Roy Rose brought Royal Polaris home to Fisherman’s Landing July 31 after the annual five-day trip with Taka Tanaka’s group. They visited Cedros Island for very good yellowtail fishing and found a few tuna along the way.


Dean Martin of Buena Park won first place for a 35.8-pound yellowtail. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker he caught that one on a sardine and 4/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 30-pound Izorline and 30-pound Izor Spectra. He used a Talica 20 reel and a Phenix 807 rod tied by Luis at Taka’s Tackle.

Tom Gruschus of Yorba Linda won second in the jackpot for a 34-pound yellowtail and Rody Yoshinaka of Irvine was third for a 31.6-pounder. Taka won the Rollo jackpot for a 24-pound albacore and posed with Rody and Dean for a lineup shot.

Luc Ofield’s Anglers Choice charter aboard the Intrepid returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 30 after a five-day trip to Cedros Island and inshore waters near Sacramento Reef. The boat fished offshore on the way back and forth, said skipper Kevin Osborne, but for just a couple of trolled albacore.

Chartermaster Ofield won first place for a chunky 44-pound yellowtail that bit on a new, locally made jig in mackerel finish. Luc said he couldn’t remember the name of the hard bait, but he liked the way it swam and caught several other fish with it.

Ofield said he used 30-opound Izorline on a Trinidad DC-20 reel and a Calstar 800 M rod, and that he fought the ‘tail for about 15 minutes on the long stick.

“I saw a bait ball,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and I threw on it. He bit it real quick.”

Rod wrapper Jim Kastorff of San Diego won second place for a 36.8- pound yellow. Jeff Branch of San Bernadino won third place for a 28-pound yellowtail.



Offshore Fishing Difficult

Albacore remain hard to come by in the offshore waters. The 24 anglers aboard the Qualifier 105 can testify to that, as they worked hard on their five-day trip for three dozen longfin. The story is the same lately no matter if the fishing is close to San Diego or at considerable distance: bluefin are thick and albacore can be found, but neither species seems to want to go on the bite. The scenario seems likely to change, and anglers will be grateful when it does.


Joe Crisci ran the trip sponsored by Malibu Bait & Tackle, with long-time angler Wayne Caywood as chartermaster. Wayne won first place for a 31-pound albie. He said he used a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook tied to 20-pound Izorline XXX on a Shimano Speedmaster reel and a seven-foot Loomis rod.

Eric Rogger of LA won second place for a 28-pounder, and Shelly Fried of San Fernando Valley won third place for a 27.2-pound longfin.

Blake Rosen of Oak Park showed off a nice albie. He’s 12, and goes to Medea Creek Middle School where he plays Lacrosse.



Cedros Island Remains Hot

The yellowtail at Cedros Island are still chewing bait, jigs and just about anything else that falls into the water. Art Taylor took his Searcher anglers there on a five-day trip, and they loaded up on ‘tails before heading up the beach to try some rockfishing. A couple of nice white seabass bit in the wee hours at the island, and one of them made it into the jackpot.

Mike Lee of San Francisco won first place for a 27-pound yellowtail. He said he bagged it at two AM on the dropper loop, about the same time the white seabass came through. He baited a sardine on a 6/0 Eagle Claw hook on 60-pound Izorline. He used a TLD 30 reel and a Seeker 655 Black Steel rod.

Raul Alarcon of Garden Grove won second place for the larger fish of his pair of whites, a 24-pounder. The other one went 22.6 pounds. Both came on the dropper loop. Tom Kang of Huntington Beach won third place for a 23-pound yellowtail.



Offshore, Cedros & Inshore

Andy Cates tried everything on his four-day trip with the Red Rooster III, and came up with a great catch of yellowtail and rockfish. His 25 anglers even found three dorado on the way south.

“They were on a kelp,” said Cates. “We thought we were in for some great fishing, but we couldn’t find another kelp. The water was only 64 degrees. No problem with the yellows, though.”

David Mankin of San Diego won first place for a 38-pound yellowtail he got with a sardine on a 5/0 hook. He said he used 30-pound Izorline on a Penn 4/0 reel and a six-foot Pacifica rod.

“It was a good fight, it lasted about a half-hour,” he said. “It was really fun. He bit and ran.”

Dave Snyder of Bangkok, Thailand won second place for a 28-pound yellow, and Rick Wen of Danville won third place for a 22-pounder. There were no trollfish on the trip, so the trolling jacket went to the fourth-place fish, caught by Lori Anderson of Long Beach, and 18-pound yellowtail.

Richard Hightower loves to fish wahoo. He’s sponsored a ten-day fall trip on the Red Rooster III to go after the skinnies for many years. We’ve fished with him and can tell you it’s a darn good time and a prime time of the year to go fishing. You might even find yourself pulling on a cow, a 200-pound tuna!

