Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update November 26, 20008

Now That’s A Yellowtail

Jeff DeBuys docked Independence November 26 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing after another successful ten-day trip to Alijos Rocks and The Ridge.

“We anchored at Alijos Rocks for two days,” said angler Phil Havlicek of San Francisco, “in a nice light wind. We got 55 larger yellowfin and went through three kite rotations. The kite was good with squid.

“The squid came to the boat every night. The Ridge and Uncle Sam Bank were good for tuna 25 to 45 pounds. The yellowfin were on flying fish there. We got limits of yellowfin and dorado. We went up to Cedros Island and had some good fishing on bigger yellowtail, to 30 pounds or so.”

Steve Alpinieri of La Jolla won first place for a 131-pound tuna he nabbed with a squid under the kite, on a rod belonging to the boat.

“It was a lot of fun pulling on that fish,” he remarked.

Henry Carrillo of LA got second place for a 127.6-pounder, and Ezra Ross of Bend, OR won third place for a 124.7-pound yellowfin.

The topper of the trip was the 72.2-pound yellowtail caught by Rob Filson of Chula Vista, the new mark to beat in that category.

“He made two long runs, and beat me up for 20 minutes,” said Rob.

Filson used a sardine on a 3/0 Mutu hook on 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 50-pound Izorline. He fished with an Avet LX reel and a Seeker 660 H rod.

Back For Thanksgiving

Frank LoPreste docked his Royal Polaris at Fisherman’s Landing November 26 after a ten-day trip.

The best fish was a 122-pound tuna caught by Dan Burns of Las Vegas on a squid and the kite, with a Seeker 6463 XXH rod.

“After 30 minutes, we got him,” said Burns. “When he got 25 feet from the boat he got tangled. I’d like to thank Frank and his crew for helping me out of trouble, to get the fish.”

Harmon Rider of Templeton won the jackpot for a 95-pound tuna. Joe Amagrande of Monrovia swept second and third places for his tuna of 80 and 57 pounds.

Whale Of A Tuna: Could be World Record

Randy Toussaint brought his 22 anglers aboard Royal Star home with a very special load November 26. The fishermen had 12 tuna over 200 pounds caught on the Las Rocas trip of 11 days.

“They were the most enjoyable days of cow fishing I can remember,” said Randy. “It was calm as the harbor, and the fishing lasted from an hour after dawn to dark.”

A very special fish came on one of those days, a potential new IGFA record for 130-pound line class. The giant yellowfin weighed in at 381.1 pounds, and co-owner Tim Ekstrom hung it both by the head and the tail on the certified scales at Fisherman’s Landing for the same numbers. That would seem to make the mark needed to set a new record over Corky Yokoe’s 376-pound, six-ounce fish caught in 1996, if it’s approved by the IGFA.

“I’ve been fishing for about ten years,” said Williams, 49 and a Carlsbad Mercedes mechanic. “I had no idea this would happen. My best before was about 120 pounds.

“I had a nice bait,” he continues, “and I saw him roll on it. The guy next to me said it was on his bait, but it was my light that went tight. He went out, down, and back and forth. It was very hot and humid, and he came up on the stern and I heard a deckhand say ‘Oh, my God!’ before they started putting a bunch of gaffs in it. I’m gonna sign up again for next year!”

Dennis Williams baited a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw circle hook on 100-pound blue Izorline with 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used a Tiagra 50 LRS reel and a Calstar 760 M rod to beat the huge yellowfin in an hour and a half.

Asked about the gear and the event, skipper Toussaint said, “It’s the most IGFA eligible fish I’ve seen.”

Tom Kurata of Hawthorne had another giant at 308 pounds, good for second place. Jimmy Ramirez of Carlsbad won third place for a 290-pound tuna. All of the tuna were very rotund, as though they had been on the bank for some time, eating well.

“There were big fish blowing out all around us all the time,” said angler Steve Kimbrough of Huntington Beach. “The sign was incredible.”

The Cow Catchers On Royal Star

Dennis Williams - 378

Tom Kurata - 308

Jimmy Ramirez - 290, 208

Butch Kuflak - 271

Glenn Evans - 265

Dale Kurata - 260

Steve Ong - 255

Steve Grove - 235

Peter Lupo - 227

Tom Walker - 225

Tom White Jr. – 203

Boss Hoag Ten-day

Skipper Joe Crisci returned Qualifier 105 to Point Loma Sportfishing November 26 after a ten-day Boss Hoag charter.

Chris “Hoss” Aubuchon took first place for a 42-pound yellowfin. Dave Hoag was second with a 41.4-pound tuna and first-time long ranger John Mariuz of El Cajon was third with a 41-pound wahoo.

