By Bill Roecker

Norm Kagawa brought his Shogun back from a five-day trip to Cedros Island July 2 with near-limits of yellowtail, two nice white seabass and two halibut. The trip was sponsored by Blackwater. Anglers aboard said they saw some blue whales on the way home.

“If you can't tell by the recent reports,” wrote second skipper Bruce Smith June 30, “I love Cedros Island. And 99% of the passengers we bring here leave with the same feeling. When you cast a surface iron in front of a breezer of large yellowtail and then watch as fifteen yellows from that school peel off and follow your iron to the boat before crushing it at your feet, how could you not like this place?

"Or maybe it’s when the yellows slow down and you go into the beach and make a couple of drifts for halibut and come up with a handful of 18 to 30-pounders, just to fill the dead time. How about anchoring up for the night on a rock pile and scratch out a few fifty pound broomtail grouper, before the bait bites?”

Skipper Kagawa said, “We had good to very good fishing on standard issue yellowtail, 15 to 20-pounders, mostly, with some big ones. They bit on the flyline, with sliding sinkers and on the dropper loop. They bit the jigs, too. The water was 65.5 to 66 degrees at the South End, and pretty clean; good yellowtail water.”

Van Smith of Costa Mesa won the jackpot for a 39.6-pound yellow. He got it with a mackerel on a 12-ounce dropper loop rig. He used an Eagle Claw 7/0 hook, 50-pound Big Game line, a Shimano 12 two-speed reel and a Calstar 700 XH rod.

“I got him in ten minutes,” said Smith. “I hammered it down and put it in low gear. He came up on the bow.”

Roger Young of Reno, NV won second place for a 35.6-pound yellowtail that bit on a slider rig. He was tied for second by Bob Kaisaki of LA, who flylined a 35.6-pound white seabass on a 40-pound outfit.

Rick Hall of Bakersfield stood in with the winners to display his 20-pound halibut.



Finished With The Yellowfin

“With an unexpected change in conditions due to weather,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck July 1, “we found ourselves doing a bit more work to get our share of these Alijos tuna. The morning started a bit slower than the previous morning even though there was no shortage of quality tuna around. After a bit of searching and an equal amount of patience, we finally found an eager school of fish. The bite was a steady pick that lasted until dark. We finished this visit to the ' Rocks' on a high note. We have pulled the anchor and are heading to the beach in search of big yellowtail.”



Looking For Tuna

“We are currently on our annual Purfield's 5-day adventure,” read the report from the Independence July 1. “The offshore fishing has been slow so we made the run down the coast to start the trip fishing yellowtail at the islands and we were not disappointed to say the least. The last two days of fishing has been outstanding for yellows in the 15 to 20-pound class. We also have had a few hits on the bigger fish in the 25 to 40-pound range along with a couple of nice halibut. The weather is very good as well. With a great catch of yellowtail in the hatch, we are planning to head offshore in search of albacore and bluefin.”



Party On, Party On!

“It was an action packed morning,” said the Royal Star report for July 1, “that began with steady fishing on 50 to 75-pound yellowfin tuna, then switched to 20 to 30-pound yellowtail, then switched back to tuna with a sprinkling of yellowtail in the mix for the remainder of the day. By noon we were well on our way to a big day with good signs of fish and conditions favoring just such.

“Then, just like someone hit a switch, we were overrun by voracious 10 to15-pound “shaker” yellowfin tuna that rained on our parade in a big way, annihilating all baits that hit the water, creating mayhem across the transom. Over the past few days our character has been tested by an occasional flurry of the little terrors but today we were inundated to the point where it became unfishable.

“So, good steady action on beautiful quality yellowfin tuna and yellowtail segued into small fish chaos that we resolved by taking a 30-minute break to allow the unwelcome guests to move on. And move on they did, along with the majority of the bigger fish that were around us in droves before the little devils crashed the party.”



Bluefin Are Biting Today!

Searcher skipper Kevin Ward filed this morning report July 2 at 8:30 a.m. from his ongoing day and a half trip:

“We are fishing 110 miles southeast of San Diego and we found a school of 12-20 pound bluefin. We've landed 15 of them so far, with several more hook-ups. There's also albacore around--we've got just two so far. The weather is good too. Wish us luck for the rest of the day!”

“After the local fleet's tough weekend," read the American Angler report June 30, "we were encouraged when we left the dock by a few decent reports. A couple of boats managed a few decent scores on albacore which seemed to mean that things were on the upswing. We were on the grounds at daylight and got an immediate jigstrike. There were several short stops for most of the fleet but right about the time we were getting a few, things changed. Where there were once scattered meter marks within minutes the fish were down and there was no sign. The fleet split up in search of and unfortunately the only thing found was increasing wind.

