Most viewers who come here regularly have noticed the new look at fishingvideos.com. We’ve moved to another provider and webmaster, and Paul Sweeney has put his talent for graphics to good use. It’s quicker and easier to move around the site now, and we’re still adding some new places for site visitors. Coming next will be a section called Bill’s Latest Trips, with stories and photos of the boats and trips Paul and I have taken. A tackle box feature is also in the works.

New graphics for Fishingvideos.com

Here are some comments we’ve received in the last few days about the latest goings on at fishingvideos.com:

“Hi Bill,
Just wanted to wish you a Merry Xmas and congratulate you on your new site. Outstanding. see ya at the docks,
Jim Kastorff”

“Hey bill, nice job on your new home page .Everything looks like it is right there and some new stuff. Look forward to your next big fish dvd. Happy new year, Kenny Turturici.”

“Dear Bill,
Thank you for the fishing calendar. The pictures in the calendar are cool. The calendar is great. I am going to hang it up on my wall.
Sincerely, Tate
Thanks again Bill, Tim (I am going on the Revilla trip in Feb on the Star, wish me luck?)”

Season, Score, Prospects

First, the current score: 1498 yellowfin tuna over 200 pounds since October. This is a number that no one even imagined before October. We’ve had five years’ worth of cows in two and a half months. It raises all kinds of questions.

Are they still there? At this point, we think so. Last skipper to return for Christmas was Roy Rose of the Royal Polaris. A look at that report shows that Roy thinks the fish will still be there when the fleet returns to the southern banks after New Year’s. If they’re not there, some skippers may try to find them again on the very lowest banks. Other skippers may opt to go to the Hurricane Bank, where the tuna usually bite all winter. Obviously, a lot of fuel could be saved if the long range fleet can fish off southern Baja.

Cow aboard Independence

What are they biting? When the cows showed in October, they were on porpoise. They had to be enticed off the “ponies” with brailed bait, big quantities of sardines, and they wouldn’t stay with the boat very long, for the most part. It turned out they liked the sardines better than the mackerel made in Mag Bay.

Royal Star tuna at gaff

In the middle of the bite, the cows were more willing to leave their mammal buddies and hang around the edges of the banks, or up on the high spots themselves. Randy Toussaint’s Royal Star anglers got several fish the “normal” way while the boat was anchored. But most of the fishing was on the drift.

Later, around mid-December, the tuna started hanging around the drifting boats, but staying deep. A few enterprising anglers tried sinking sardines on six-ounce weights, and that proved to be just the ticket for the tuna. Many of the last couple of hundred cows caught were hooked at 20 or 30 fathoms.

Excel crew decks another tuna

We’re likely to get an inkling of what’s in store around the end of the first week of January. As always, you’ll get the results here first. And you’ll hear what the anglers themselves are saying about the bite. Watch here for what’s next.