Red Rooster III – Long Range Update – 12/11/09

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council

Red Rooster III Jackpot Winners

Two-Week Rooster Trip
Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing December 11 after the 14-day Rod & Reel Radio trip with 21 anglers. He had three cows aboard, although anglers remarked that sharks ate several big tuna that might have otherwise qualified.
Two of the cows nearly made supercow class. Todd Cameron, who works for Southern California Edison, had the jackpot winner, a 296.5-pounder.
“I’ve been fishing long range for four years,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and my best one before this was a 232-pounder.”
Cameron said he baited a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Shimano TLT 660 H rod.
“He bit like a shark,” said Cameron. “then he took all my line, all but about 50 yards, and then he went down, for an hour and a half.”

Red Rooster III Jackpot Winners

Jim Ballard of San Jose won second place for a 282.3-pound tuna. He bagged it with a sardine on an 87/0 Eagle Claw hook on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 VSW reel and an Oceanmaster five and a half-foot rod.
“My best fish before this was about a 50-pounder,” he said with a grin.
Veteran angler Ray Bolduc of Placerville rounded out the jackpot with a 222.4-pound tuna. He flylined a sardine on a 4/0 Gamakatsu J hook tied to 130-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Izorline, with 130-pound Magic Braid Spectra backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a “…four-foot Sabre rod.”
Archie Irion won the trolling trophy for a 77-pounder. Cates reported the trip fished at Clarion and the lower banks, for about 200 tuna and a dozen wahoo.