Long Range Fishing Update – 12/16/09

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

American Angler Yellowfin Tuna

The Last 36 Hours
“Well, there is no better time than right now to get your shot at a Big Cow or even a Supercow,” asserted the report from American Angler December 14.
“We spent the first few days catching smaller (compared to what we’re catching now) grade tuna: 75 to 100-plus-size fish. Between yesterday and this morning, we have had many fish over the 200-pound mark and of course, Ross’s giant, so it’s good times.
“We’re going to spend the rest of our trip here, then it’s time to head home.”

A Different Tack
“We chose to look at a different bank today,” said the Internet report from Intrepid December 15, “and hunt for a different school of fish that had less pressure on it than the one with five Long Range boats hitting the school.

Intrepid Yellowfin Tuna

“We had mixed results on the size of our Tuna today with fish from 40 to 60 pounds on some of the Porpoise we found, and fish in the 160 to 240-pound class, our biggest fish of the day, on others. In all it was a fun day with 61 Tuna landed and was a good change in the action for our group. We will start working our way up the line tonight and get in some fishing along the way.”

Looking For A Pick
“Good morning folks, pretty tough day yesterday,” wrote Andy Cates for the Red Rooster III December 15.
“The medium grade fish on the upper end was our first stop. We picked off 7 fish nothing big. They did not bite and we proceeded down to try for bigger fish only to have 25 knots of wind and spend all afternoon dragging anchor. Very frustrating. Needless to say we didn’t catch anything in the evening.
“So far this morning we have hooked about 10 fish and lost everything but two. We got a  couple of fish around 100 pounds. The bigger ones we had on didn’t work out. Oh, and we got a wahoo this morning. Stoked. We have fish on us right now but the main hit is over. Hopefully we can pick throughout the day.”

Wahoo on the Royal Polaris

“Fast Action On Mixed Grade”
“Fishing improved today,” observed the report from Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris December 15, “with more Wahoo as well as some fast action on mixed grade tuna.
“There were two grades of tuna some went in the 30 to 40-pound class and others were 80 to 100 pounds. We did see some sign on the bigger grade tuna and we hope to find a few of those tomorrow. Our weather today was a little bumpy but according to our forecast it should come down a bit tomorrow.”

Everything Was A Trophy
“Well we definitely had our chances again,” said Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom December 15, “landing another four tuna over the 200-pound mark and a few others that just missed.
“It was a slow scratch at best, but the real standout feature was the fact that everything we hooked, and I do mean everything, was in the trophy category. Anglers that put in their time working at it were rewarded with at least an opportunity which is all a fisherman can really ask for in this arena.

Hooked up on the Royal Star

“The other highlight of the day was the gratefully received weather change that brought near flat calm conditions to the grounds and restored the festive atmosphere.
“Photos of the day feature long time Royal Star favorites Andy Cooperman and Rob McAdam in action pulling on big cows. Although these long range voyages feature many different incredible experiences and moments, I can say with a very high degree of certainty that the moments captured in today’s photos are what it really is all about for anglers. Pure adrenaline, exuberance, joy, and satisfaction as all one strives for in pursuit of their goal or passion manifests in reality. The time out here is very special – even more so when the weather and fishing are good.”