Long Range Fishing Update – 7/31/11

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.”