“We covered quite a bit of ground for not very much but on the other hand, we saw scattered sign over a big area which leads us to believe that there is more around. We ended the day with a stop for 8 albacore - such as the one caught by Brianna Lees - which sure helped the cause. Our total of 15 albacore and seven bluefin was not from lack of effort by crew or passengers but hopefully can by written off as a down day. The tough day for the fleet should not discourage interest in any way for many reasons.

“The old saying, ‘you should have been here yesterday,’ does not apply for tomorrow and the chance to be here when things bust open is very realistic.”



50’s Biting On 40

“We had another good day of fishing out here with 59 tuna and 63 yellowtail hitting the deck,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck June 30. “The average size of the tuna was a little bigger today. Most were in the 50 pounds or better class.

“The key to getting bit today was dropping down one notch in your tackle. Our boat outfits are set up like this: 6' to 7' medium action Seeker rods, Penn 4/0 reels, 65-pound Power Pro spectra backing, 50 ft. of 40-pound Berkley Trilene, and 2 ft. of 40-pound Berkley 100-pound fluorocarbon tied to a 6/0 Eagle claw circle hook.

“This seems to get bit pretty steady. Fishing has been good here so we are staying another day. Depending on how tomorrow goes will decide whether we will finish our trip here or move up the line.”



Fishing Spreads Out

"Good morning folks," Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates reported June 30, "yesterday was not near the action that we had the day before. It was a decent scratch, with some bigger fish mixed in. there were a couple of fish around the 100-pound mark and a dozen others from 70 to 90 pounds. We caught 31 tuna for the day, just one or two at a time, for most of the day.

“With three boats here things seem to have spread out a bit, and it sounds like the scores are similar. We plan to stay here until after lunch and then head in to finish the trip fishing yellows.”



Star Is On Pace

“With a steady pace established on day one," Royal Star owner skipper Tim Ekstrom reported June 30, "we kept with the program today remaining in the same location while keeping one to five fish hooked and riding out the occasional lulls. Between the 15 to 35-pound yellowtail that were marauding below and the fantastic grade of yellowfin tuna picking off the surface baits, it was another memorable day of long range style fishing that perfectly fit the description of what this fishery is about.

“A handful of standouts today broke the century mark, and a couple of handfuls were close behind in the seventy five to ninety five pound range, but the vast majority of our tuna landed were in the fifty to sixty-pound class. All day fishing for good quality tuna and yellowtail on the anchor; yes, we are all very pleased and grateful for good timing. We could not ask for a better scenario.

“The only downside was the good working weather we enjoyed yesterday made way for sloppier conditions by mid day that came on with a freshening afternoon breeze. A steady downhill current kept our bow into the wind and swell, making for a pleasant ride and easy fishing conditions. It's all good.”



See The Light: Sportfishing Lamp

A fresh offering from Pelagic looks like it could be a good deal.

Three lamps are being offered for $89, marked down from $199. The one I liked best was called Tuna, Mahi, Ahi.

The other sculptured lamps feature billfish in a patina or colored finish. Here’s where you can see more about their offer!

Yellowtail Fishing At It's Best

This NEW Standup Fishing with Bill Roecker DVD has exciting action on the iron, and great tips and how-to’s from Matt Salas of Salas Lures and long rod expert Captain Bruce Smith of the Shogun and BigFishHappen.com:

Jig Fishing Mossbacks!

Cedros Island Yellowtail Aboard Shogun

You know fishing’s good when you have to leave ‘em biting! Join Bill Roecker and Matt Salas as they fish with skipper Bruce Smith aboard the 90-foot sportfisher Shogun, on a four-day summer trip that visits the Benitos Islands and Cedros Island. Whopper homeguard yellowtail load up rods and snap any line not up to the task. They’re biting on surface iron, yoyo iron, and live sardines. See ‘em bite right next to the boat! Top off two days of fantastic fishing at Cedros/Benitos with a morning of angling like it used to be, at Sacramento Reef, near Jeronimo Island. Bass, bonito, rockfish, lingcod and yellowtail jump on jigs as fast as the guys can chuck ‘em! Rapid-fire fishing, good food and long rod demonstrations from skipper Smith and jig maker Salas make this DVD special for all anglers who love to fish for hard-slugging yellowtail.

In this clip, Captain Bruce Smith explains to Bill Roecker how a bait ball attracts birds and fish.

