Nov. 16, 2011

Good evening folks We had another great day. 47 tuna with 4 fish taped out over 200 pounds.

Bob Peterson with his personal best 225. Joe Arimitsu with a 204 and lost a bigger one just below gaff. Tim Coomes with a 205 and Bill Roecker with a 204. They were close to the 200 lb. mark and even if they don’t make it, its still great fish. All day action with great weather.2 more days left . Maybe we will get chances at a couple more decent fish.

Andy Cates

Nov. 15, 2011

Good evening folks. We had a great day today. 54 tuna and what a great grade of fish. Average is about 150 pounds with some bigger and some smaller. Fish up into the 190’s and one fish 245 caught by Denny Hill. His personal best before that was a 140 lb. he caught yesterday. He made a big jump scoring that cow. We did have a couple other chances at possibly cow’s but no luck. Maybe tomorrow. What great fishing so far.

Andy Cates

Bill Roecker
For FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update August 25, 2011

The Indy Challenge

Jeff DeBuys docked Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 25 after a five-day trip to Benitos/Cedros and open waters north. His 25 anglers made a good mixed catch of tuna and yellowtail on the SportfishingReport.com charter, with owner Chad Woods as chartermaster.
“We spent two days fishing offshore,” said Jeff to dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and two days at the islands, They were biting with all methods there, with limits of sea lions. We had excellent yellowfin and bluefin fishing offshore.
“That offshore scene isn’t going away,” he continued, “there’s no sign of a slowdown, and the setup looks good for fall fishing.”
There were prizes and awards for the five best yellowtail and the best tuna. They included some new Seeker rods and an Avet reel to go with the jackpots.
Don Padick of Alta Dena won first place for his 35.4-pound yellowtail, a fish he coaxed with a mackerel on a dropper loop with eight ounces of weight and a 7/0 Owner gorilla hook. He said he used 50-pound Big Game line, a Penn 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod to crank the fish up in short order.
Doug Stewart of Angel Fire, NM won second place for a 34.2-pounder, and Omesh Persaud of Simi Valley took third place for a 32.6-pound yellow. Bart Williams of Oceanside got a 32-pound ‘tail and Homan Khaki of Camarillo produced a 31-pound yellowtail for the lineup shot. They were joined Greg Moore of Goleta and his 22.4-pount yellowfin tuna.

Big Joe’s Charter
Tom Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing August 25 after a five-day trip, the Joe Beck/Bob Vance annual charter with 23 anglers aboard, including chartermaster Beck, a retired LA motorcycle patrolman.
Daniel Burns of Las Vegas won first place for his 30.4-pound yellowtail. He said he got it with two sardines on a dropper loop, ten ounces of weight and 100-pound Izorline, 130-pound Line One spectra, a Penn 30 reel by Cofe, and a Seeker 6463 XXH rod.
Tim Dughi of Reno, NV tied Burns with an identical yellowtail, taken on a single sardine, a 3/0 Mustad hook on 30-pound Izorline and a TLD 15 reel. He said he used a seven-foot St. Croix custom-wrapped rod.
Norm Wintjen of San Pedro won third place for a 28.4-pound yellowtail.
Slow But Good

Guadalupe Island hasn’t been in the news much recently, but the big island produce d some big tuna for Mike Lackey’s 24 fishermen on a five-day trip.
“The island was slow,” said Mike, “but fishing was really good on schoolie yellowfin and bluefin offshore on the days we were coming and going.”
David Young of Ventura won first place for a 95-pound yellowfin he bagged with a sardine on a 4/0 Owner Mutu hook and 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He used 40-pound Ande line on a Penn 4/0 reel and a Calstar 6465 H rod.
Jerry Kusumoto of Lakewood scored on a 93-pounder that won second place. Matt Kodama of Alta Dena won third place for a 91-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin tuna.
Intrepid Fishes Kelps
“The kelp hunting went well,” said the report from August 24, “as we found many throughout the day. Bummer part was that they were not holding any good schools of Dorado or Wahoo for us. We went from kelp to kelp picking off a fish here and there to scratch out a day of it. The Flats were nice ones and will add some more variety to the trip and are always fun to catch. The weather couldn’t be any nicer down here with flat seas, sunny skies, good tunes provided by our Outcast Sound System and just a wonderful group of friends to be with. The atmosphere was great. We will change locations and give it one more day down here before we head up the line.”
Red Rooster III Report 8-24-11
“More of the same here at the Rocks, very challenging fishing. We had 18 tuna and 10 yellowtail. Half of the tuna are nice fish, up to 100 pounds, but very hard to catch. Between the light line and sharks it is hard to stay at it. It looks like we may leave here this afternoon and head in for some ridge action. That way everyone can get a bite. And yes, it is still windy.”
Limits For Chefs

“Today was the first day of fishing on our annual chef’s special five day trip,” noted the report from Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris. “Our weather today consisted of clear skies, plenty of sunshine and a lot of wind. Everyone aboard enjoyed limit style bluefin tuna fishing along with a couple handfuls of yellowfin tuna and twenty dorado. Our bluefin were in the 14 to 35-pound category. It’s definitely safe to say that all of our passengers had a very fun day.
“As usual the food was amazing! The food is being prepared by both RP chef’s as well as Steve Black from the Sheraton Harbor Island and Jeff Roberto from Sushi On a Roll. Last night the oso buco was to die for and the snacks were out of this world. We our currently headed south and will report again tomorrow.”
Royal Star At Guadalupe
“After a flat calm night on the anchor,” said the report for August 24, “we set up for tuna in the same area we found them the day before. The fish showed up early and we started hooking a few. We were all lined up for another great day. Then as Mother Nature sometimes does, she threw a wrench into the works in the form of a couple of white sharks. After a couple of moves we managed to put a few more trophy yellowfin aboard and are currently working back up for a few hours of offshore fishing.”