Don Bigler of Mission Valley trolled a dolphin-colored marauder to entice a 46.6-pound wahoo. “Cowboy” Gary VanderLyke and Dave Hoag, two-thirds of the chartermaster trio, handed Bigler a Qualifier 105 jacket for best-trolled fish.

He Found The Baja Cows

Andy Cates slid into the Red Rooster III’s slip November 26 after the 11-day (eight with a flyback option) Accurate trip with reel developer Jack Nilsen. Jack exercised his option to fly home, as did most of the 26 anglers.

Cates took the group to the southern banks off Baja, anchored on one of the southernmost, and got the first cows to come from the area this year. He called the fleet, but only Royal Star was in position to take advantage of the discovery. Cates ended his trip with nine cows, including the 353.7-pound super cow landed by Judith Montague of Cardiff.

Ken Pickett of La Mesa won first place for a 292-pound whopper he got with a mackerel on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used an Accurate 50 W reel and a six and a half-foot Calstar rod.

“I had a good time,” he said of the fight. “It lasted an hour and 45 minutes.”

Allison Shuman of Venice won second place for the 247.5-pound tuna she hooked, fought and landed after it bit on a sardine on a ringed 6/0 Super Mutu hook. She used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a topless Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

“My best fish before was 125 pounds,” said Allison. I fought this one in the harness and I had to get in the skiff at one point. He bit, he ran, he went down and took me around the boat once.

“Then he got wrapped on the anchor. Andy pulled it part way up and we went in the skiff to get it off. I used a balloon to get the hookup.”

Gary Gillingham of Duarte got a 234.7-pounder to win third place.

Stas Velonakis found a 217.5-pounder.

Kevin Leong had the fourth-best qualifying fish at 231 pounds. Since there was no best troll fish, he won a jacket. Kevin said he used a mackerel on a 5/0 Gorilla hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Blackwater Spectra backing on an Accurate 12 reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod. He also had a 217-pounder.

Calvin Benton of Oakland pulled in a 205-pounder with a sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound Spectra, an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

Miles Yamaguchi of Riverside got a 201.6-pounder on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing. He used an Accurate 50 reel and a Yo’s custom Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

That leaves only the super cow to account for, something already done by Jack Nilsen. It’s repeated here so any newcomers can find the information with that of the rest of the catch.

“She fought it the normal way—did a nice job,” said Jack, “without any undue assistance from the crew. Judy has fished with us before, and this tuna came on an Accurate ATD 30 on Blackwater 100-pound hollow Spectra, and 130 Blackwater flourocarbon shock leader. The rod was a Calstar 6465 XXH, and it bit on a mackerel on an Owner Gorilla 6/0 hook.

“Her fish is the best yellowfin tuna caught so far on an Accurate 30,” said Jack. “It was a pretty damn nice trip, as it all turned out.”

Highly Skilled Group

By Paul Sweeney

The Wahoodad/Willy 11-day charter aboard Intrepid returned under Captain Kevin Osborne’s hand November 26. The boat made the run down to Hurricane Bank to fish trophy yellowfin.

“We had very few casualties,” Osborne said. “We had some highly skilled fisherman on this trip, probably the best group as a whole that I’ve ever had.”

Co-chartermaster Bill “Willy” Casper, Jr. echoed the skipper.

“Probably the greatest group of guys I’ve fished with,” he said at Point Loma Sportfishing, “and I’ve been fishing a long time.”

Jamie Massion of Calabasas took first place with a 220.8-pound yellowfin tuna. Jamie fished a 2004 9/0 Eagle Claw hook ringed by RingedHooks.com, Line One 130-pound hollow Spectra on an Accurate 30 reel and a Calstar 755XXH rod.

Chris Klein of La Verne took second with a 203-pound tuna that bit a live flying fish on the kite. His previous best fish was a 26-pound yellowtail. Chris used the boat’s gear, an Avet 50 reel on a Super Seeker 6364 XXXXH rod, to haul in the cow. Chris received the Seeker Trophy for best fish caught on a Seeker rod.

Third place went to Lowell Dickson of Irvine for a 200.8-pound tuna. Lowell used the boat’s Avet 50 reel and Super Seeker 6364 XXXXH rod to land the kite fish. “It bit double-trouble sardines on Owner 8/0 hooks,” he said. “I fought it for about 40 minutes in the port corner.”

Co-chartermaster David “Wahoodad” Choate and Jim Hall both agreed that the Hurricane Bank yellowfin were real “mean” fish.

“I just rail-fished mine in the corner,” said Hall of his 181-pound tuna. “My hand was shaking.