Available to ORDER at FishingVideos.com

(Press Release)

The International Yellowtail Derby is set to start on September 26 and run for 8 days of fishing and on the ninth day the winners will be awarded on Oct 4. $50,000 in cash and prizes will given out if the r the goal of 2,000 entrants is reached. 100% of the entries will be returned to the anglers in cash and prizes.

Anglers will include individuals on open party sportboats and private boats and teams of 2 to 6 members. Between 1,500 and 2,000 anglers overall are expected in both private boater and open party categories. IGFA rules will apply for all anglers.

Entry fees will be the following for individuals and teams:



The original Yellowtail Derby ran for 28 years, 1946 to 1973. It was sponsored by and produced by the San Diego Jaycees. It was a multi-month event with qualifying periods and finals. Prizes ranged form cash to cars, trailers, trips and fishing gear. It built up to where every year more than 2,000 anglers competed and many from LA, Orange Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and often won.


This, the first annual of the new International Yellowtail Derby, will be only 8 days of fishing. The plan in the future is to increase the number of days of fishing and include a qualifying period and a final fish-off.

The Derby is being supported by the Unified Port of San Diego, Frank LoPreste, Fisherman’s Landing Tackle, San Diego Port Tenants Assoc., Boyce Image, the Maritime Institute, Seatow Services, BlueSkyNews.com, the Island Palms Hotel and the Bay Club. There will be warm-up parties and events at a different restaurant each evening during the Derby.

Headquarters will be at the Outboard Boating Club at Trailer boat Ramp on Shelter Island Drive in San Diego. The mailing address is 3960 W. Point Loma Blvd. Ste H347, San Diego 92110.

The challenge is to beat the record fish of 62-pound, 8-ounce yellowtail caught by George Willet in 1953 during the Yellowtail Derby.

From Jack Nilsen’s Fishing Journal

Accurate Jack’s back, from a Tony Reyes fishing expedition from San Felipe to the Midriff Islands. Here’s a short account of what he experienced.

“Del Marsh and I fished with 25 other anglers on a Tony Reyes mother ship, a trip we booked through Longfin Tackle in Orange, California. The trip departed from San Felipe in Baja Mexico. The mother ship Tony Reyes carried nine 22-foot pangas and six kayaks.

“The pangas carry a skipper-guide and three anglers. Yellowtail, grouper, cabrilla, pargo and more are the target species. We had wonderful fishing on all of them.

“We drove to San Felipe, crossing the border at Mexicali. There is very secure parking at the Tony Reyes facility in San Felipe. The 120-foot Tony Reyes is a very comfortable and a well-run operation.


“There are two and four-person staterooms that are air conditioned and spacious. The restroom and shower facilities are roomy, clean and excellent in all respects.

“The scenery and views of the Sea of Cortez are an added bonus to the excellent fishing. Free diving is another option that is also available. Dive areas can be accessed on pangas or kayaks. An area on the north end of Isla Angel Laguardia called Punta Refugio is magnificent for dive opportunities as well as fishing.

“The Tony Reyes trip is similar to long range fishing, but also very different and unique in its own right. Fishing from speedy pangas allows access to large areas of fishing during the morning and afternoon trips.


"We departed on two trips each day, returning to the big boat for lunch and break and then departing again for afternoon fishing. Live bait is available on each panga.

“The all-inclusive cost of the trip includes, live bait, all soda & beer, filet & vacuum-packing, all food, and a Mexican fishing license, a very big bang for the angler’s buck.

“These trips may be booked through Longfin Fishing Tackle in Orange. You can call them at (714) 538-8010.”

By Bill Roecker

Tom Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme June 30 after a five-day Wagstaff/Beck trip with 24 anglers. The Supreme docked at Fisherman’s Landing and skipper Rothery weighed the best of the catch.

His last report came Sunday, June 28. It read, “The morning started off with great fishing on the nicer 30-pound-plus yellows. In the afternoon it was really wide open on the 16 to 18-pounders. Justin also landed a nice halibut. And still, our weather is absolutely gorgeous.”

Phil Dudley of Huntington Beach won first place for a 38.2-pound yellowtail. It bit a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Mustad hook tied to 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Izorline Spectra. He fished with a Penn Baja Special reel and a Pacifica six-foot rod.

“He pulled hard,” commented Dudley. “They got big shoulders.”

Mike Wintjen of Long Beach was second, for a 36.8-pound yellowtail. He said it fought for 20 minutes.

Mike's dad Norm Wintjen of San Pedro won third place for a 36-pound ‘tail, and Paul Fernandez of Orange was the lucky angler with a 31-pound halibut, which he brought into the lineup.