Shogun Tagging Report 8-23-11 by Dr. Barbara Block
“As scientists, anglers and passionate fans of Pacific bluefin tuna we live for day like we have had here on Shogun in the past 24 hours. Our mission: to collect tunas for studies back at our home laboratory–the Tuna Research and Conservation Center (TRCC). We arrived in the area where fishing reports had been excellent and proceeded from dawn to dusk to have a wide-open bluefin bite. And this time, for the first time in years, we were more than prepared. The Stanford University team had programmed over 100 tags prior to coming out on the trip and anticipation was high.
This year we had some older TAG team members- from our lab- including Tag-a Giant and TRCC technicians Robbie Schallert & Alex Norton, Stanford technician for our Gulf Oil spill team Ben Machado. Also on board Stanford graduate students Dane Klinger and Dan Madigan, and undergraduates who had interned with the TRCC this summer including undergraduates Natalie, Ethan, Sarah, Andrew and James.
Captain and Professor Norm put us in a great spot to drift and before sun up Dan Madigan hooked up. This year to prepare with our younger team, we had held a tagging class, gone over the cradling of fish on the swim step. Sure enough chaos occurred during the first fast bite when the team barely had their feet wet. We put the fish that first appeared as yellowfin into the side wells and quickly filled to capacity. We then heard the first call from the crew of bluefin! The tagging team (Barb, Robbie, Dr. Joe Bonaventura) went into the action, tagging 7 yellowfin.
The bite slowed down and we moved on. Within an hour, Norm glanced and viewed a sonar hit that was extremely interesting; the fish were down on the thermocline in the ‘feed layer’ or deep scattering layer the area I call the peanut butter of the ocean, filled with small crustaceans and squid. From the moment we stopped on the sonar school, until 6 PM we had steady bluefin action that led to what I think may be the highest single electronic tagging stop for bluefin tuna: 96 archival tagged bluefin (all with one tagging station!).
In addition, we filled up the slammer with bluefin. Scientific samples were taken by Dan and Ben from a handful of bluefin to discern isotopic signatures (think you are what you eat) and to also determine from where the fish had come (signatures from the open sea are lower in numerical value than in the productive California Current). I was a bit surprised to see Captain Bruce, Randy and Tommy admiring an albacore as if they had not seen one in awhile. This was the first Albacore of the season, remarkable, given it happened the third week in August. I thought the albacore were quite skinny suggesting they had come from offshore.
History was made here today aboard the Shogun-by the end of the day, we had collected all the bluefin required for the TRCC this year, tagged 103 tunas and released another 50 more. All and all, we could have tagged 200 bluefin today! Too bad we did not have more conventional and electronic tags! The fish were very young, potentially new arriving fish on the west coast. From prior tagging we know that this year class will be retentive to the California current and provide super fishing on a 30lb 3rd year fish next season so let’s hope their survival will lead to more knowledge and great fishing.

More will come later from me but here is the report from FishingVideos.com:

For FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

Net Update August 18, 2011

WestCoastAngler.com 11th Annual 5-Day Trip

Captain Joe D’Acquisto backed Red Rooster III into her slip August 18 after a five-day WestCoastAngler.com trip with co-chartermasters David Rosenthal and Robert Peterson and 17 other anglers aboard. “We started off the trip with a massive giveaway with lots of stuff from our sponsors, VMC Hooks, Salas Lures, Five-Star Fish Processing, The Fish N Fools Bait & Tackle, JimiJigs, FishingVideos.com, Hobie Polarized, Lakeside Bait & Tackle and more. I think every angler had their number pullled 3 or 4 times for the first drawing alone, we had so much stuff to giveaway we had drawings on 3 days.” said David Rosenthal.

They fished offshore, at Cedros Island and up the beach, said Joe.

Three halibut were caught, two by chartermaster Rosenthal and one by Peterson, when the boat tried inshore up the beach.

James Pollard of Grand Terrace won first place for his 40-pound bluefin tuna. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker it bit on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook. He used 40-pound Seaguar premier fluorocarbon, 40-pound Big Game line, 60-pound Izorline spectra backing on an Avet JX reel and a Graftech seven-foot rod.
Dan O’Leary of Pt. Loma won second place for a 38.3-pound bluefin and Pete Peterson, Robert’s brother, won third place for a 37.2-pound bluefin tuna.
Day At Guadalupe
“Our first full day here at Guadalupe turned out to be a fun ,” said the report from Intrepid for August 17. “We did however catch some very nice grade fish today in the form of Yellowfin up to 90 pounds and Yellowtails up to 40 pounds. Highlight of the day was young Conner Morrison on his first Long Range Adventure landing a Yellowfin around 90 pounds, pictured with Co-charter master Brian Porter who handed the fish off to Conner. Brian was the hot stick today landing several nice Tuna and several big Tails. Also, first time Long ranger Joseph Pagano landed a new personal best Yellowfin around 75 lbs. The night bite produced a couple of handfuls of Yellows in the 30-pound class and a couple of Black Seabass, one of which was around 250 pounds, caught by co-charter master Dennis Kaneoka and was released in perfect condition as he powered his way down to the depths to be caught again someday. We will stay put and make some bait for tonight and give it a go again tomorrow.”
Qualifier 105 Report 8-16-2011
Melton’s Tackle, B.H. Cops 7-day: It was as good as it gets today. We started out with a drift for some yellows and kicked the anchor over. After that it was full speed, every bait that hit the water type fishing. Most of the guys had a limit or very close to it on yellowtail. We had to drive away from them and looked for some tuna. No luck, more yellows are all we found and they were everywhere today. We eventually started the trek to the rocks and will be there in the morning. We are hoping for some of the tuna like we found last week on our last trip. Wish us luck, the Q crew’s out!”

