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.