Long Range Fishing Update – 12/15/09

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

Wind Up, Big Boys Down
This posting is from the office of the Independence, written December 14:
“Hello, Jeff called in the days report and the fishing was a bit slower today, 9 fish for the day in the 130 to 190 pound range were landed. The chances on the big fish were had several times but for various reasons the larger fish were lost. The weather was a factor today as the wind came up and the swell picked up as well. Squid fishing went well last night so the bait supply is good in that department.”

Yellowfin Tuna on the Intrepid

Three’s A Lucky Number
“Day three in Cow Town,” noted the report from Intrepid December 14.
“Today was slower for us, as the weather has come up a bit with 15-18 knots of wind and a good swell to go along with it. We did manage to land a few more Cows and one that taped out at 303 pounds and two more under the 200-pound mark. That brings us up to 13 Cows, one possible supercow and 26 between 140-190 lbs.
“We are now enjoying a Blackened Rib-eye steak prepared by Chef Javier and will be fishing again tomorrow.”

Tuna & Skins
“Fishing was a little on the slow side today,” said the report from Royal Polaris December 14.
“We scratched out a few handfuls of the same grade 80 to 120-pound Yellowfin as well as some more 20 to 40-pound Wahoo. Lucky angler Gary Cotter did catch a beautiful 223-pound Yellowfin in the early morning on a jig. Our weather today was on the rough side with a steady 18-knot breeze and a confused sea. We plan to be back at it first thing tomorrow morning with hopes of finding some more of the bigger grade tuna.”

Partying Crashers

Royal Star "Cow" Yellowfin Tuna

Tim Ekstrom filed a report December 14 that recounted what he saw around his Royal Star on the tuna grounds off southern Baja.
“…in the afternoon, the trophy yellowfin that gathered around us were in top form, crashing all around and regularly clearing the surface, tantalizing anglers with a perfect visual of what we are after and why we are after them. There is nothing quite like a two hundred fifty-pound yellowfin tuna exploding on a bait ten yards from the transom to strike the primal chord that fuels all big tuna angler’s desire to pit themselves against these worthy opponents in raw, hand to hand battle.
Opportunities at best were few and far between with the day occasionally punctuated by the capture of a trophy class yellowfin tuna as we waited and watched the show. Such occasions are a real test of patience and fortitude. Thankfully, similar to the previous two days, with the late afternoon/evening came the opportunity to even the score as the fish that gathered around us throughout the day dropped their guard.
All told we came out of this round with another three over 200 pounds, another handful of 160 to 195’s, and another couple of good opportunities that went in favor of the tuna.
Photos of the day feature the uncontested hero Ron Medak with one of his two jumbos that weighed in at 259 and 261 respectively. In Ron’s case today his success was a result of pure perseverance, and a little luck. Both count equally out here and Ron now has two beautiful cows in the hatch to prove it.