Outstanding ‘Tails
Royal Polaris reported for August 17: “Yesterday we had an outstanding day of yellowtail fishing, we had 8 to 12 fish going and at times everyone body on the boat had one on, it was as good as it gets, We had limit style fishing, and it was much needed after a couple of scratch fishing at the rocks, the yellows were in the 18 to 25 pound class and we even caught 3 Bluefin 15 to 18 pounds. Our group is very tired and worn out, they’re gonna’ need to add a few more days to their vacation as they recuperate from yesterday. We will be fishing for halibut and sea bass today at Cedros.”

Royal Star Saga
“Boy, I laid it out to perfection in yesterday’s report,” said the report for August 17, “less frantic, more consistent, and more fulfilling, all these descriptions fit the fishing today to the letter. The change of pace was complimented by stunning contrast in scenery as well with the ocean displaying a staggering abundance of life in the form of miles of dolphins, whales, herds of sea lions, and, most important to our objective, miles and miles of 15 to 22-pound yellowtail. Fortunately the majority of the mammals were focused on sustenance apart from our efforts but naturally a few pinnipeds latched on to irritate with their thievery. It comes with the territory, and is tolerable in minor percentages such as today.
A nice steady pace was the theme; perfect even by our standards as one to five scrappy yellows seemed to remain hooked the majority of the morning aside from the occasional rush when a wave of ten or fifteen would come through. At this pace they accumulated well while providing anglers the opportunity to switch it up tying different methods to draw a strike and employ the full compliment of gear they brought for this exact purpose. Surface irons on the bow, fly lined baits all around, one to four-ounce sliding sinkers, and/or yo-yo jigs were all effective at times. Honestly the yo-yo jigs were probably most consistently effective but the laborious requirement of furiously winding again and again sapped enthusiasm for the method beyond the first hour. And, it really didn’t matter as there were plenty of bites to be had otherwise.
After the noon hour, however it was a different story. The abundance of yellowtail we took advantage of early on moved out, down, or up leaving all the additional life behind mopping up an almost unbelievable amount of bait that seemed to multiply in spite of every critter out there shamelessly gorging. Beyond noon we poked, kicked, and scratched our way along finally throwing in the towel in increasing wind and seas after tea time. The overall score was just enough to fully satisfy and initiate the final leg of travel to the grand destination, we hope.
The big island west has been a difficult prospect at best during the past week to ten days. A few here, and a few there would best describe the picture with the real quantity of tuna no showing in the shallows now for quite some time. It has been dismal and difficult, so much so that we are under no illusions about the prospects. However we have three things in our favor that can not be overlooked: one is our indefatigable optimism inherent in all true fishermen, two is our knowledge of change in ocean conditions and how fast they often occur, three is the Captain Toussaint factor never to be ignored; the man’s timing and uncanny fish sense could wring rain from a sunny Sahara sky in the middle of summer. This will be a true test. I’m already a believer but this time the Shaman really needs to show up for the party.
But, with the quantity goal mostly fulfilled, time to make the crossing, and a pressing need to place our anglers in position to target an exceptional catch, we are all in. Even if the pattern holds, and we wind up with only a few trophy class Guadalupe tuna, it is the right thing to do. We’ve made a lot from a little many times in the past. Don’t be surprised if we do it again.
On the photo front I have been floundering taking perhaps the worst shots of my career during the past couple of days. The perfectionist in me just won’t allow anything less than good to grace this narrative. I’m hoping it will come around tomorrow. I’ll try shutting one eye or something.

First One Best
“The first stop of the day brought 40-pound bluefin tuna crashing at the corner of the Shogun. Lines snapped, backlashes happened and hooks were pulled, but after the bite settled into a plunker we started to put them on the boat. For the next hour we kept one to four big bluefin on the line and coming over the rail. After that stop we managed some yellowfin jig strikes with a few more bait fish thrown in, and in our travels to the south we came across a couple of productive kelp paddies when the yellowtail bit for us.

Net Update July 31, 2011

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

***PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL TRIPS***

“Stayed Down, Dogging”

Guadalupe Island continues to put out dandy catches of large yellowfin tuna and yellowtail, as does Alijos Rocks. Brian Kiyohara docked American Angler at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 31 with about 100 of the larger model tuna for his 20 anglers, who also got their share of better ‘tails.

“Guadalupe was very good on the flyline,” the skipper told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “on 40 to 50-pound fluorocarbon and smaller hooks like 3/0 size. The yellowtail bit best in the morning and the tuna in the afternoon.”