This year’s Wahoo Special is sweeter than usual, as the rates for the trip have been reduced to $2595, and the first 16 anglers pay their fees will receive brand new Newell 533 high-speed 5.5 reels, the same model favored by many of the fleet’s skippers for slinging iron to the skins.

HT sent us the following announcement, noting the trip this year is sponsored by Newell Reels, Catchy Tackle, Hayabusa hooks, Seaguar fluorocarbon and Yo-Zuri:


Receive a "FREE" Newell S533-5.5 reel, to the first 16 anglers that are paid in full. 

The reels will be given away at check-in, on October 6, 2010, prior to departure. 

There will be loaner rods & Newell reels available, the reels are filled with Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line.

 All anglers will receive the following listed below:



1. Catchy Tackle: Trolling Lure or a Sea Strike 33 casting lure.


2. Hayabusa:  Hayabusa hooks (4packs) & a Sabiki bait Rig.


3. Newell: Newell T-Shirt.


4. Seaguar: 25 yard spool Seaguar Fluorocarbon & Seaguar Hat.

5. Oceanic Productions/FishingVideos.com: A new 2011 Sportfishing Calendar.

For reservations or information, call the office and talk to Christina or Linda, or click on the site!

Tommy Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing July 29 after a five-day trip that fished hard offshore and at Cedros Island. His 20 anglers, led by chartermaster Dr. Alan Hermer, found great yellowtail fishing and a few albacore. A couple of bluefin made it into the jackpot.


Hank Fohring of Signal Hill won first place for a 34.2-pound yellowtail. He bagged it with a sardine on a 2/0 Flyliner hook and a dropper loop with 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 65-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Trinidad 16 and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Joe DeMarco of San Gabriel, formerly partnered with Jack Nilsen at Accurate, won second place for a 31-pound bluefin. Joe said he got his fish with a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad hook on 30-pound Big Game line on an Accurate 870 reel and a custom Accurate seven-foot rod.

Dave Woody of Huntington Beach won third place for a 29.4-pound bluefin tuna.



Baja Paddy Hoppers

Independence arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 29 under Jeff DeBuys’ hand. Jeff took his 30-passenger charter group on a six-day flyer to Alijos Rocks and also visited Cedros Island.

“We spent two days at Alijos,” Jeff told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “Fishing was excellent, they were biting. When they came around to us each day it was very good all day. You needed to get a morning position. There was a good show of fish at the surface, but we only got two wahoo. The water’s still cool at 70 degrees.”

All three of the biggest tuna came on the kite. They were eligible for the jackpot spots because there was a full rotation.

Mike Takaki of Torrance won first place for a 110-pound yellowfin he took with a sardine on 7/0 Hayabusa hook and the boat’s kite rig.

David Foreman of Studio City won second place for a 109-pounder, and John Carmadella of San Dimas got third place for a 101-pound Alijos yellowfin tuna.



“Stingy”

“The offshore grounds continue to be very tough,” reported Brian Kiyohara for the American Angler July 28. “Water conditions are very streaky but the killer is when we find good conditions there is no fish and or when we do finally find some they don't bite. We found a few kelps that had some good grade yellows and a token dorado. On the bright side there was an area of scattered albacore meter marks which was very encouraging except for the fact that it gave up only a few fatsos.

“In that same area we saw a couple of mystery marks that we have come to associate with the not so commonly caught opah. Last trip we had the very same style of mark and Chris hooked a fish on a jig only to have the hook straighten out on what we all assumed was an opah. Today we spun around and stopped on the same kind of mark and Tony Contreras hooked a mystery fish right away. After about a half an hour the unmistakable pink sides came into view. Tony ended up landing an incredible 125-pound opah on thirty pound line as this seemingly once in a lifetime catch seems to now become more common.”



Intrepid Fishes The Beach

"We had a slow day on the catching side of things as we made our way up the beach," Intrepid reported July 28. "We stopped in many different areas and tried our hand at some halibut drifts for nothing. We did catch a yellowtail along some kelp and had some success fishing for cod this afternoon. Highlight of the day was a nice cow cod coming on board. A few bass and the assortment of bottom dwellers such as ling cod made up our catch today. We will spend the final day of this voyage on the offshore grounds hoping to catch an albacore or two."



Young Man Goes West

“We got an early jump leaving the dock today on our Stout/ Eppler 3 day,” reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck July 28. “We decided to make a pass through the local offshore grounds. Although we can see incredible signs of fish, we only managed a couple short stops on albacore for our afternoon. Tomorrow, we will be doing some exploring out to the west to see if we can locate some biting fish. The weather forecast looks favorable for the next couple of days.”



Beefcake Waterman

“We got the trip off to a nice start here at the rocks with a nice steady pick on 50 to 110-pound tuna that bit until just before dark,” noted Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint July 27. “Very good show most of the afternoon but they didn't let their guard down, most of the bites were on 40-pound and even 30-pound line. The conditions are good for wahoo but aside from a few bite-offs they were absent from the mix. We are going to spend the night and hope for another good day tomorrow.