“Willy (Bill Casper) was on a fish that straightened out his hook. It came back shaped like an L.”

“Fishing with David and Willy was a real pleasure. You just sit back and watch them, and try to learn from them the best you can. Fishing the reds up at St. Martin was an added bonus. Mama always likes it when I bring those home.”

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

Net Update November 21, 2008

Cows Coming—Could Be Katy, Bar The Door!

Flash—Royal Star has spent the morning fishing on cows off the coast of southern Baja. The catch as of noon included eight big tuna, with four under 200 pounds and four above the double century mark.

Two of the Star’s big tuna were weighed aboard at over 300 pounds! Captain Randy Toussaint and second skipper Brian Sims tallied the super cows at 378 pounds for Dennis Williams (on 100-pound line!) and 308 for Tom Kurata, weighed on the boat’s expensive and highly accurate scales.

Butch Kuflack has a 271-pounder, and Peter Lupo bagged a 227-pound yellowfin. Owner-skipper Tim Ekstrom talked with the boat and told Bill Roecker that the fish are near their usual fall feeding grounds. The boat made a two and a half-hour drift, and Ekstrom characterized the bite as “…a steady pick.” All the fish caught were on sardines, he said.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update November 14, 2008

New World Record? Close, But…

Art Green is a retired Newport CPA who fishes for 300-pound tuna. He’s got a brace of those to his credit so far, so maybe it’s not surprising that he appeared at the H&M Landing scales November 14 with what seemed a potential world record in his catch after a 10-day trip aboard the Red Rooster III with skipper Andy Cates.

The trip was sponsored by Charkbait, and a couple of days were spent on the southern banks searching for the cow tuna that are widely anticipated by the long range fleet this month.

Art got his lunker on one of the banks of The Ridge. The fish was a goldspotted sand bass, and it bit Art’s sardine after he sent it down. On the certified scales, it came in at nine pounds, eight ounces.

Green said he put his sardine on an Eagle Claw 9/0 circle hook and heavy 130-pound line. He fished with a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod. Obviously, he was after something a bit larger. He was filling out the IGFA record application paperwork when Bill Roecker left the dock.

Things have changed since the 2007 book came out, so Roecker contacted the IGFA offices in an effort to get more current information, without luck. Then Becky Wright at IGFA returned his call and offered the information that the record in the 2008 book was for Dan Cash’s 10-pound, four-ounce fish.

So Art Green, Newport CPA, missed his record, but not by much. He very likely has the second-largest goldspotted sand bass ever caught.

“Our best fishing was off Tosca,” said skipper Cates. “There were a lot of school tuna there, but after ten a.m. it was all marlin. We saw good tuna on black porpoise, but got no response.

“We saw some sign of wahoo on the 38,” continued Andy, “but we lost almost every one we hooked. We finished up at Cedros Island and got some good yellowtail on the dropper loop.”

Bill Walsh of Chino Hills won first place for an 81.7-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a VMC 6/0 hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 SX reel and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod. He said the fight was a brief five minutes.

Robert Puckett of Fallbrook won second place for a 42-pound tuna, and Green took third place for a 41-pound yellowfin.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update November 8, 2008

Vagabond Plays Skins Game

“Finally out of the wind and into beautiful weather,” wrote Mike Lackey aboard his Vagabond November 6. “Everyone on the boat has a Wahoo today up to 75 lbs. and they keep coming. The past few days we have had lots of 24 to 40-pound Yellowfin and we have released a lot of 10 to 15-pound Yellowtail, keeping just a few. We are looking forward to more days like today.”

Mike docked his boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 10 after the nine-day trip with 22 anglers.

“We had two days of wide-open wahoo fishing on The Ridge,” said Jan Ishii, who had several skins. “We’d troll, then baitfish or jigcast top the fish that stuck around the boat, sometimes for as long as 20 or 30 minutes.

There was good yellowfin fishing off Mag Bay; all you want on the school tuna. It was slow at Thetis, though. Cedros Island was good for yellowtail.”

Skipper Lackey was a bit tired from the windy afternoon the day before he docked.

“Our timing took us down and back in cruddy weather,” he said, “but the fishing and the weather were both good below. We got more wahoo the second day than the first, on the same spot.”

Mike Montgomery of Buena Park won the jackpot for a 59-pound wahoo. He bagged it with a sardine on a 2/0 Flyliner hook and 60-pound seven-strand wire tied to 40-pound Izorline and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra. He said he fished with an 870 Accurate reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

“It was about a 20-minute fight,” said Montgomery. “He took a lot of line from me.”

