“Full Speed Kitefishing”

Wahoo fishing was good for anglers aboard Polaris Supreme with skipper Drew Henderson during an eight-day trip that returned to Fisherman’s Landing September 18.

“We had good tuna fishing,” said Drew. “and it was full speed kitefishing with squid. During our best wahoo bite we did about 30 on bait in a couple of hours.”

Rick Romano of Coto de Caza said he got 12 ‘skins on bait, using 60-pound steel leaders and 30 or 40-pound line.

“We got to the tuna\wahoo grounds in the morning,” remembered skipper Henderson September 17, “and picked away at the ‘hoo until around 5:30. When it slowed we put the anchor down. Until dark we had full speed kite fishing for tuna with a few being caught on bait.  The next day started out slow but by 10:00 it picked up where the night before left off. (We had) incredible kite fishing for the rest of the day.  The grade of tuna was a bit larger then the day before with a few larger then a hundred pounds. 

“The next day didn't get going until after lunch.  We had good wahoo and tuna fishing on anchor until dark.  We decided to make a move that night for new grounds.  When we got there it was wide open fishing but we had to weed through a lot of small ones to find keepers.  We managed to put together a day and made a move that night to put us in position for dorado.  We never found the lucky kelp.”

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Bob Snyder of Napa won first place, for a 116-pound tuna. Another angler had a 124-pounder, but a hammerhead shark chewed its tail, making the larger fish ineligible. Snyder said he got his prizewinner on a squid under the kite, with the boat’s kite rig.

“It took about 20 minutes,” said Snyder, retired from the California Fish & Game department. “There was a big boil, and I had to wind to catch up. I hooked into a train but I had great help from crewman Kevin Cleary.”

Second place went to Moses Ancheta of Westminster, for a 111.3-pounder, and third place was earned by Gary Ritchie of Rancho Palos Verdes. Bill Kuehl of Poway didn’t enter the jackpot, but had a 110 and a 113-pounder. He joined the lineup as honorable mention with his 113-pound yellowfin tuna.

Yellows & Paddies

“We got a good grade of yellowtail,” said Vagabond skipper Gordon Lackey September 18, “with lots of them about 12 to 25 pounds.”

Lackey fished at Benitos, and later on kelp paddies near the 30-degree line, where he said the water was 70 degrees.

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Steve Rose of Fontana won first place for a 24.5-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he got the fish with a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad hook on 30-pound Ande line, with a Pro Gear 545 reel and a Calstar 700M rod.

Jim Haberbush of Colton was second for a 23-pound dorado, and Steve Wolken of Lake Havasu City was third, for a 22.6-pound yellowtail.