Jay Love of Carlsbad won first place for a 101-pound tuna he got with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Owner Mutu hook and 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He said he used 40-pound P-Line and 50-pound Izorline spectra backing on a Saltist 40 reel and a Calstar 700 MH rod.

Greg Young of Fairfield won second place for a 95-pound yellowfin.

Engineer Gary Teraoka of Torrance won third place for an 81.5-pound tuna, and wanted to expound on the new Calstar 875 H rod, a seven and a half-footer, which he and Greg Young both used on the trip.

“It’s perfect for 40 and 50-pound line,” said Gary.

Lee Ann Sisson stood in with the winners and her honorable mention 83-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin tuna.

Father-Son Gun ‘Em At The Rocks

Shogun arrived at Fisherman’s Landing July 31 after an eight-day trip to Alijos Rocks with 28 anglers and chartermaster Steve Talmadge of The Bay area on the Flash Sportfishing fifth annual trip.

Jon McGurran, former Californian and now from Owatonna, MN beat his dad out of first place by two tenths of a pound when skipper Norman Kagawa weighed the fish. Jon’s tuna came in at 97.4 pounds. He said he tricked it with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook from Owner, tied on 40-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He used 60-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate BX-2 500 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod, and got the job done in 50 minutes. He also won the Rollo Jackpot for the best yellowtail, a 45.2-punder, presented in the lineup shot by skipper Kagawa.

Dad Tim McGurran of Sunnyvale got a 97.2-pounder, good for second place, with the same setup as Jon used.

“I had a great fight of an hour and ten minutes,” he said. “He took me around the boat twice. I’d like to thank deckhand Andy for a fine long-distance gaff shot.”

Tom Thompson of Alameda won third place for a 96.4-pounder, and Andrew McAdam of San Bernadino stood in the lineup photo with his honorable mention 101-pound tuna, caught on the kite.

His First Dorado

Mike Lackey brought his Vagabond home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 31 after a four-day trip to Sacramento Reef and offshore. He had 19 anglers aboard, including his 13-year-old son Luke, who goes to St. Charles Borromeo Academy, where he plays baseball and football. Luke got his first dorado on the trip, along with yellowtail and more dorado.

Richard Wilson of Irvine won first place for a 26.2-pound yellowtail. He picked it off with a sardine on a 2/0 Owner hook on 40-pound Izorline, he said, and used 40-pound Big Game line on a TLD 20 reel and a seven-foot rod of unknown origin.

Scott Colpitts of Newark, CA won second place for a 24.2-pounder, and Jeff Squires, who advertises inox mx3 anti-moisture, anti-corrosion lubricant and One Cool Tuna line weight stickers in the Sportfishing Calendar won third place, for a 22.8-pound yellowtail.

Searcher Report July 30

“We arrived at Guadalupe Island this afternoon at 3 pm,” wrote owner-skipper Art Taylor, “and got the anchor down in yesterday’s hot spot. We saw a few fish but not quite the amount we were anticipating based on the reports from previous days. We did see some fish later in the day and we did manage to hook 10 yellowfin tuna and land five. They are all at least 50 pounds and we saw some bigger ones jump around.

“We also landed seven 25-pound yellowtail so we got a few fish for the effort today and we have two full days of fishing ahead. We are hopeful that being here the whole day and getting established at daylight the results will be better. I am glad to have access to this island again and we look forward to bringing other groups here in the future. Check with Celia for availability on 5 day trips or longer in the future.”

Net Update July 22, 2011

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

Giant Jurel Under Weeds

Robin Fisher and Capt. Joe D’Acquisto

When the winner of the first place jackpot is named Fisher, you’d think his catch would be exceptional, and this one was. Robin Fisher of Lakewood fished under a paddy during his six-day trip aboard Red Rooster III, and hooked something big.

“Everyone thought it was a tuna,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker July 22 at H&M Landing. “When it bit it went down, down, and kept going down. It made two long runs, too, and when I got it up to color everyone said, “Look at the size of that yellowtail!’”

Fisher decked his big yellow, and other anglers took a variety from the same kelp, including bluefin yellowtail and dorado, but Robin’s toady boy weighed 57.85 pounds on the dock scales, and brought him first place when skipper Joe D’Acquisto hung the contenders. His group had limits of yellowtail.

The fight lasted 15 hard minutes, said Robin, who dropped a sardine in on a 3/0 Owner Flyliner hook. He said he fished with 40-pound Big Game line and a Pro Gear 454 reel on a custom Sabre seven-foot rod.

Patrick Fuller of Las Vegas won second place and the coveted trolling jacket for bluefin of 37 and 14 pounds.

Regular angler Al Jackson won third place for a 36.15-pound yellowtail, and old-time long ranger Tom Reynolds of Torrance stood in with the lineup with his 26.4-pound halibut.

“I was fishing for one of those,” he told Roecker.

“Fishing was good at Cedros,” said skipper Joe. “We spent two days there and also got some exotics: bluefin and dorado.”

Last Day At Rocks

“Our morning bite was good today,” said the report from Intrepid July 21, “for both Yellowfin and more quality Tails. As gray light came on, so did the action, fast action for the first couple of hours. There were times when we were very busy trying to keep up with it all. The kite was going good, with the candy baits and flyers producing most of the explosive bites. When 2:00 pm came around and the fish went away as they have the last few days, we had made our best day of the trip here at Alijos Rocks. This afternoon we made some drifts in the shallows and had a ball catching Cabrilla and more Yellows. We are now headed Northbound and will stop again tomorrow afternoon for a while before continuing up the line.”