David Cohen of Cape Cod, MA won second place for a 52.8-pound wahoo, and Jim Haberbush of Grand Terrace scored a 52.4-pound skinny to win third place.

American Angler Report November 7, 2008

“We had very good fishing on 18 to 30lb Yellowfin Tuna this morning, it took a few hours to get on the right bunch but somehow or another it worked out. By lunch time we had a very good start and everybody enjoyed some yanking and cranking.

“We spent the afternoon mostly traveling, but just before sundown we found what we were looking for. I’m not sure if it was dumb luck or what, but we did find one little dab of better fish late to give us hope for tomorrow.

“The photo of the day is Jimmy and Steve with a 91 and a 140-pound tuna that we landed late and we did lose two other fish, so we’re hoping this is a sign of things to come.”

Red Rooster Report November 7

“Yesterday afternoon did not work out on the upper end of the ridge,” wrote skipper Andy Cates. “Lots of skipjack that made the tuna fishing next to impossible. First day out we were not in the mood to weed through them just yet. Turned out to be a good thing after today great success. We had great fishing on 25 to 40-pound tuna that lasted until 3:00 in the afternoon, and explosive action on the common dolphin, dragging the fish off with sardines. We were fortunate to get enough fish to spend the next day on the big fish grounds, hoping to get something started.”

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update November 6, 2008

Big Skin Comes In

“He ate my sardine and went deep. He took me around the boat. I fought him for 15 minutes,” said Mike O’Malley of San Diego at Fisherman’s Landing November 6. “He’s my best wahoo ever.

O’Malley got his 61.8-pound skin aboard the Royal Polaris with skipper Billy Santiago Jr., on a black and orange (“Halloween”) Marauder and 100-pound Izorline tied to 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used am Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 660 XXH rod. Mike stood in with the winners for a lineup shot.

“We had another stellar day of fishing today,” wrote Billy November 1, “complete with flat calm weather and lots of biting fish. The outside temperature cooled off just a bit with slightly overcast skies that made fishing today quite comfortable. The action started early this morning and continued throughout the day with Yellowfin making up most of our catch. All of the tuna today were a great grade with most of the fish going 30-40 lbs and a couple even pushing the 45-50 lb class. To spice things up we also had wahoo, yellowtail, and pargo to round out our catch.”

Jay Ahrend of Long beach won first place for a 52.2-pound yellowfin tuna.

“He beat me up on a long rod,” said Jay, “for 20 minutes. I used a sardine on a 3/0 Super Mutu hook with a ring. I had 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra, a JX 6-3 reel and a Shikari eight-foot rod.”

David Kostush of Chicago won second place for a 42.8-pound tuna. Marcus Bondy of El Cajon was third for a 40.8-pounder, but his fish went to the processor straight off the boat, so Kenny Turturici of San Mateo stood in with his 40.4-pound tuna.

The ten-day trip had 25 anglers and did very well on yellowfin and yellowtail.

Outstanding Fishing Everywhere

Joe Crisci made his glowing observation after he docked the Qualifier 105 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 6 after a ten-day Coastside Fishing Club trip with 21 anglers.

Gene McKenna of San Jose won first place for a 53.2-pound wahoo. He said he bagged it with a silver Raider jig on 40-pound P-Line. He used an Avet HX reel and an eight-foot Super Seeker rod to pull the fish to the boat in ten minutes.

Vince Otani of Point Hueneme won second place for a 52.2-pound wahoo, and Chris Hall of Modesto took third place for a 42.8-pound skinny. The three posed for Vicky Campbell, who runs the office for the Qualifier.

Shogun Bags Mixed Catch

Jonah Li owns Hi’s Tackle Box in San Francisco, perhaps the best-known store of its type in the area. He’s been bringing his boys on fishing trips for years, and on dock at Fisherman’s Landing November 6 chartermaster Li got a little payoff on his long investment in long range fishing. He won first place for a 46.4-pound wahoo.

Jonah fished with owner-skipper Norm Kagawa on the ten-day trip with 15 anglers. Norm reported good fishing on The Ridge, off Mag Bay and some big yellowtail from Cedros Island.

Chartermaster Li said he got his big wahoo on a sardine and a size two Gamakatsu hook. He used 20-pound titanium wire and 20-pound P-Line on a Trinidad 16 reel and a Calstar 800 XL rod.

“When the fish have been pounded you have to go down in size to get bit,” he remarked.

David Gillig of Poway was second for a 43.8-pound yellowtail he got at Alijos Rocks, and posed with Jonah on the dock.

Kevin Chau of San Francisco won third place for a 40.8-pound wahoo.

