Searcher Finds Fish

Art Taylor docked his Searcher at Fishermans Landing July 26 after a four-day trip with very good results.

Tom Kinsella of Chino Hills won first place for a 40.5-pound albacore. He used a sardine on a 2/0 Mutu hook with 30-pound Ande line on a Pro Gear reel and a custom Sabre five and a half-foot rod.

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Fred East of Palm Desert was second, for a 38.1-pound albacore, and Walter Elizalde of Burbank was third, for a 37-pounder.

Stellar Fishing, Man

We had stellar fishing, man, said Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 26. He was just back from a five-day trip.

I dont think it gets any better, he continued, maybe with a few big bluefin, it would. It all coincided with very good weather.

Today the weather did us some justice, read the Indys report for July 23. Things started out very good. We hit a number of bluefin tuna schools for some really outstanding action on a mixed grade fish. Boy did they BITE!Later in the day we got on to the albacore. Once again some HOT action! We saw some of the best grade; 25 to 45-poundfish biting everything that hit the water for hours. We are on our way to fish some yellowtail for tomorrow. Things look very good out here right now.

Gregory Voudouris of Hacienda Heights had the best fish, a 45.2-pound yellowtail from Guadalupe Island.

Its my best yellowtail, he said. I got him in about ten minutes.

Greg used a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook, with 40-pound line on a Penn 4/0 reel and a Calstar 765L rod.

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Allen Skiff of Sierra Madre won second place with a 43.5-pound albacore. Skip Newton of Canyon Lake was third, for a 43.1-pound albacore.

Skipper Tells Story

A four-day trip on the Royal Star with skipper Tim Ekstrom paid off with an excellent catch of albacore and small bluefin tuna, and a half-dozen big bluefin that came at the last possible moment, after a long sea chase. Heres how it came about in Ekstroms words from July 25:

With a beautiful catch of quality albacore in the hatch, one final day, and plenty of bait to make it happen, the stage was set for us to head for trophy bluefin to try our hand at the wary, reluctant tobite gamesters. Before I report further I want to remind everyone of the Ekstrom trademark for pulling it out in the final hour that has proven true on so many occasions now that I can't begin to recall. Here was the set up yesterday. Our departure for home time was set at 7:00 p.m. as we needed to travel home with sufficient time to make our scheduled morning arrival. We found the fish shortly after 10:00 a.m. and began hitting spots for zero success despite the fact that several demonstrated interest crashing around the boat leaving Volkswagen-sized boils for us to marvel at.

As the day wore on frustration was slightly offset by a couple of shots at 30 to 40-pound bluefin and 20 to 25-pound yellowfin but the big fish continued to ignore every offering;most times simply sounding before we had a chance to get bait in the water. Six p.m. rolled around, then six thirty and we finally found another good area to work in at about seven p.m. Needless to say calling it a trip at that point was out of the question but as we arrived in the zone and hit the final school for the same depressing results - nothing, it was looking like this time we were going to have to give it up and wait for another day.

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Being hardheaded and persistent however, I could not give it up as the same school popped up again about a half mile away cruising along in plain view. Darkness was rapidly approaching and we figured what the hell, we'll give it one last try. We lined up on them, ran it, threw bait, and that was it, bluefin in the seventy five to one hundred fifty pound class erupted in every direction flying out of the water tearing the flat calm surface to shreds. One hookup! Two! Four! Five! And so it wasthat with twenty minutes to spare before dark we got our shot at trophy bluefin landing six from seventy five to one hundred twenty three pounds ending an already fantastic voyage on an incredible note that will remain fixed in these angler's memories fora lifetime.

While skipper Ekstrom was fishing, co-owner/skipper Randy Toussaint found a brace of huge white seabass while diving. The larger fish weighed 65 pounds, a huge white no matter where.

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When the dust settled on the Royal Star that last evening, the jackpot winner was Brad Korb of Burbank, who got a 124-pound bluefin.

An unbelievable, lifetime experience, said Korb. Im already signed up again for next year.

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Brad said he got his big tuna with a sardine on a ringed Super Mutu hook, with 40-pound clear Izorline on a Penn 4/0 reel and a Shimano rod rated for 20 to 50-pound test line.

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Mike Neal of Rancho Santa Margarita was second, for a 114-pound tuna, and Andy Cooperman, an Encinitas surgeon, passed the larger fish of his buddies Dr. Dave Hall of Canada and Dr. Warren Sakamoto of LA (the two didnt enter the jackpot) to take third place with a 78-pound bluefin tuna.