New Guadalupe Info:

I just spoke with Andy Cates and got the following info about fishing Guadalupe on the West Coast Angler 5 day leaving August 13th for $1550.00.

Departure time will be moved up to 11:00am and we will be in Ensenada by 7:00pm. This will get us to Guadalupe around 11:00am since the island is only 170 miles from ensenada. If We do not find favorable conditions we can still head to Cedros for a couple of days since we do not have to check back in at Ensenada until we are heading home. This plan would give us almost 4 days of fishing on the 5 day. The additional cost is only $160.00.

Everyone needs to have a valid passport to go on this trip. 

We still have spots available and will most likely have a fairly light load so there will be plenty of space.

Contact the Red Rooster III office @ 619.224.3857 to book your spot.

Net Update

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

July 16, 2011

Jump on a 5-Day! The West Coast Angler 5-Day on the Red Rooster III leaving Sat. August 13, 2011 is now $1550.00!

Contact the Red Rooster III office at: 619.224.3857

Douglas/Jamison Baja Fish

Intrepid docked under Kevin Osborne’s hand at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 16 after an eight-day trip with chartermasters Bob Douglas and Bill Jamison and 24 other anglers. They found some large yellowfin in a scratch bite at Alijos Rocks, and fished up The Ridge for yellowtail limits.

Ed Furu of Huntington Beach took first place for a 108.6-pound yellowfin tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 2/0 ringed Owner Mutu hook and 50-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He used 60-pound Line One spectra on a Penn Super 12 built by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 765 ML rod he wrapped.

“It took a half-hour to get him in,” Furu told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “It’s my best fish ever.”

John Whitley of Half Moon Bay won second place for a 92.8-pound tuna, and Bob Marrocco of Shelby Township, MI won third place for a 90-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

Nick Torres of Huntington Beach caught a giant goldspotted sand bass of 10 pounds, only a few ounces shy of the world record (all-tackle) for the species. He said it bit on a chrome and blue Butterfly jig. Nick goes to Golden West College, where he pitched baseball before he was injured. He said he borrowed his rod from Corky Burak.

Rooster Gets Opah

Red Rooster III arrived at H&M Landing when skipper Andy Cates docked the boat July 16 after a six-day trip.

“Benitos was good fishing,” he said. “Cedros was OK, and we spent a nice morning at Sac Reef fishing up the beach. Conditions there looked good.”

Lance Yamanaka of Pasadena won first place for his 38-pound yellowtail. He caught it with a sardine on a 4/0 VMC hook on 25-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 25-pound Izorline and 60-pound Izorline spectra. He used a Trinidad 16 N reel and a Calstar 850 H rod.

Tom Porter of Whittier won second place for a 35-pounder, and Bill House of Rogersville, AL took third place for his 32-pound yellowtail.

A 61-pound Opah was caught by Kyle Lambie of Vista, on a chrome/glow Sumo jig in the 6X Jr. size. He sat in with the winners for a lineup shot.

Big Yellows On Surface Iron

Mark Pisano docked his Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 16 following a seven-day Tahoe Tuna Club trip.

Zack Vackmouawad of Huntington Beach won first place. He reeled in a 38.8-pound yellow on a sardine and a 3/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook and 30-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He fished with 30-ppound Izorline and 60-pound Big Game spectra on a n Avet JX reel and a Calstar 6460 rod.

Woody Preston of Lexington KY won second and third places for yellowtail of 35 and 34 pounds.

Crewman Doug Brink beat his recent oilfish catch with a brace of whopper yellowtail he got on Salas surface iron, a 7X in mint color and an Okie. One fish came from The Ridge and the other from Chester Rocks. The pair weighed 54 and 48 pounds.

AA Yellowtail

American Angler docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing with skipper Sam Patella at the helm July 16. His 19 anglers had a catch of yellowtail and various species, including at least one large sheephead.

Bruce Iniss of La Mesa won first place for his 28-pound yellowtail. He said he got it with a mackerel bait on a 2/0 ringed Owner Flyliner hook on 40-pound Big Game. He used an Avet JX reel and a seven and a half-foot Calstar rod.

Jerry Pohlman of San Diego won second place for a 24-pound yellow and Les Stark of Anaheim got third place for a 23.6-pound yellowtail.

Excel Is Sold

New Excel Owners

“I’m happy and excited,” Ingrid Poole told dock reporter Bill Roecker July 14, after signing off her ownership. “It’s a done deal! We’ve sold the Excel to some new owners, and skipper Justin Fleck will be one of the part-owners. The transition will be seamless, and the crew will remain as they are. Leading the new owners will be long-time chartermaster Al Gross.”

Skipper Fleck said he was signing the papers the same day, and that he looked forward to working with the other new owners to keep the boat in the top position it has enjoyed since Bill Poole put the finished vessel on line back in 1992.

First launched in 1990, Excel is the largest boat in the fleet at 124 by 32 feet. It’s steel-hulled, with a huge galley and large staterooms, many with seven-foot beds, and the corner staterooms have their own bathrooms. The boat’s fishing record is one of excellence, which will continue under its new owners.