“Rooster” Can Crow: New Biggest Wahoo On Troll

Independence docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 6, following a ten-day trip with skipper Kyle “Rooster” Karcher and 29 anglers. The trip was sponsored by Blackwater, with chartermaster Doug Inouye of Santa Clara aboard.

“Fishing was very good below on porpoise,” said skipper Karcher. “We found a kelp loaded with all you want dorado, and we saw scattered sign of wahoo.”

Brad Cole of Jackson, WY won first place for an 87-pound yellowfin tuna.

“He was the last fish boated,” said Brad. “I was spooled at the bite. He ran, the line went slack. Then I learned he had come back toward the boat. After 20 minutes, he came up on the bow. It was a lot of winding.”

Cole baited a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 60-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 50-pound Izorline and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra backing. He used a TLD 30 reel and a Seeker 665 XH rod.

Mark Pisani of West Hills won second place for an 80.8-pound tuna, and Joe Palladino of Lauder, WY took third for a 75.2-pound yellowfin.

The trip was topped by the 70.4-pound wahoo trolled up on a pink and orange Marauder. The fish moved the weight of the new season’s best wahoo by seven pounds.

Rick Kramer of Huntington Beach got the giant skinny on 100-pound Izorline, a Tiagra 30 W reel and a Sabre 665 XXH rod. He posed in the lineup with the winners.

Whopper Yellowfin From Big Island

J. J. Gerritsen docked his Apollo at Fisherman’s Landing November 6 after a five-day trip with ten anglers to the big island of Guadalupe. They made a good catch of yellowfin tuna and yellowtail. At least three of the tuna were over 100 pounds.

Chartermaster Toke Aw of Pacific Pallisades got a truly awesome tuna at the island. It weighed an even 150 pounds and is one of only three or four yellowfin of that size ever caught there.

“He fought me for an hour and a half,” said Aw. “He took 600 yards of Spectra.”

Aw said he baited the tubby tuna with a Spanish mackerel on a 4/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used a 40-pound Shimano wind-on leader and 85-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Tyrnos 16 reel and a Talus M70 HA rod.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update November 4, 2008

The Hook Fell Out

American Angler docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 4, after skipper Brian Kiyohara took his 24 anglers on a ten-day trip sponsored by Sport Chalet and Berkley.

“We got limits of yellowfin, some big yellowtail at Cedros Island and a couple dozen wahoo,” said Brian. “The Ridge was very good, and the 13 Spot good for school yellowtail.”

K. C. Brotherton of Burbank won first place for a 103-pound yellowtail he caught off Punta Toska on a sardine and a ringed 6/0 Super Mutu hook. He said he used 80-pound Big Game line, 130-pound Izorline Spectra, and Avet 30 and a Calstar 6465 XH rod.

“I just got luck,” said Brotherton. “He came in after just ten minutes. He was barely hooked, in the skin of the lip. The hook fell out when he hit the deck.”

Furmin Diaz of Pomona won second place for an 88. 5-pound yellowfin. Henry Ross of San Diego took third place for a 48-pound wahoo that chomped on his home-made gold bomb made from a ten-ounce sinker. Ed Yamada of Torrance and Dale Monday of Denair stood in with the winners holding a 43.4-pound yellowtail and a 44.4-pound dorado.

“We had a great ten-day trip for variety,” said skipper Kiyohara, “and the big fish are there right now, on the southern banks.”

Ventura Fishing Club

Skipper Randy Toussaint docked Royal Star at Fisherman’s Landing November 4 after fishing ten days with 20 passengers.

“We went to the outer are down there,” said Randy, and we saw 80 to 150-pound tuna, but they didn’t bite. It’s still 82 degrees down there, and 79 to 80 degrees on The Ridge.”

Ron Medak of Encinitas (whose son Markus is the owner-skipper of the New Lo-An) won the jackpot for a 63.5-pound yellowfin. Ron said the fish came in very quickly, in 10 minutes. He said he baited a mackerel on an 8/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. He fished with a Penn 30 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XH rod.

Ken Dyer of Tacoma, WA was second for a 50-pound wahoo. Gary Sato of Santa Monica got third place for a fat 49-pound yellowtail he got on the flyline at Cedros Island. Paul Carramao of Carlsbad used a pink Marauder to troll up the best wahoo of the trip, a 52.5-pounder.

Home In The Rain

Rick Kelly drove the Intrepid on a 10-day trip with 21 anglers, returning November 4 to dock in a soggy rainstorm at Pt. Loma Sportfishing. The trip was sponsored by Stan Vandenberg and Rod & Reel Radio.