“Today's shots show Erik Masuda with a 115-pounder while Kelley Hall gets a hand from Blake 'Beefcake' Wasano with her 75-pounder."



“Early Report”

“We had great fishing this morning,” reported owner-operator Art Taylor of the Search July 28. “Everything is the same as yesterday; same conditions, methods, and great fishing for yellowtail! Also we caught two 30-pound white seabass last night at anchor.”



Yellowtail With Thanks

“We arrived to the yellowtail area around 06:00 hours," read the Royal Polaris report July 28,"and it didn't take long before we were bendo. We had a stiff breeze for about two hours, then it was beautiful. Then in the late afternoon, we had a stiff breeze again, but that didn't stop the yellows from biting. We had limit-style fishing on 14 to 20-pound yellowtail.

“After we had our fill of yellowtail, Roy made a few drifts for calico bass. We didn't catch many, but we did release three black sea bass. We will give this another try tomorrow morning, then Roy will make a decision on what he will do.

“We would like to thank a few people for their donation for the trip, Richard Hightower, Calstar fishing rods, Lead Masters, Izorline, Bill Roecker, and Katy Tanaka for the ride down.”



Rocks Are Kicking

“Today (yesterday) the 'Rocks' kicked out some fair tuna fishing,” said the report from Norm Kagawa’s Shogun July 28, “for The Flash Sport fishing gang, but the yellowtail played a little hide and seek from us. After lunch we pulled the pick and pointed the Shogun for another hot spot. We should be there in the early morning hours of the 29th.

“Shogun fans, we have a few open spots on some future trips here on the Shogun: one spot on the Aug 1 Willfish Tackle five-day and five spots on the Aug 18 Seeker Rods seven-day. Give Andrea a call at the office and book your spot for a fishing trip of a lifetime on the Shogun.”

There were 32 anglers aboard Excel for the annual Sogioka/Stires charter, a five-day trip that returned July 28 with limits for all who wanted to fish hard. Justin Fleck skippered the trip, and Don Sogioka was chartermaster.

The trip fished for albacore, but the longfin proved hard to get. An albie still made it into the jackpot, however.

Aaron Wenzel of Redlands won first place for a 37-pound yellowtail. He’s 16, and goes to Redlands East Valley High. He said he got his big yellow, his best ever, on a sardine on the dropper loop, with a ten-ounce sinker on 40-pound Izorline, an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

“I hooked him on the stern of the Excel,” said Aaron, “and he pulled me over really quick. He took me around the boat once in the dark and then came up on the starboard side.”

Aaron’s fraternal twin brother Sean was also aboard as was father Steve. The two boys posed for a picture with some of the yellowtail from Cedros. Both are in the band at school.


Giovanni Braida of San Dimas won second place for a 34.6-pound yellowtail. Norm Sogioka won third place for a 28.4-pound albacore.

One angler who fished hard was 90-year-old Beans Sogioka, patriarch of the clan. He got a limit of yellowtail at Cedros Island, and told dock reporter Bill Roecker he didn’t think he’d be going fishing any more.

Beans has been saying that ever since he came back from a big tuna trip with six cows several years ago. He would definitely be missed at the docks if he quit. Other anglers said he moved about the boat with agility once he was aboard.

Beans has been a farmer all his life, he told Roecker. His father came from Japan around 1910, and Beans was born on the farm in Baldwin Park in 1919. Beans will be 91 in September. He served in the US Army as a medic during WW II, at Madigan General Hospital in Seattle. After the war he got a farm in Chino, and he’s still there. Don Sogioka is his son; Bruce and Norm are nephews. The family has been fishing together for decades.

The Ken's Custom Reels five-day charter returned July 27 when skipper Brian Kiyohara docked the American Angler at Point Loma Sportfishing. The trip saw scratch tuna fishing bring a few albacore, good yellowtail action at the islands, and a flurry of marlin pull some line at another offshore stop.

"We had good yellowtail fishing at the islands," Kiyohara said, "and there was pretty good sign of those bigger bluefin too, but they just wouldn't bite."


Long range veteran Jay Love of Carlsbad was the "Hot Stick", taking first place with an 82-pound bluefin. Jay fished a sardine on a 3/0 Owner circle hook, a short top shot of 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon with 50-pound Izorline Spectra backing, an Accurate BX-2 500 2-speed reel and a 700 H Calstar rod. Jay also got a 25-pound dorado on the boat's first stop.

"The guys up in the crow's nest saw big bluefin breaking," Jay said, "and Brian told us it looked like 50 to 175-pound fish. So I grabbed my 50-pound outfit, and was the first guy in the water. I was lucky because I had the right gear. The fight only lasted 20 minutes."

Zeke Harloff, of Ken's Custom Reels in Oceanside, took second place with a 26.6-pound albacore. Leeann Sisson, of Carlsbad, won third place with a 25.4-pound yellowtail.



