pro-staffer) and a Calstar 770 XXXH rod wrapped by Fisherman‘s Supply of Lawndale.

Robbie Thill of Anaheim rounded up the cow catchers with a 202-pound yellowfin, the last one weighed. He said it bit a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 100-pound Power Pro spectra. He fished with a Penn VSX 30 reel and a Super Seeker 1 X 3 rod.

“My best fish before this one was a 30-pound albacore,” he said.

The trolling jackpot was won by Bob Michener of Oxnard, for a 56.4-pound wahoo.

“It was day and night fishing,” noted skipper Grabowski. “The majority of the bigger fish were at night—one night we had 63. We had nice weather, good bait available, and fine kite fishing.”

Brian Kiyohara docked American Angler at Pt. Loma Sportfishing February 2 after a 15-day Avet trip with chartermaster Ben Frazier, who gave away several HX Raptor reels. There were 27 tuna over 200 pounds in the holds, and three of those were over 300 pounds. Four of the anglers had triples on tuna over 200 pounds. It was the third time the Angler has produced three supercows on a trip, said Kiyohara.

Another major mark was set by Ralph “The Long Ranger” Mikkelsen of Northridge, who fulfilled his lifetime goal of taking six tuna over 300 pounds, which put him bak into the all-time lead for that category.

“I’m 39, going on 81 next March,” said Ralph, whose yellowfin weighed 306 on the boat, where all the fish were weighed. “I’ve been waiting for the next 300-pounder to come for 24 years.”

Ralph told dock reporter Bill Roecker he got his special fish on a salami mackerel pinned to a Mustad 9/0 7691 hook under a helium balloon. He said he used 130-pound Izorline, 130-pound Line One spectra, an Avet 50 W reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

“It took about 30 minutes,” remarked Mikkelsen. “He made several runs up high, so I had to keep changing gears, and he came up on the bow.”

Ralph’s other supercows were 321 pounds (1980), 333.8 pounds (then a world record) in 1981, 305 and 317 in 1982, and 308 pounds in 1988.

Dennis Saylors, a long-time angler himself, scored a 320-pounder (good for first place), a 227 and a 205-pound tuna. He fished a salami on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook from Owner on 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 VSX reel tuned by Cal Sheets, and a Calstar 6465 XH rod wrapped by Performance Tackle.

“I’ve been fishing long range for 20 years,” said Dennis. “This one, my first 300-pounder, bit at 150 yards. I knew it was big by the way it felt. The fish took me around the boat twice and fought hard for a half-hour. When he hit the dick I was like, wow! I thank the crew and the office of the American Angler.”


Rookie long ranger Dan Martin of Felton bagged the third supercow, a 312-pound whopper that took a backup rig and then died on the line. It had to be retrieved later, when the boat could move over it. Other anglers said the float on the backup rig was crushed from its sojourn at 70 fathoms.

Dan said he fished a chunk on a 12/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel and a two-piece Killwell (New Zealand) six-foot rod.

“He bit 40 feet under the boat,” said Dan, “on a 12/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. “He dived, came up outside, took me around the boat twice, and then we got out the backup outfit, and then he died.”

Jan Howard of Mission Viejo got her best tuna to date, a 286-pound yellowfin that came rather easily (40 minutes) for its size, she remarked. Jan baited a salami on a 10/0 Mustad J hook tied to 130-pound Berkley fluorocarbon, 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod she wrapped herself.

William Leonard of Lake Havasu City got his first cow and best fish ever, a 266-pounder that won second place and ran him five times around the boat. He decked it in 40 minutes, however. He fished a salami on a 9/0 Owner Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorcarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Seeker Black Steel six-foot rod.

Galen Steward of Simi Valley also got one at 266 pounds, and it brought along a couple of cow buddies at 210 and 205 pounds. He fished a chunk on a 8/0 ringed Super Mutu on 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Line One spectra, and used a Penn 50 S reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7465 XH rod wrapped by Bob Sands Tackle.

“I got slammed right away,” he said, “but he came in after 20 minutes.”

Bill Randall (who had over 100 days aboard the American Angler last year) won third place for a 255-pounder, and also had fish of 240 and 228 pounds. He said the big one came on a salami mackerel and a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to Jin Kai 130 and 130-pound Izorline spectra. He used an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod.

“I also used a backup outfit,” he said. “It took an hour and 15 minutes, and he came up in the starboard corner.”