First place winner Jim Cavanaugh of Granada Hills used a sardine on a 4/0 Gamakatsu hook to bag a 39.8-pound tuna. He fished with 40-pound Maxima line, an Avet HX reel and a Seeker six-foot rod.

Scott DiGiuseppe of Canoga Park was second by two-tenths of a pound, with a 39.6-pound tuna. Tom Duimstra of Fontana won third place for a 38-pound yellowfin.

Supreme’s Larry Brown Trip

Tom Rothery brought his Polaris Supreme home to Fisherman’s Landing November 4 after a ten-day trip with Larry Brown as chartermaster. It was raining hard, and dock reporter Bill Roecker missed the weigh-in, but go to the slab in time to see three big wahoo at the scales. Their catchers weren’t available for photos in the rain, and chartermaster Brown said no pictures were needed.

Chris Minnick won first place for a 48-pound wahoo. Don Hanes was second for a 44.2-pound skinny, and chartermaster Brown won third place for a 40.4-pound wahoo.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update October 31, 2008

Fall Bite Going Well

Skipper are now plying the southern waters with the long range fleet. Fishing is good, sometimes spectacular, on tuna, wahoo and dorado. Even some marlin are biting. The only thing still missing from the southern Baja picture is cow tuna, those giant yellowfin, all male, over 200 pounds. These bull tuna, called cows because bringing them over the rail is like lifting a cow, are biting on the Hurricane Bank, but remain elusive so far on the southern banks. At some risk of eating his words, Bill Roecker is predicting the first one from Baja in the next two weeks. Here’s what skippers said about fishing yesterday:

Excel Report October 30 by Skipper Mike Ramirez

“Today the rocks greeted us with warm weather and calm seas. After getting several nice wahoo on the troll, we dropped the anchor to fish for tuna. We were rewarded with a bite that lasted several hours on yellowfin tuna between 20 and 40 pounds. As an added bonus, the wahoo showed up and we were able to put about a dozen onboard. Tonight we are planning on heading east to fish offshore.”

Independence Report October 30 by Skipper Kyle Karcher

“Today was another beautiful day of weather for us along with a good day of fishing. We had a good go around on 30-60lb Wahoo along with some school size tuna there were also a few nice Dorado in the mix. The highlight of the day was a few nice grouper with Don Klahs getting a trophy 60lb plus size gulf grouper he wishes you were here ED. Tomorrow we will try our luck at some more tuna and dorado. Wish us luck.”

Red Rooster III Report October 30, 2008 by Skipper Andy Cates

“As we left the bank we were short stopped with a shot on wahoo. Picking up 60 out of a few stops that brought great action. It did not leave us with much room but after the first afternoon at Clarion that did not look to be a problem.

“The next day at Clarion we saw sign of mostly smaller fish 25 to 80 pounders. With hopes of picking off a bigger one it did not look good. One stop we were graced with one bigger fish, a 240 that just about finished off the trip.

“The inspection at the camp went very smooth and we are looking forward to that fishery later this month as we have a 14 day trip that leaves after Thanksgiving.”

Royal Star Report October 30, 2008 by Skipper Randy Toussaint

“An overall great day of angling in beautiful weather here on the lower banks today. Very action packed from mid morning on with numerous long drifts that produced all the 25-35lb tuna we wanted, 30 nice dorado, and no less than 50 hookups on striped marlin. We are going to top off our bait supply tonight and move up to the Ridge where we plan on concentrating our efforts on wahoo for the next few days.”

Shogun Report October 30, 2008 by Skipper Bruce Smith

“Today The Ridge lived up to its reputation as a premier long range destination. Cloudy skies with light rain on and off throughout the day kept the heat down within comfort level. The yellowtail were on the bite early, readily taking the traditional offerings, fly lined and dropper loop sardines and yo-yo style jigs. After a few hours yellowfin tuna took the lead, tuna 20-40# bit live bait very well.

“After lunch the anchor came up and the marauders went out. It wasn’t long before we ran into a 4-way jig stop, straight wahoo, with a few follow up fish biting the tossed iron. A few more stops and it was back on the anchor fishing tuna. The Shogun finished out the day with a last stab at the wahoo, and we ended up with every one on board with at least one for the trip. Truly a great day of fishing, steady action on quality fish on calm seas. We are running south again this evening and will be near Magdalena Bay looking for dorado and bigger tuna.”

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update October 27, 2008

Tuna Galore

Royal Polaris docked under Roy Rose’s hand October 27, after a ten-day Hi’s Tackle trip. The trip was excellent for school tuna and other species, as can be seen from the boat’s last report at sea, October 25:

“It’s another wonderful day on the ocean. Flat seas, clear skies, and very warm day. It was like fishing in a large lake.