A Kicked-Back Day

“Today was exactly what we hoped for,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck July 25, “a nice relaxing day at the island. We had good yellowtail fishing that started just after sunrise and got better as the day went on.


“Most of the yellows were in the 14 to 18-pound class with a few bigger ones. We left the island at dark to head up the line and try to finish off our trip with a few albacore. Here are some pictures from our day.”



Indy At The Rocks

“We had a good day down here at the rocks,” wrote Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys July 25. “It all started around 0900, and we finished up at dark. There was a lull from 4 till 6 in the afternoon, but we got a shot right before dark. The tuna were 40 to 60-pounders with some up to 100 pounds. We did manage to get a couple of wahoo as well. I will say conditions were not perfect; maybe tomorrow it will be better for us. The weather is great.

“Same as yesterday,” he wrote July 26. “That pretty much sums up our day today, except we did not land a wahoo, although we hooked a few. Conditions were tough, as there was not much current today. The guys really put in a good effort, and we ended up having a good day on the 40 to 60-pound fish with a handful of 80 to 100-pounders for a select few lucky anglers. The weather was typical for this place, windy. We are currently headed up to try for some yellowtail for tomorrow.”



Rooster gets Some Offshore Action

“Yesterday went better than the day before,” said the report from Red Rooster III July 26, “and we had one stop where they went wide open for a brief time. Enough time to get two go-around's but with all the mayhem only 23 fish were landed. No more schools for us after that. It looked like we might get on a roll and then back to one to three at a time. A tough day but everyone had chances and it left us with 48 albacore for the day. Long dry spells did not help and short stops made for a slow process.”



Shogun Sees Building Fish

“We arrived at the Rocks right after lunch,” recalled the Shogun’s report for July 26, “and trolled around for wahoo. Once Norm found the spot the hook was dropped and the guys went for it.

“The fishing started off slow but the yellowfin and yellowtail started to build under the boat fast! We ended up doing pretty good for just a half day of fishing.”

Roy Rose docked Royal Polaris July 26 after a five-day trip with 23 anglers. Finding only a few albacore offshore on his first day of fishing, he took the group to Cedros Island, where they found excellent yellowtail fishing in 65-degree clean water.

Jim Wilson of Garden Grove and the Long Beach Rod & Gun Club won first place for a 35-pound yellowtail. He said he got it with a sardine on a 4/0 Octopus hook tied to 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 30-pound Izorline XXX and 60-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet MX reel and a Loomis checkerboard seven-foot rod, which he said was the first one ever made by Loomis.

John Cagle of Portland, OR won second place for a 33.4-pound albie and Eddie Contreras of Upland won third place for his 28.6-pound longfin.

Josh Cole, 15, of Orange stood in as honorable mention with his 36-pound albacore, which he caught with a cedar plug. Josh is also a member of the Long Beach Rod & Gun Club, and goes to Spirit Academy School.



Aligned On Albacore

Red Rooster III arrived at H&M Landing July 26 after the 13th annual Glenn’s Alignment & Brake Service charter, with Glenn Kerr serving as chartermaster for 27 anglers. The trip was three days, and all fishing time was spent in pursuit of albacore.

Thomas Escalante of Ventura won first place for a 35-pound longfin. He said it bit on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Mutu hook on 25-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 30-pound Izorline. He fished with a Trinidad 16 reel and a Shimano six-foot rod.

Don Quayle of Costa mesa won second place for a 25.9-pound albacore. A 25.8-pounder won third place for Jeremy Wedemeyer of Ventura. The threesome was joined by the winner of the coveted trolling jacket, Jeff Bracey of Newport Beach, who got a 26.9-pound “Albert.”



Picture These

“We decided to start the trip taking a different path down to the islands” said the report from American Angler July 23. “The inside track has been covered so we figured that we would have nothing to lose by looking at new country. We saw decent water but very little sign of life. When we dropped into clean 65-degree water it seemed instantaneous that we saw a couple of feeding striped marlin.


“Our marlin expert Ken Corwin, of Ken's Custom Reels, showed off his skills by successfully baiting one of the fish. After entertaining the crowd with some acrobatic displays, he long released the fish and we were back under way. Our first fish of the trip was a nice yellow caught by one of our favorite new regulars, Marianne Harris. Jay Love also captured our first "local" exotic of the year, which was a nice dorado and both are assisted by the newest proud addition to our deck crew, Ryan Cavanaugh.

“Late in the day we got into an area of wild and non-responsive bluefin that refused to cooperate. The only exception to this was our last stop when we slid into a nice area of jumping 75 to 100-pound bluefin. Jay Love is pictured with his two loves, Lee Ann and an 82-pound bluefin. Unfortunately today's pictures include the total day’s catch.”

Joe Crisci docked Qualifier 105 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 25 after a week out on the water with chartermaster Dale Myer of Concord and the Coastside fishing club. The group found success at Alijos Rocks and Cedros Island, and picked up a nice supplement of red rockfish on the way home.