The following announcement was sent to Bill Roecker July 16 by Ingrid Poole, who told Roecker that she was thrilled that the new owners will carry on Bill Poole’s memory in the best tradition:

NEW OWNERS:

1. Justin Fleck – Will remain at the helm, now as owner-operator.

2. Allen J. Gross:

- Chartermaster on the Excel for 14 years.

- Has fished every year with three sons Jason, Travis and Ryan.

- Has brought over a Dozen Purple Heart recipient Marines on his Charter’s free of charge.

- Has set aside spots on his charter for deserving Police and Fireman.

- Over last 14 years he had hoped to buy the Excel, now it’s a reality.

- Very happy and excited to be in this situation.

3. Alan Downing;  Petroleum geologist, he finds, drills and brings oil to the barrel, Owner operator Downing Nelson Petroleum, Excel angler for eight years.

4. Dave Geis:  former professional snowboarder, event manager for Tailgate Alaska, Founding Member of World Free Championships ski and snowboard contest Valdez, AK, and Event Manager for the King of the Hill Valdez, AK. Marketing director for Excel long range Sport Fishing, lifetime fisherman, long-range angler for 8 years.

>Look for cosmetic and technological improvements in the near future.

> We will be updating the boats menu.

>Jason Gross (Al Gross’ son) will be working in the front office alongside Kathie and Betty.

>Dave Geis will be the director of marketing.

>This transfer of ownership occurred with the full blessing of the Poole family.

The Excel is excited to announce the “New Owner’s Discount” which applies to trips starting 7/21/11 and ends with the trip beginning 12/26/11. This once in a lifetime offer will give all Excel anglers a 10% discount on their trip; this includes people who have already booked trips in this time window. All discounts will be realized upon check in the day your trip leaves.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

July 12, 2011

West Coast Angler 5 Day Trip – Price Reduced

WCA Rooster 5 day

Join us on the Red Rooster III for the West Coast Angler 5 Day trip leaving August 13, 2011 for a reduced price of $1550.00!

Fish with a great group of anglers and giveaways from Salas Lures, Fishingvideos.com, Five Star Fish Processing, VMC, Hobie Polarized, Lakeside Bait & Tackle, The Fish N Fools Bait & Tackle and many more…

Contact the Red Rooster III office @ 619.224.3857.

A Bust And A Blast

“Yesterday (July 9) was pretty much a bust for us on the offshore scene,” said the report from Excel. “Although we were in good water all day and could even see some tuna crashing around, we just couldn’t buy a bite. Today (July 10) we found ourselves at the

island with steady action on the yellows starting just after breakfast and they didn’t slow down until the late afternoon. The grade is nice here with the fish averaging 18 pounds or so. Most of the fish were spotted up on the surface just cruising around. These guys had a great time. Our plan is to try to finish up our quota on yellows in the morning and start heading up the line to put ourselves in position to catch a tuna on the last day.”

Cedros Biscuits In The Dark

“Weather continues to be excellent,” observed the report from Royal Polaris July 11. We got limits of Yellowtail, and the big surprise, White Sea Bass! We caught 12 White Sea Bass up to 60 pounds.”

The Biters Are Nice, Though

“It was tough, again,” reported Bruce Smith for the Shogun July 10. “The bluefin are here and jumping around, with plenty of big ones in the mix. We landed three bluefin tuna for

the day. Our weather was gorgeous.”

Last Chance

Judy Collins in the Independence office tells us that our trip aboard the boat is nearly sold out. Only two spots remained as of last weekend. The trip promises to be a lot of fun, with some chances at larger tuna in the 50 to 100-pound range; either bluefin or yellowfin, depending on what’s biting. Bigger yellowtail are probably a given. A plethora of prizes and goodies for all will be distributed by Bill Roecker And Paul Sweeney of FishingVideos.com, from sponsors like Accurate (a new reel), Zucker’s, Salas, Calstar, Seaguar, Catchy Tackle, Mustad, AA’s, Izorline, Peter J, and other sponsors of Bill’s Sportfishing Calendar and book At The Rail: Long Range Fishing.

The trip will be shot in hi-definition 1080 P video on Bill’s professional gear, and a DVD will

be made of the underwater and on deck action with comments by the skippers and crew and anglers. All anglers will get a free copy and a bag of prizes in exchange for a signed video release. With big fish biting in three or four hotspots already, this trip promises to be one of the season’s best summer adventures. Call the Indy office, and jump aboard to fish with Bill!

On that subject, here are two brand new DVDs from Bill’s Standup Fishing Series:

Fishing Long Range 101

Many anglers haven’t fished long range style because they don’t think they’ll enjoy the trip.

“How can you stay on a boat for ten days or more?” some ask.

The truth is that time on a long range boat is relaxing, productive and enjoyable. You don’t have to spend a long time aboard to learn if you like it. Bill Roecker’s new Fishing Long Range 101 is an introduction to long ranging. Here you’ll see that a short trip of a day and a half to three or four days will take you to fishing that’s more comfortable and exciting than any you’ve had before, and it comes with some of the world’s best guides and equipment.

Learn about long range style fishing for tuna, yellowtail and dorado from Bill Roecker and the skippers and crew aboard Royal Star and Searcher, two of San Diego’s best-known long range sportfishers.

During early summer, you don’t have to spend two weeks or more at sea to catch fish! You’ll be fishing within hours of clearing San Diego Bay. On a day and a half trip, traveling is at night and the day is all about fishing. See how to bait and cast to feeding tuna, how to play and land ‘em. Enjoy stateroom quarters and chef-prepared meals served at your table. You’ll have more fun and stay out of tangles with a polite crewman at your side as you play your tuna! See bluefin tuna and albacore leaping out of the water just a cast away!