“We arrived to the area around 06:00 hours, and we caught one Yellowtail before sunrise. Once last call for breakfast was made, Roy pulled the anchor and started looking for Wahoo. We didn’t have to travel far, before the first skinny would hit the deck. It was fair fishing for Wahoo, but that would not do for Roy, so we went looking for kelps. We would only find one kelp, but was it holding. It was limit style fishing on large Dorado (most in the 12 to 16 range, with a few going up to 20 pounds).

“After the smoke cleared from the kelp, we would move north and try our luck at some Yellowtail, and it was excellent fishing for 12 to 15 pound fish, with a few going to 25 pounds. Around 16:00 hours, our passengers had enough, and we were running out of time. Roy would make one more effort for Wahoo, and we would put a few more Wahoo on the boat.

“This trip is over, but it was the perfect 10 day trip. We caught fish every day. 10 day trips are about variety, and that’s what we caught. We caught Yellowfin tuna, Yellowtail, Wahoo, Pargo, Dorado, Grouper.”

Wahoo swept the jackpots. Mark Bush of Telluride, CO won first place for a 41-pound skinny he nabbed with a gold and chrome Sea Strike 33 jig on 50-pound Izorline. He said he used an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

Dennis Harada of Rancho Palos Verdes won second place for his 39-pound wahoo, and Bob Dutcher of Westminster took third place for a 37.8-pound wahoo. Mark and Bob posed for a shot on the dock.

“Stocks Look Good”

No suggestion here to buy blue chips right now, but it is a good time to be fishing. Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home from a ten-day Kimura’s Tackle expedition on October 27. There were 21 passengers.

“Fishing was extremely good,” said chartermaster Gary Kimura. “We had a great assortment of yellowfin, dorado, wahoo, yellowtail and three marlin, which we released. The crew was spectacular, especially at Alijos Rocks, where we lost more big fish than we landed. They just broke off.”

Skipper DeBuys summed things up. “We had a shark problem at Alijos,” he said, “but we did get a dozen good ones through them. The sharks were browns and hammerheads, and the water there has cooled down to 73 degrees after the chubasco rolled through.

“The conditions are good for big fish down below. Maybe the next trips will bring some back. We got limits on everything. We had a special kelp one day. It was holding really a lot of dorado. We got most of our limits on one drift.

“There are more small yellowfin swimming around this year than I’ve ever seen. The stocks look good. Next season they should weigh 40 or 50 pounds.”

The trip’s big fish was a 120-pound yellowfin tuna caught by Joe Andrade of Santa Ana on a chunk and a 6/0 Mustad hook. Joe said he used 80-pound Ande line on a Penn VSW 30 reel and a Penn Stroker rod of five and a half feet.

Alex Mobile of Long Beach won second place for a 98.8-pound tuna, and Sam Romero of Santa Ana go third place for a 74-pound tuna. Tony Contreras of Oxnard stood in with the winners with his 44-pound husky yellowtail.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update October 24, 2008

Season’s First Cows

Joe Crisci brought Qualifier 105 home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 24 after the first trip of the new big fish season to the Hurricane Bank. His 23 anglers on the Rusty Hook Charter (owner Alex Masumoto was chartermaster) bagged 21 cows, or tuna over 200 pounds. They caught so many tuna the boat left the bank two days early (the trip was scheduled for 15 days) with the fish holds filled. A stop at Cedros Island on the way up provided just enough yellowtail to fill the spaces between the cows.

“Awesome,” said Crisci at the dock. “It was everything we dreamt it could be, and more. Sometimes every fish hanging was big. The weather was good the whole trip. The water on the bank was 79.5 degrees.

“There was some bait there, but we only fished the three days during the daylight. Everybody recovered at night. We had plenty of bait. We stopped fishing with the kite because we ran out of manpower.

“The best current for us was running southwest. There were times,” remembered the skipper, “when you’d look back behind the boat and it looked like we were in gear, from all the swirls behind us.”

Dan Sunderland of San Marcos won first place for a 255.9-pound yellowfin.

“I had to yell for the backup rod,” said Dan, “after he got me down to 25 wraps or so. He beat me up for three and a half hours. He went around the boat seven times.”

Sunderland said he fished a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing. He fished with a Qualia 30 reel that he won on the trip, and a Fenwick six-foot rod.

Jim Bailey of Lemon Grove won second place for a 247-pounder that fought him for an hour and a half. He plopped a chunk in the tuna-infested water on a 16/0 Eagle Claw hook, and used 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Berkley Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXH rod.