“We had good fishing at The Rocks the first day,” said Myer, “and we trolled for wahoo the second morning. We spent two days at Cedros in a wide-open yellowtail bite. We got one huge yellow at The Rocks.”

Tony Koregelos of Fair Oaks was the luck man who got the big yellow. It weighed 56 pounds on the Pt. Loma scales, with a shrunken belly after spawning. He said he got it with a sardine on 30-pound line.

“I thought it was a yellowfin until we saw it,” he said. “It fought for 20 minutes on my eight-foot rod.”

Ross Roberts of Moss Beach won first place for a 104.4-pound tuna.

“He only took about 100 yards of line, and then he went down and sulked for an hour and a half,” he said.

Roberts baited a sardine on a 2/0 Owner hook and 40-pound P-Line. He used a Penn 4/0 reel and a Seeker 6465 rod.

Jordi Hibner of Campbell won second place for a 75-pound yellowfin tuna. She’s 17 and going to attend the University of Oregon on scholarship to study biology, after running cross country at Branham High in Campbell. The tuna was her best fish ever, she said.

John Koregelos (Tony’s brother) won third place for a 64.8-pound tuna. Dean Graham posed with his daughter Grace, 9, and a wahoo.



Five-Day Star Trip

Tim Ekstrom took 25 anglers out on a five-day trip that found some good fishing for yellowtail at Cedros Island. The group also got some albacore, though the longfin didn’t come easily. Ekstrom docked the boat at Fisherman’s Landing July 25.

Mark Jones of Houston TX got his best yellowtail ever to win first place. The 41-pounder took a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook, he said, tied to 60pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 60-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Trinidad 30 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

“He bit quick,” said Jones. “I threw it to some boils. Then I had to keep him from the seal that was right on him. It took about 20 minutes.”

Stan Ellis of Anaheim was second for a 33-pound bluefin, and George Ramos of Riverside was third for a 28-pound albacore. Don Moore of Imperial Beach posed with a nice, typical longfin.



14 Over 100

The Wahoodad & Willy eight-day charter ended July 25 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing when skipper Kevin Osborne docked the boat and his 26 passengers stepped off to unload a big catch. Chartermasters David Choate and Bill Casper Jr. were pleased with the variety and the size of the fish.

“We fished at Alijos for two and a half days,” said Osborne. I set up to fish for quality of quantity, and we got tuna from 50 to 120 pounds. It was a steady pick on twitch fish. We had to use 40-poundline for the most part. We also got a few yellowtail and wahoo at Alijos.

“We fished on the beach next, and one morning we got some 30-pound yellowtail and four white seabass,” continued the skipper. “That afternoon we got into a wide-open yellowtail bite and limited out on 18 to 22-pounders.”

Dave Choate remarked, “The fishing on the kite was slow. I hooked a good one on a chunk, but he got sharked. We had a little problem with the brown sharks, and they got a few of the better fish.”


An angler who didn’t enter the jackpot, Jim Hochberg of Mexico City, caught the best tuna. It weighed 122.5 pounds. Jim also got the biggest white seabass, a 49-pounder.

Jan Satterfield of Denver won first place for her 113.5-pound tuna. She also got a white seabass, a 41-pounder. Jan said she got her yellowfin on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 40-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 40-pound Izorline and 65-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate BX-2 500 reel (Accurate was a charter sponsor, said Choate), and a Calstar 6465 rod.

“He fought on the bow and that’s where he came up,” she remarked.

Jim Odlum of Mission Viejo won second place for a 110-pound tuna, and Chris Lee of San Diego got a 109.2-pound yellowfin that won third place.

Garrett Weiss of Villa Park, 13, got an 88-pound tuna. Mark Goldstein, of Woodland Hills, 11, got his first big tuna, too.

Tom Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme at Fisherman’s Landing July 24 after a nice five-day trip that found excellent yellowtail fishing at an island. After a day of catching ‘tails in the hot sun, the boat went back out to offshore waters where albacore and a few bluefin tuna were caught.

Three generations of the Norman family were aboard the trip, including grandfather Bob Norman of Green Valley, AZ, Lou Norman of Tucson, Bret Norman of Bullhead City and his daughter Roslyn Norman. They posed for a group photo.

Roslyn Norman is 18. “In five days I’m going into the Marines,” she told dock reporter Bill Roecker.

“I have a guaranteed MOS (military occupational specialty) of meteorology and oceanography. I’m signed up for five years, and I’ll get my education,” she said. Roslyn posed with a troll-caught albacore, which had it pectoral fin clipped for marking.


Matt Hess of Napa won first place for a 33-pound albacore. He said it bit on a sardine and a 3/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 30-pound Momoi line and a Pro Gear Pacifica reel on a Calstar 610 rod.

Paul Hess of Napa, Matt’s father, won second place for a 31-pound albie. Lou Norman of Tucson won third place for a 29-pound albacore.



