Long Range Fishing Update – 12/22/09

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

Royal Star unloading the catch

A Fine Pace
The long range fleet is setting a fine pace toward a new supercow record. With the arrival of four more fish over 300 pounds aboard Royal Star, it looks like chances are pretty good that we’ll see more than the 49 supercows weighed last year, as part of the 504 tuna the fleet caught that were over 200 pounds. We’ll be posting a tally here in the next few days to see exactly where things stand.
The Star’s four fish over 300 pounds for only 13 anglers reminds Bill Roecker that this year has probably been the best ever for anglers seeking good odds to contact a supercow. Congratulations to all those who’ve done it this year, and good luck to the many more anglers yet to get out after the big boys.

Alijos Puts Out Volume

330# Supercow on the Royal Star

Excel returned to her berth at Fisherman’s Landing December 22 with skipper Mike Ramirez at the helm. Her eight-day open-party trip didn’t leave a lot of time to fish the lower banks, but her anglers came up with three cows.
“It was a slow pick,” said Ramirez of his time on the southern banks, “with lots of better grade fish showing around the boat, jumping on sardine schools. We got most of our bigger fish on the kite, in 75-degree water.
“I can’t say enough about the weather,” noted Ramirez. “It was as nice as it gets. We went out to Alijos Rocks, and fishing was real good on 40 to 50-pound tuna. We had eight or nine going all the time.”
A married couple won first and second place in the jackpot. It was their first long range trip together.
Larry Onstopt of Hot Springs, AR won first place for a 287-pound tuna he bagged with a double sardine rig under the fishing kite. He said he used 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks on 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Cal Sheets-treated Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 765 XH rod wrapped by M&M.
Onstopt’s wife Diane put in four hours of struggle with her 246-pounder. She said she was ready to keep going if the fish did. Hers also came on the double sardine kite rig. She used 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks, and the same line and backing as her hubby, on a Penn 70 VS reel and a 756 XH Calstar rod.

Excel Jackpot Winners

“We were on the bow fighting our fish together,” she said. “It was finally over at noon. Larry went and laid down, and I sat down with a beer and enjoyed the day.”
Sam Chaymouni of Garden Grove won third place for a 202-pound tuna. He caught it with a flylined sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel treated by Sheets on a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Everybody Got One
Tim Ekstrom docked his Royal Star at Fisherman’s Landing December 22 with a wonderful catch of 33 cows, including four supercows. The trip was a 13-day Accurate-Bart Ryder expedition with a flyback option for those who wanted to come home after ten days of fishing. There were 13 anglers aboard, and each of them got at least one cow.
The trip’s whopper was a 364-pounder caught by Rob McAdam of San Francisco, after a fight of an hour and a half. It bit on a chunk hiding a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a 6465 XXH rod. Rob wasn’t at the landing, having flown home from Cabo. He won first place.
Ron Medak of Encinitas won second place for his first supercow, a 330-pounder.
“My best fish before was a 170-pounder,” he told Bill Roecker. “He got all my line going out, then he sounded and fought me the rest of the way, mostly on the bow. It ended there, after he got tail-wrapped.”

Supercow on the Royal Star

Medak (his son Markus owns and operates the New Lo-An) said he fished a sardine on a 9/0 eagle Claw hook tied to 130-popund Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound unknown Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel modified by Ken’s Custom Reels in Oceanside, and a Calstar 665 XXH rod. He also had tuna of 259 and 261 pounds.
John Santaella of Santa Maria bagged the fish he’s been looking for after many years, a 312-pound yellowfin that sucked up his sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw and then spooled him, requiring a backup. He got all that line, too, and then expired and sank after about an hour.
Some four hours later Ekstrom was able to move the boat from its anchorage, and Santaella’s tuna, still on the line out there on the bottom, was slowly and carefully raised to the surface. John also had a tuna of 204 pounds.
Stas Velonakis of Torrance bagged the final 300-pounder after a tussle of an hour. He fished a sardine on a 5/0 Gorilla ringed hook, tied to 100-pound Izorline and 100-pound Izor Spectra on a small Accurate 12 reel and a Calstar 670 XH rod. Stas also had tuna of 221 and 208 pounds.
Jeff Burroughs of Long Beach, a former major league baseball all-star, also got a whopper of 295 pounds.
“He fought me on the bow for an hour and 20 minutes,” said Jeff, “around the anchor line. He was a big bulldog.”
Jeff said he fished a sardine on a 6/0 Gorilla ringed hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 12 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
Gary Nishi of Glendale popped four cows, at 277, 254, 248 and 246 pounds. He flylined sardines on 6/0 Gorilla hooks. He said he fished with 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One Spectra, an Accurate 30 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.
The big one came in 45 minutes, said Tommy. “It was a great trip!”
Gary “Big Fish” Sato of Santa Monica used his famous crimps to connect his line and leader. He got a tuna of 227 pounds and one that weighed 207 pounds. He said the big one came in 20 minutes. He fished sardines on 6/0 ringed Gorilla hooks on 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra, with a Penn 16 S reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod wrapped by Bob’s Sporting Goods.
Dr. Andy Cooperman of Encinitas roomed with Dr. Medak on the trip. At least some of Medak’s luck rubbed off, as Andy bagged tuna of 207 and 215 pounds.  He said he used squid baits, on the flyline and the kite, on 15/0 Mustad circle hooks. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izor Spectra backing on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 660 XXH rod.
Crewman Drew got a 212-pounder. The rest of the catch was credited as follows:
Bart Ryder        234, 228 pounds
Damon Digregorio      212, 206, 202
Bob Palatella               231, 230, 217
Michael McAdam       283, 229, 228, 218