Qualifier 105 docked June 20 after the annual AHI trip with Dallas Lamb as chartermaster for 31 anglers. Skipper Joe Crisci weighed the best of his catch from the seven-day trip to Alijos Rocks, where the tuna are starting to run a bit larger than the past few weeks. “We pulled in there and sort of anchored up in the middle,” said Joe. “The tuna seemed like they were all over the flats, and before I got back on the hook we had one on. It just stayed good like that, and I never had to move again.
“Kite fishing was excellent,” remarked Crisci. “We went through four complete rotations. We had plenty of tuna and almost as many yellowtail.”
Rick Goldberg of San Diego won first place for a 112-pound yellowfin. He bagged his pot-winner on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 40-pound Big Game line on a Shimano 20 reel and a Calstar 800 H rod.
Casey Wasson of Chico took second place for an 86-pound tuna, and Jason Marvar of San Pedro won third place for a 78-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.
Major Bluefin Catch
Excel returned from a five-day open party trip with 34 anglers. Skipper Justin Fleck docked at Fisherman’s Landing June 20 after the best short trip of its type this season.“We had near-limits of yellowtail,” he told Bill Roecker at the scales. “And we had almost 150 albacore and nearly a hundred bluefin. They were in 65 and a half-degree water.
“The outfit most of the guys were using 30-pound mono with some 30-pound Berkeley fluorocarbon leader we were giving away, on a 2/0 or 3/0 hook. The best news is that we had jigstrikes all the way from Geronimo Island up to Colnett.”
Ken Petersen of Saratoga won the jackpot for his 40.4-pound bluefin tuna.
“It took 20 minutes,” he said. “He fought like hell.”
Ken said he baited a sardine on a 4/0 Mustad hook tied to 30-pound Big Game line and 30-pound fluorocarbon. He used a Daiwa Saltist 30 reel and a seven-foot Ugly Stick rod.
Ogner Gonzales of LA won second place for a 39.4-pound bluefin, and Dick Ableser of Garden Grove took third place for his 37-pound bluefin.”
IATTC scientist Ed Everett was at the dock measuring the bluefin for a continuing study.
“These fish are running a bit larger than they did last year,” he commented.
They’re Biting In One-Day Range!
Seaforth Sportfishing spokesman David Tittle said the Voyager, on a day and a half trip, got 16 albacore and one bluefin June 18. Pacific Voyager, on the first of a two-day trip, got 80 bluefin and one albacore within one-day range June 19. Other boats are presently fishing in the same area, said Tittle.
Prowler Gets Bluefin
Aaron Brenes at Fisherman’s Landing, said that Buzz Brizendine skippered his Prowler out to 60 or 70 miles June 19 and returned with a catch of 23 bluefin, seven albacore and two yellowtail.