Good Braid Trip

The five-day Braid Products trip aboard Excel returned to Fisherman’s Landing July 23 with a good catch of yellowtail from Cedros Island, some albacore, a few bluefin tuna and a white seabass. There were 20 anglers aboard, including Dennis Braid, who shared in the jackpot.

Long-time Excel regular Bruce Chisholm of Temecula won first place for his 35-pound albie. Howard Nakamura of San Jose was second for a 34.8-pounder, and Earl Warren of Moorpark tied with Dennis Braid of Palmdale for third place. Both anglers had 33.8-pound longfin.



American Angler Opah

“The guys had great fishing at Cedros,” said American Angler’s final report for the trip ended July 22, “and brought home a few specialties from their offshore travels along with a nice sample of the tuna swimming out there. Pictured along with the jackpot winners are regular veteran Tom Szczeblowski (who has been fishing the American Angler since it was built) along with newcomer Jerry Olsen, proudly displaying their beautiful Opah.

Jackpot winners:

First place: Paul Martinez 32.4-pound albacore

Second place (tie): David Gross 31.4-pound albacore

Third place (tie): Bill Randall 31.4-pound albacore



Starring Yellowtail

“We got the day started right,” reported Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom July 23, “with a couple of hours of very good action on 14 to 18-pound yellowtail. In fact, the action was such that we filled our limits in short order and left them biting as wave after wave passed through us. Even after we departed I continued to see schools of yellowtail one after another for several miles above the area where we were fishing. There are a lot of yellowtail around. Appropriate thanks for the "Yellowtail Triangle" on all our behalf.

“This zone has been the savior of so many voyages in the past twenty five years I have been fishing down here that I couldn't even begin to recall. Between the scenery, consistency of production, and protection from weather when it comes, it is the finest area to target California yellowtail in the world. Nowhere else even comes close."



Good Biters

“Our weather is wonderful, flat, sunny, and warm,” noted the report from Royal Polaris July 23.

“We had a fabulous day of fishing. It was a perfect day of Yellowtail fishing, with most of the fish in the 14 to 18 pound range, and a few going to 25 pounds. Our passengers had limit style fishing. We will give this another try tomorrow.”



No More Seiners Off Baja

A knowledgeable source who asked not to be quoted told Bill Roecker that as of Tuesday, July 20, the Mexican government, through the dept. of Fisheries has closed seining for bluefin tuna for the rest of the season. Fishing for yellowfin will be allowed until late November, around the 20th.

Grouper Followup

The big fish shown a couple of days ago that had an uncertain identity has been identified by Tom Ward of the Longfin as a Pacific Goliath Grouper.

“Tom Ward gave me this photo,” Jack Nilsen wrote to FishingVideos.com July 21, “of an amazing over 400-pound grouper that was landed on a recent Tony Reyes trip. Tom tells me that the fish weighed over 400 pounds and it certainly looks like it.  The angler is Roberto, who is our panga captain on our Accurate/Reyes trips.  I gave him an Accurate Boss 665 reel last June.  This one might be the biggest fish ever on a small Accurate Boss Series reel.”

Ward’s identification seems plausible, since Wikipedia says the Pacific goliath grouper (Epinephelus quinquefasciatus) “…is a large saltwater fish of the grouper family,” and that it is related to the Atlantic goliath grouper.

“The Pacific goliath grouper is found primarily in shallow tropical waters,” says Wikipedia, “among coral and artificial reefs at depths of up to 165 feet (50 m). Their range includes the area from the Gulf of California to Peru.”

Both the Atlantic (Epinephelus itajara) and Pacific species used to be know as jewfish, but in 2001 “…the Committee on Names of Fishes, a seven-member joint committee of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists and the American Fisheries Society made the decision to change the name to Goliath Grouper.”

Independence arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 23 under owner-skipper Mark Pisano’s hand. Mark was assisted by second skipper and partner Paul Strasser on the seven-day West Coast Marketing/Avet Reels trip, which visited Alijos Rocks and Cedros Island. Allen Smith and Dave Rocchi were chartermasters.

The yellowtail from Cedros were overshadowed by the big tuna and nearly 100 wahoo caught at The Rocks. It was the first good catch of wahoo for 2010.


“We came in there and the water was 73 degrees, flat calm, and the wahoo were up finning and breezing,” said Pisano to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “The next day the wind came up a little and the water dropped to 70.5, and the skins didn’t bite quite as fast. But everyone on the boat got a wahoo.”

Luis Sole of San Jose won first and second place for yellowfin tuna of 119.8 and 110 pounds. He got the big one on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 40-pound Izorline and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Avet HX reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 rod. He also caught nine wahoo.

Sole told of his fight with the winning tuna. “He bit a hot running bait, and then he went down. He took me around the boat twice, and we hard a hard time getting over the anchor line, but the deckhand was a big help. In the end he came up on the starboard side, after an hour and 15 minutes.”