Fishing Long Range 201: Alijos Rocks, 23 Spot Yellowtail, Rosa Bank Albacore

June Long Range Fishing Aboard Excel

The second DVD in the Fishing Long Range series features yellowfin, bluefin and albacore tuna, as well as big yellowtail from The Ridge. The skippers and crew of the 120-foot Excel know how to position the boat, whether you’re drifting or anchored, to put you on the fish. Learn the methods and techniques to catch them and you’ll come back from a trip like this as an experienced long ranger, who’s been to many of the most famous summer fishing spots.

There’s adventure in store for you– Fishing Long Range 201 starts at Alijos Rocks with mixed fish, moves inside to The Ridge for a yellowtail spectacular on The 23 Spot, and finishes with a glorious albacore bite in open water south of San Diego. You don’t have to be an experienced long ranger to enjoy summer fishing—anyone can do it!

Learn about early summer angling at its best, when the fish are chomping sardines and jumping on jigs with abandon! It’s limit-style fishing, the kind anglers dream about, when anything you cast into the water can get slammed by a 40-pounder! Surface iron, yoyo jigs and live sardines work like a charm when the fish are frenzied like this, so come aboard the Excel with Bill Roecker, skipper Mike Ramirez and the friendly crew of the biggest boat in the long range fleet! Let’s go fishing!

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

July 10, 2011

His Best Tuna

Dominic Gobb with hie 107# Yellowfin Tuna

Tim Ekstrom and Randy Toussaint docked their Royal Star at Fisherman’s Landing July 10 after a fine eight-day trip that saw the boat catching quality yellowfin tuna for two or three days, in clean water below the brown and green areas that have kept the fish from moving north past The Ridge. Fishing was beyond excellent, according to Ekstrom’s reports and the remarks from anglers who were there.

Dominic Gobb, a retired military man, got the best tuna, a 107-pounder. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker his best tuna ever fought him for 30 minutes before coming to gaff on the starboard stern.

Gobb said it bit on a sardine and a 4/0 Mustad 91450 hook. He fished with 40-pound Momoi line on a Penn 12 T modified by Cal Sheets, and a Calstar 700 XH rod.

Brent Hirsch of Pismo Beach had a 95-pounder for second place, and Rick Stone of Huntington Beach won third place for a 91-pound yellowfin tuna.

Skiff Trip Returns

Joe Crisci docked Qualifier 105 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 10 following an eight-day trip down the Baja. There were 19 anglers aboard for the open-party trip.

Ken Shoning of Las Vegas won first place for a 39-pound yellowtail that bit on his Tady 4/0 jig in scrambled eggs color. He said he used 30-pound P-Line on a Daiwa 40 reel and a GRUSA seven-foot rod.

David Snyder of Parhrump, NV won second place for a 33-pound halibut, and Donald Cooper of Ely, NV won third place for a 20-pound

yellowtail.

San Martin’s Producing

Tommy Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing July 10 after a productive three-day trip with 24 anglers on the Wayne DeSilva/Jim Seifert annual charter. They had a good catch of yellowtail and bottom fish, and the yellowtail swept the jackpot spots.

Lenny Campos of El Cajon won first place for a 26-pound yellow that bit his sardine on a 2/0 ringed hook. He fished with 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 40-pound line on an Avet JX and a Seeker Classic 6465 H rod.

Ulises Ochoa of San Diego caught a 25-pound yellow and won second place, and Roger Schwicke of Cerritos took third for a 24.8-pound yellowtail.

Vag Bags ‘Tails

Mike Hudson with his JP 28# Yellowtail

Mike Lackey’s Vagabond returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 10 after a four-day trip down the peninsula to Cedros Island with 20 anglers aboard. They found good fishing for yellowtail and other species.

Mike Hudson of Gilbert, AZ had the big one, a 28-pound yellow that he posed with behind the boat. He said he got it with a Sumo blue and white jig tied to 40-pound Ande line. He fished with and Avet JX reel and a Penn Sabre six and a half-foot rod.

Terry Johnson of Carmichael won second place for a 27-pound halibut, and Ted Phoenix of El Cajon just about matched him with a 26-pound ‘but.

Rooster Whacks Tuna

“Coach” Cliff Clark’s annual eight-day Beefer trip honored deceased chef Jorge Nicifore this year, and Coach had some art commissioned for Jorge’s family and the 28 anglers who made the trip. Jorge’s family was at the dock to meet the

boat and pose with the picture.

Skipper Andy Cates guided the eight-day trip, and he weighed the catch at H&M Landing July 10. His anglers had limits of tuna and yellowtail. One of the yellows was a monster of 57.5 pounds, likely the largest of the season so far. It was caught by Bob Hohman of San Pedro, on a sardine and a 2/0 Owner Gorilla hook, his best yellowtail ever.

Nick Montilepre of Corona won first place for a 78.6-pound yellowfin tuna. The fish ate his sardine on a 5/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook. He tied that to 50-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 60-pound Izorline, and fished with a Daiwa Saltist 30 reel and a custom Truline eight-foot rod.

Ernie Osuna of San Juan Capistrano won second place for a 76.9-pound tuna. Ron Chaing of San Diego got third for a 76.6-pounder, and Scott Marachael of Long Beach took a special fourth place (trolling) jackpot for a 76.3-pound yellowfin tuna.



Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

July 9, 2011

A Royal Treat: Two-Day Drift

Frank LoPreste brought his Royal Polaris home to Fisherman’s Landing July 9 after a wonderful eight-day trip to The Ridge and other spots. He found an area of biting yellowfin tuna that produced a super catch of 25 to 80-pound fish, and added a mixed bag of other species for his 32 anglers on the RingedHooks.com outing.

Chartermaster Guy MacDonald won first place for his 84.3-pound yellowfin. He posed for a photo with his son Brandon, 11, and daughter Aubree, 10.

“I hooked the big one soon after our first troll stop,” Guy told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “If I hadn’t, we might have moved on, since there was no sign of fish, just that blind strike. But that fish held the boat, and we had great fishing for two days, drifting. The fish shut off at night but there were right there the next day. Most of the guys did OK with 30 and 40-pound line.”

MacDonald got his winner on a sardine and a 3/0 swiveled Mutu hook from Owner. He used 30-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 30-pound Jin Kai line and 60-pound Line One spectra on an Avet JX Raptor reel and a Calstar 800 H rod. The fish fought hard for 45 minutes.

Steven Reed of Menifee won second place for a 79-pounder, and Jim Howard of Idleyld, OR won third place for a 73.8-pound yellowfin. Steve Aranpatzis of Napa won the Rollo Jackpot for a 35-pound yellowtail.

Off The Charts

Pete Gray’s Let’s Talk Hookup five-day trip aboard Independence returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 9 with a mixed catch of bluefin, yellowtail and other species. Jeff DeBuys skippered the trip, and he called it, “Off the charts coastal fishing.”

Pete Gray said, “It was the best yellowtail bite I ever saw.”

Valerie Otero of Boulder, CO won first place for her 34.6-pound yellowtail. She dsaid it bit on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Mustad Hoodlum hook on 30-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 50-pound Izorline spectra on an Okuma Andros reel and a six-foot Super Seeker rod.

Darrell Hansen won second place for a 33-pound bluefin and Greg Kuno tied him with an identical fish.

Stout-Eppler Annual

Justin Fleck brought Excel back after the annual three-day Stout-Eppler charter with plenty of yellowtail and bottom fish like red rockfish. There were 25 anglers aboard, who enjoyed the good fishing at San Martin Island.

Yosef Dangor of LA won first place for his 28-pound yellowtail. He bagged it with a sardine on a 3/0 hook, 30-pound Blackwater Fluoro, 50-pound spectra, a Shimano reel and a six-foot rod (he didn’t know any of the names for his gear).

Kent Todd of Chino won second place for a 27-pound yellow, and Calvin Olexa of Cypress tied with Mason Vincent of Diamond Bar for third place. Both had 26-pound yellowtail.

Biggest Bluefin Bites Dart

“”Today we went looking for some biting fish,” wrote Shogun skipper Bruce Smith July 8.  “We covered a lot of water.  We found some good size yellowtail under kelp paddy at 85 miles. We really hope to see more this action, but due to the weather and wind conditions today it was tough to keep at it.  We continued up the line until we came across boiling and jumping bluefin.  The first spot responded and we put on four quick fish, all about 20 pounds.  Our next stop only yielded one fish, but that one fish looks to be the first 100+ pound bluefin tuna of the year.  As I have stated in previous posts and articles in the past year, the hot technique was a Megabait (4oz.) cast into the boiling bluefin school as the boat slowly pulled with in casting range.  This big fish wolfed the diminutive jig as we had to dig the hook out of the back of its throat.  Congratulations to Eric Thomas for a fish worthy of any 1.5 trip Jack Pot!”

Eric’s tuna was weighed by Smith at Fisherman’s Landing July 9, and came in at 105.7 pounds, making it the best of the year so far. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker the jig was a four-ounce Megabait in red and yellow, on 40-pound Stren, 65-pound Power Pro spectra, a Trinidad 20 reel and a Calstar 800M rod. It fought for 20 minutes.

Tim Green Special

Brian Evans docked Mike Keating’s Spirit of Adventure at H&M Landing July 9 after the 21^st annual Tim Green seven-day trip with 19 anglers.

Ray Miles of Escondido won first place for a 42.5-pound yellowtail that bit on a Salas 6X Jr. jig in blue and white. He said he fished with 40-pound Ande line, 60-pound Izorline spectra backing on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Mitch Pellegrin of San Diego won second place for a 38-pounder, and Richard Ballew of Henderson, NV won third place for a 37-pound yellowtail.

He Got It All

Sam Patella docked American Angler at Pt. Loma Sportfishing after a two and a half-day Salas Lures trip to San Martin Island with chartermaster Matt Salas.

“We had good yellowtail fishing,” said Matt, “and fair bottom fishing. We got a little bit of everything. I fished the yoyo jigs in blue and white, scrambled eggs and sardine swirl. All those colors worked well; it didn’t make a big difference.”

A huge sheephead was caught by Dan Arden of Terra Bella, on a blue and white 6X Jr. The big goat weighed 19.4 pounds.

The jackpot on this trip was winner-take-all. Bob Murakami of Monterey Park won it for his 28-pound yellowtail. He got the fish with a squid on a 5/0 Mustad J hook, 30-pound P-Line, an Avet JX reel and a Calstar GFX 800 M rod