Terry Hite of Solvang got a 218 and a 224.1-pounder, and the bigger fish won third place. He said he fished a sardine on a 9/0 Super Mutu ringed hook. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Hot on Hite’s heels came Phil Lisi of Costa Mesa, with a 224.1-pound tuna, and a 216. He said he fished a chunk on a 9/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing, on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

John Comerford had a 217 and a 223-pounder. He baited sardines on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Big Game line with 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6463 XXXH rod.

Robert Rubalcaba of Pt. Loma caught a 218-pounder with a chunk on a 12/0 Mustad hook tied to 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line, a Penn 50 VSX reel modified by Ken’s Custom Reels in Oceanside, and a Calstar 760 XH rod.

Mike Spagnola of Staten Island had a 201 and a 215-pounder. He used a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, with 130-pound Big Game line on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Gerald Yoshida of San Pedro bagged a 214 and a 211-pound tuna on sardines. He fished with 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks on 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Izorline Spectrra backing on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

Wes Cerny of Fallbrook whipped a pair at 211 and 214 pounds. Sardines did the trick, on 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He said he fished with 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Berkley Spectra on a Penn 50 VSX reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Bill Hale of Thousand Oaks found a 209 and a 213-pound tuna. Sardines were his preferred bait, on 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Bruce Sogioka of Fullerton found a 206-pound yellowfin with a chunk on an 8/0 Hayabusa hook he tied to 130-pound Soft Steel line on a Penn 70 reel and a Calstar 655 XH rod, and finished the job in a half-hour.

Chartermaster Alex Masumoto hauled in a 205.9-pounder on a 12/0 Mustad 39965 hook baited with a sardine. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing on a Shimano TTS 50 reel and a Calstar 7460 XH rod.

Steven Smith of Sierra Vista brought in a 201 and a 205-pounder. He fished with sardines and 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He used 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Tuff Line Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council - Net Update October 5, 2008

“All You Can Eat”

Mike Lackey docked his Vagabond at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 5, after an eight-day open-party trip to Alijos Rocks.

“We spent three and a half days at the Rocks,” said Mike, “and it was all you can eat fishing. We even had an incredible all-night bite on yellowtail. The big fish was caught by John Medler, a 104-pounder.”

Pate Aivadjian of Glendale won first place for a 98.4-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 5/0 Eagle Claw hook, tied to 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 60-pound Izorline Spectra. He said he used an Accurate 270 two-speed reel and a GRUSA nine-foot rod.

Bill Homet of Capistrano Beach won second place for an 88.8-pounder. John McConnaughey of Las Vegas won third place for a 79.2-pound yellowfin. Bill Homet of Capistrano Beach won second place for an 88.8-pounder. John McConnaughey of Las Vegas won third place for a 79.2-pound yellowfin. Jim Lewis of Morro Bay stood in with the winners with his trip-best wahoo of 59 pounds.

Full Speed Offshore Fishing

Tommy Rothery docked Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing October 5 following a five-day trip.

“We had full speed fishing today offshore on kelp patties,” read the report from the boat for October 4. “However for the most part, the yellowtail and dorado we were catching were small. So we released all but a few. We did however get some nice grade yellowfin. No big hits, but good action as we picked away at 30 lb. yellowfin. Jeff prepared a great Cajun chicken with avocado, mozzarella and fresh salsa for lunch. And as we head in tonight he is serving us steak and lobster. We will hit the dock tomorrow morning at 8:00 am.

“If you are thinking of coming out fishing we still have some open spots with Larry Brown on his 10-day departing October 25th. Highly sponsored with lots of raffles and giveaways. Give Susan a call at 619-390-7890.”

Jackpot winner Kenny Pole of Lakeside had a dandy 45-pound tuna for first place. He said it came on a sardine, a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, 50-pound Yo-Zuri line on a TLD 30 reel and a six-foot rod of unknown make. Pole said the fish fought for 45 minutes.

Ten Over 100 Pounds

Spirit of Adventure arrived October 5 at H&M Landing, packing a nice load of Alijos Rocks tuna, yellowtail and wahoo. Ten of the yellowfin made the 100-pound mark, likely the best trip so far this season, with four jackpot spots on the Bruce Davis charter.

Roy Jongbloets of Glendal, AZ won first place for a 117-pound tuna.

“He was cooperative,” said Roy. “He bit during lunchtime when I was alone at the rail. He fought for an hour and a half.”

Roy baited a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra. He fished with an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Gary Galbraith of Cooper Landing, AK won second place for a 113-pounder. Bob Wolfson of Dana Pt. got third for a 108-pound tuna, and Russ Weber of Moorpark took fourth place for a 107-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.