Steve Fry of Reno, NV won third place for a 109.8-pound Alijos yellowfin tuna. The wahoo weighed up to 58 pounds, and the whole group posed with their skinnies.



Yellowtail Sweep For The ‘Gun

Norm Kagawa brought Shogun home to Fisherman’s Landing July 23 after a five-day trip to Cedros Island and offshore waters. The island provided anglers with their best success, as noted in the report from July 21:

“We were in search of the "premium" grade of yellowtail today. Most of the fish came on the bait and for some reason the surface iron was a tough play today, even though at times we had good sign of splashing/crashing yellowtail all around the boat. In between the yellowtail spots we hit some calico rocks that produced fish, up to six pounds, on almost every cast for the folks.”

Bryce Young of Telluride, CO won first place for his 36.8-pound yellow, caught on a sardine and a 3/0 Owner hook. He said he used 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Torium 30 reel and a seven-foot Ugly Stick rod.

Garrett Yamaki of Gardena won second place for a 36-pounder, and David Malone of Woodland Hills won third place for a 34.2-pound yellowtail.



"Dumbfounded"

"We started off in the same area where we saw good sign of fish the previous day," the American Angler report read July 21. "Driving around in the dark we saw a few albacore on the machines and our hopes were high. After daylight we saw a few meter marks but they refused to bite. At that time we saw plankton sign on the fathomed but an hour after daylight, it completely vanished. The fathomed was completely sterile and so was the ocean.

"With the exception of the ever-present-non-biting-small-bluefin-boilers, there was no sign. We were fishless all morning and most of the afternoon.It was so tough that Gary Samarin's blue shark(released) was going to be the internet picture of the day. At three in the afternoon, like a light switch, the fish came up and they were everywhere.

"We saw giant foamers the size of football fields in every direction, but for some reason they refused to bite. We would have fish jumping all around the boat right next to us and we were casting jigs and bait right in the middle and they would not bite.

"We also saw balls of albacore that on most normal days had been one stop shopping, but today we were hard pressed to hook a few bait fish. It was great sign of fish but poor fishing.

"Father son team Bob and Nathan Hunt show off the last fish landed of the trip. Brad Lemoine and Sport Chalet once again proved to be the ultimate hosts and with a great core of regulars, it made for a fun trip."



Great Day On Yellows

“We started looking around at daylight and found an area of bait and birds but there was no sign of fish," reported Excel July 21. "Around 0830 though, it was like someone flipped a switch and it was game on! The yellows bit very good throughout the morning and before noon we had all that we wanted. After cleaning up, we decided to pull up tight to the kelp line where guys had a blast catching lots of bass. We even managed to pull a nice big white seabass from the stringers.”



What A Day

“We left Alijos Rocks in the late evening yesterday,” said the report from Intrepid July 22, “and headed up to the beach area to try our luck at some yellows before continuing up to the bluefin / albacore grounds. We didn't have much luck in the beginning as the water was cool and off color, but we kept hunting and trying every spot we know of and late in the day we found the school we were looking for.

“We had epic yellowtail fishing, with full limits at the end of the day. There were also four Jumbo white sea bass caught in the bite!! This action was so fast paced that Wahoodad himself quit fishing and started helping out on deck so that we could keep up with the yellowtail that were raining over the rail. We are now on our way out to the bluefin area to try our luck with the shortfins."



A Supreme Day

“We arrived at our destination first thing in the morning to find calm seas and a slight overcast,” read the report from Polaris Supreme July 21. “After some scanning around, we located a nice school and within a few minutes we were bent over with yellowtail. Oh yeah, the weather was gorgeous. Flat calm with sunshine. The SPF 50 was flowing for sure. Anyhow, after a little break, it was time to go to work again. This go-around, the yellows gave off a much more ferocious vibe and we enjoyed excellent fishing to round out our day.

“The show of yellowtail was very impressive to say the least. Not many times when we would look into the water and not see free-swimming yellowtail everywhere. We had a very fun day of fishing and we will be sleeping easy tonight. Our plan is to take a look in some different areas for tomorrow and to hopefully round out our beautiful catch of yellowtail with some tuna fish.”



“On The Fishing Front”

“Yellowtail, yellowtail, and more yellowtail was the theme in flat calm, scenic conditions that the 'Yellowtail Triangle' has become so famous for,” wrote Tim Ekstrom for Royal Star July 22. “15 to 22-pound pound fish were prolific and cooperative entertaining anglers with a morning and early afternoon of great fishing before we moved on to target trophy yellows, or 'premiums,' as we like to call them. I can't say the hunt for 'premiums' was all that spectacular, but the scenery was. Grease calm, blue water, island background…Yellowtail and offshore will be the call tomorrow as we forge ahead on day three of the adventure.

“Photo for the day features angler Rob Duby who was on fire with the butterfly jigs and 'wax wings' using the Shimano 'Stella' spinning reels with great success. Though I probably won't be the one using it, I have to say that the butterfly method is very successful, especially for yellowtail both offshore around kelps and in the shallows. Today's shot does the system, and Rob, who definitely put forth the effort, some justice.”