Quality At Alijos

“We had a good day fishing once again here at the Rock,” said the Intrepid’s report for June 29.

“The tuna were not as numerous as last trip, but the quality is the same. We also had a very good day of yellowtail fishing with many choosing to release their yellows. It is so good to see that there are people who wish to preserve fishing for future generations. Everyone tagged a few and kept the standouts, but released anything on the smaller side of the scale.



“Our weather is good and we are going to stay here for at least another day. Pictured with the yellowtail is Peter Thomson, a first-time long ranger, and he wishes to say Happy Birthday to Stef. Also pictured is Mike Shirer and one of the nice tuna he caught today."



Sweet Day At Big Island

“It was another wonderful day here at Cedros Island,” read the Shogun report for June 29. “The fishing was never wide open, but steady throughout the day with one to six fish on the end of the line all the time.

“First thing, before pulling anchor, the premium grade yellows made a showing, dropper loops with mackerel were the rigs of choice. After that it was out to deeper water to find schools of roaming school-grade fish, which today made up the majority of our catch.

"What was exciting today was to watch ten to fifteen yellowtail follow surface iron to the boat before one would race out from the pack and annihilate the 7X! What a show! This didn't just happen once, but many times during the day.

“Two white sea bass were also landed by Bob Kasaki (35-pounder) and Steve Hernandez (20-pounder). This morning’s weather was warm with hardly a breeze, so common to the South End and the Keller Canal; by afternoon we had a steady fifteen knots and lots of white caps. Also pictured with a premium yellowtail is Bryce Young and his father Roger.”



50-Pound Bigeye for Excel

“Our first day of fishing was a success,” said the Excel’s report for June 29, “with 52 tuna and 44 yellowtail going into the RSW well. We even caught a 50-pound bigeye tuna. Most of the tuna were in the 40 to 60-pound class with a few bigger and a few smaller.

“The grade of the yellows was nice, too. The hot sticks today were Jan Howard and Steve Alexander, who seemed like they were hooked up all day. We will stay the night on the anchor and do it all again tomorrow.”

By Bill Roecker

If Ray Lopez was a racehorse we’d say he broke his maiden, because he came back from his first trip as master of the American Angler as a winner. Ray docked the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing June 29, after an excellent yellowtail trip (listed as the Shaker Tour) with 25 anglers to Cedros Island.

“We had pretty steady action in the lee of the island,” Ray told dock reporter Bill Roecker at the landing scales. “We got near-limits of yellowtail. The most common rig was 40-pound line with the yoyo or the surface jig or a flylined sardine. The 7X jig was best in blue and white or scrambled eggs color.”

A smattering of tuna, albacore and bluefin, was encountered on the trip. The best bluefin was a 41-pounder taken while the boat was drifting near the kelp on the windward side of the island, a very unusual place to encounter such a tuna.

Brad Arnold of Lincoln caught it, but it wasn’t jackpot eligible, so he was invited to pose in the jackpot lineup as honorable mention. He said it was fooled with a sardine on 40-pound line.

Bill Randall of Foothill won first place for a 38.8-pound yellowtail.

“It took about 15 minutes,” he recalled. “I also got a big one with a swimbait.”

Bill said he baited a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad 9174 hook on 30-pound Maxima fluorocarbon leader and 50-pound Izorline Spectra backing on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 670 rod.

Jack Purtell of Yorba Linda won second place for a 37-pound yellow, and Paul Pangburn got third place for a 34.8-pound ‘tail.

Two ladies fishing aboard the Angler also got big yellowtail. Melanie Kito of San Diego bagged a 33-pounder, and Monique Dixon of Yreka found a 29.6-pound yellowtail.

Jack Purtell took his 15-year-old son Andrew on the trip for his first outing of the long range sort, and the pair posed with their best fish. Andrew goes to Esperanza High in Anaheim, where he wrestles in the 140-pound bracket. He wrestled up a nice big yellow on this trip.



Supreme Fishing On Yellowtail

This was reported Saturday, June 27: “We hunted around all morning for the big yellows we got last night but none were to be found. Midday we decided to bail out and go look for some of the smaller grade 12 to 15-pounders and we got into them good until dark. What started out slow turned out to be fantastic. Tomorrow we will be back looking for the bigger grade. Our weather, companionship, and food are great and everyone is having fun.”



Rooster Is Cock ‘O The Rocks

“We had a great day yesterday,” wrote Andy Cates June 29, “and are staying at the Rocks again today. We managed two fish over 100 pounds and all other fish were 30 to 60 pounds. We’re catching pretty much the same fish as the last trip. Great action.”