Robin Lemaster of Brawley tripled with tuna of 240, 232 and 230 pounds. The big one came in 45 minutes, he said, after it bit on a salami and a 9/0 ringed Super Mutu. He fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One spectra, an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod.

John Metcalf of Hayward pulled a hat trick with tuna of 233, 206 and 203 pounds. He said he fished a sardine on a 6/0 Owner ringed Super Mutu tied to 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 80-pound Line One spectra on a Tiagra 20 reel and a Calstar 765 H rod.

“The big one was squirrely,” he said. “He seemed to like it up by the bow and the cathead.”

Chartermaster Ben Frazier of Oxnard nabbed tuna of 225 and 209 pounds. He fished salami mackerel on 5/0 Mustad Demon hooks. He used 100-pound Maxima fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on an HXWW Avet Raptor reel and a Super Seeker 1 X 3 rod to get the bigger one in 45 minutes.

Steve Leonhart of Murietta whipped a 222-pounder with a salami on an 8/0 ringed Super Mutu on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra. He used an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod.

“It was a piece of cake,” he quipped.

Glenn Bummer of La Crescenta got a 213-pounder with a salami on a Mustad 9/0 7691 hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

Sam Cornell of Kenai, AK bagged a 208-pound cow with a sardine on a 5/0 Mustad Demon 4X hook on 90-pound Momoi and 100-pound Line One spectra on an Avet HXW reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod. The fight lasted one hour.

“This is the third time for us to get three 3’s,” said skipper Kiyohara, “But what’s important is we were lucky with our timing and being in The Zone without being bothered by sharks. There’s a lot of sign of big fish.”



The Trip Home

“We had beautiful traveling weather,” wrote Red Rooster skipper John Grabowski February 1, “the first two days coming from the grounds to Cedros Island. We spent the entire day at the Island yesterday for some action on small grade yellowtail which we released and a hand full of good grade yellowtail which we tagged and put on top of our existing catch. After breaking down the remaining tackle and having dinner in the flat calm lee of the Island we started the last leg of our trip home. We will be tying up at Lee Palm Sportfishing at 7:00 A.M. and begin taking the tackle and personal gear off the boat, we should start unloading our catch at approximately 7:30 AM. Lee Palm's office will be open between 7:30 and 8:00 AM tomorrow if you need to contact them for any reason.


“A couple of pictures I'm sending along today are of two terminal gear products that work very well for us during the trip. One is a set of three Captain Jimmy's wahoo bombs that fished well, produced good fish and held up to the test of wahoo fishing. Owner and designer Jim Kokesh was on board this trip and caught a very nice limit of wahoo fishing these bombs.
“The other picture is the new Mustad Demon Perfect Circle Offset 4X Strong hooks (39943BLN). Prior to this trip Captain Andy Cates told me the Red Rooster III had found "The Right Hook" for fishing giant Yellowfin Tuna with live bait, it is the Mustad 6/0 ringed 4X strong Demon circle hook, he went on to describe how perfect the hook was for hooking the live bait with out killing it and that he has seen zero failures with the hook. We fished the 6/0 ringed 4X Strong with the 100 and 130 pound test all trip and saw those exact same results. We also made our double sardine kite leaders with the 7/0 and 8/0 4X strong non ringed hooks and they worked to perfection on "The Big Gear." WE did not do much helium balloon fishing this trip but the same 7/0 and 8/0 size 4X strong will be the go to hook for the 150-pound application under the balloons. Mustad nailed it when they designed this hook for our live bait fishing application for Big Fish.”

A phone call from Lori Patella this morning reminded Bill Roecker that the next round of incoming long rangers is about to begin. Tomorrow, February 2, the American Angler will dock at Pt. Loma Sportfishing with a wonderful catch of cow tuna, including three super cows, noted Lori. This last round of trips has been excellent, and the catches aboard the boats are worth seeing. Come on down!



Still Going Strong

“Conditions changed on us here,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck January 31, “but fishing was still good. Only one cow hit the deck, caught by Mike Jennings on a chunk. His fish went 225 pounds and is his personal best. Mid-grade tuna from 60 to 120 pounds were still plentiful and most of these guys are releasing their fish, still trying for that big one. We are now in the final RSW well with two more days to fish. Hopefully we use up the remaining space for big ‘uns.”



From Frank LoPreste And The RP Crew

“On January 30 we had 3 more fish over the 200-pound mark. Today (the 31st) as of 9 AM we have landed another 2 over 200 pounds. “Big D” is hoping to be able to post pictures by Thursday or Friday. It will happen as soon as they get satellite reception.”