Jeff DeBuys docked Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing January 6 after a good ten-day trip into southern waters. The trip, with 30 anglers, was sponsored by Baja Fish Gear and owner Ed Tschernoscha was chartermaster.

“We connected with big tuna on all of our fishing days,” remarked DeBuys. “They bit on bait and 100-pound line, and some bit early in the morning on jigs like the Salas PL 68 and the Tady 15. When the jig stopped on the way down, you were on!”

Vladmir Kustudic won first place for a 180-pound tuna. He bagged that one, the third to bite in the pre-dawn of New Year’s Day, on a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Mustad Demon hook tied to 100-pound fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar rod.

Kerry Iwanaga of Placentia won second place for a 177-pound jig-biter, the second fish to come aboard that morning. The iron was a chrome Tady PLQ, tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 50 SW reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7465 XH rod.

“It was a pretty quick fight,” said Kerry. “He bit in the dark, went up and down and I got him in a half-hour.”

Ivan Fujunaka of San Francisco won third place for the first tuna of 2011. The 167.6-pounder came on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Nautilus Gamakatsu hook. Ivan fished with 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate ATD 30 T reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

Josiah Chaminade of West Hills is 16. He got a 171.4-pounder in an hour. He plays football and wrestles and pulls a 4.0 average at West Hills High.



“Good Fishing Offshore”

“We had a good trip,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck at Fisherman’s Landing January 6. He had just come back from a ten-day trip with 29 anglers. “It was good fishing offshore. The warm water pushed south,” he added.

Andy Papworth of White City, OR won first place on the trip, for a 157-pound tuna he got with a sardine on a ringed 4/0 Mustad Demon circle hook. He said he used 80-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a TLD 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Jason House of Reno, NV won second place for a 154-pounder, and Chris Kumai of Berkeley won third place for a 136-pound yellowfin tuna.



Calstar Trip Returns

Sam Patella brought his American Angler home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing with 22 anglers aboard after the ten-day Calstar trip with chartermaster Glenn Kuromi, Calstar pro-staffer.

“We gave away seven rods and four blanks,” said Kuromi.

Jor Gigliotti of Coto de Caza won first place for the trip’s cow, a 239.5-pound tuna he got with a sardine on a 7/0 Mustad ringed Demon offset circle hook.

“The toughest fish I ever fought,” said Gigliotti, “and the longest fight, too. He bit about six AM and stayed outside through the whole fight, then came up in the starboard corner.”

Joe said he used 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate ATD 12 reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod.

Bill Hennigh of Garden Grove won second place for his best fish ever, a 186-pounder. Chris Cruger of Scripps Ranch won third place for a 161- pound tuna.

“We had a great time,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker. Calstar loaned us all rods, and I really enjoyed that.”



Lady Tops The Boys

Intrepid docked under Mike Pritchard’s hand January 6 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing after a ten-day trip with 22 passengers, an Accurate/Izorline trip with co-chartermasters David Choate and Shauna Barton.

“We brought 40 loaner outfits,” noted Choate. “All the guys got Izorline fill-ups, Spectra scissors and Owner hooks, too. We gave away two Seeker rods and an Accurate BX-600 reel.”

Skipper Pritchard said, “I’ve never been down there on a ten-day before. It was good fishing. One evening we had 84 tuna, and they bit into the dark. And we had a 90-year-old gentleman, Norm Moltar, win the sportsman’s award.”

Marilyn Reece of Fresno would have won the jackpot for her 229-pound tuna, but it came on the kite and the rotation wasn’t completed, so her fish was ineligible. Still, she really enjoyed the experience.

“He went after my flying fish,” she said, “and he missed it. He tried again, and missed. On the third time, he got it!”

Todd Burkdoll of Visalia won first place for a 196-pounder. He said it came on a sardine and a ringed Owner Super Mutu hook tied to 60-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid and 80-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Chartermaster David Choate won second place for a 177.2-pounder, and Craig Smith of Brooklyn, NY won third place for a 175-pound tuna.



West Coast Anglers Return

Joe D’Acquisto docked the Red Rooster III at H&M Landing January 6 after a ten-day trip with 18 anglers aboard. One of them was TJ Ponder of Encinitas, and nine-year-old angler who’s been pictured in several fishing publications. He got his best fish on this trip, a 146-pound tuna. TJ goes to El Camino Creek Elementary School.


Albert Zilske of Riverside won second place for a 164-pound tuna. Karl Bornemann of Hemet won third place for a 159.9-pounder, barely escaping the charge of Michael Rosenthal of Phoenix, who presented a 159.8-pound tuna to take fourth place and the coveted Red Rooster III jacket. The group posed with their fish.