One On The Plug

“Our weather today was just wonderful, with flat seas, overcast skies,” noted the Royal Polaris report for July 22. "We had a very tough day of fishing, with only a handful of fish caught. We had good signs, but not very many biters. The albacore were in the 25 to 35-pound range, and the yellowtail we caught off the kelps were in the 18 to 25-pound range, and one fish over 30.

“We are departing the area in search for something new, so wish us luck and we will keep you posted on our daily events.”

“We put together another fine day of big fish catching here at the Rocks,” Intrepid skipper Kevin Osborne wrote July 21.

“We got on a spot early in the morning after waking to find no life around us. We then went on the Hunt and found some fish in a different area. It was good fishing for Yellowfin in the 70 to 115-pound range. This was straight bigger grade fish, we didn't land everything we hooked as many big ones got away today as you had to use 40 and 50-pound gear to get bit, but in the end we put on another 40-plus of those big ‘uns. We leave the Rocks tonight with a very nice three-day catch of large fish, some wahoo, and some nice grade yellows. We will be targeting yellows tomorrow and anything else that wants to jump on our jigs.”



Wide Open Day

“We just finished our day,” said the report from Independence July 21. “The yellowtail fishing was wide open on 14 to 18-pound yellowtail, and we caught fish on both the iron and sardines. The weather was again beautiful with warm clear skies and flat seas. We are planning to look offshore on the way north and hope to bump into a few albacore and/or bluefin.”



Supreme Fishing Down

“We finally wet our lines first thing this morning and it didn't take us long to get the blood flowing with some albacore jig strikes,” noted the report from Polaris Supreme July 20.

“After some short stops for a handful of fish, we found what we we're looking for. We enjoyed a couple of very good stops that kept us busy for the morning. We also threw on a few bluefin tuna to round out our morning. After lunch, things kind of died down and we decided to head on a southerly course to do some yellowtail fishing. The cherry on today's sundae was the absolutely beautiful weather. Flat calm, a light breeze, and a nice cloud cover to keep us from getting too toasty. Well thanks for checking up on us. We'll be at the yellowtail grounds first thing in the morning.”



Ekstrom’s Analysis: An Iffy Year

“Capt. Sean Bickel and I were talking about the set up as we rolled down today,” wrote Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom in his post July 21, “and he said it perfectly. ‘We are going fishing’.

“It really is as simple as that. This has been one of those seasons when victory offshore is a particularly sweet success to be savored. In contrast to the early June period when I made the analogy about the incredible fishing being like going to the supermarket and loading up the cart, present times are the exact opposite. This is more akin to searching for victuals in a fertile valley in an exceptionally dry year. There are fish to be found, but only in little shifting pockets of small groups, for now. So, we are going fishing hoping we position ourselves in the right place on the right day. Actually, we have four full days on this five-day Phillips Steel/Wood Group charter to find the right zone. We are glad of it.”



The Qualifier's Day

"The morning today brought us another day of nice weather. Our first anglers up on deck found that schools of small fish were around us and couples were tagged but most were tossed back to grow up. Charter master Dale Myer had a good fish this morning after a tough day yesterday. Father and son Brian and Alex Felt are on board for their first long range trip and are loving it. Both landed tuna today and then in the late morning, they both hooked up at the same time. The fish Alex had was a feisty one. It ran under the boat and wrapped on the rudder or prop. We were able to push the line off with our "Y" and both of them landed their fish at the same time. Joshua Bowman had a good fish today after a long battle, as did Dennis Baxter whom landed a few today. We had a fish that will be over 100 pounds also; Ross Roberts hooked a good one he fought for about an hour and a half on forty-pound line. Our kite rotation went through the whole group and most landed a nice tuna thanks to that method. After noon the fish backed off and we pulled anchor and trolled up a few more wahoo with a triple jig strike being the highlight of the day. We are headed north to fish for Yellowtail tomorrow. Our load of fish is already looking good and we plan on getting some yellows to go with the tuna."

The two long range boats that arrived July 21 both reported improving conditions for albacore at 125 and 180 miles. The improvement is slow but continues daily. Both skippers reported having albacore stops where the fish stayed around to bite bait instead of skedaddling after the initial jig strikes. That’s the behavior that’s been making it tough for boats fishing closer to San Diego. Look for a day to come soon that produces a big score for local boats.

One-Stop Shopping

“We had a drift for limits of yellowtail,” Royal Polaris skipper Roy Rose told dock reporter Bill Roecker July 21 at Fisherman’s Landing. “We also had a good day on the albacore offshore. Some of the stops were producing over 20 fish, and there were some bluefin tuna, too.”

The five-day trip was a Hi’s Tackle adventure with 30 anglers. Steve Yatomi of Simi Valley was chartermaster, and did well for himself, taking a bluefin on a smoke skipjack Fish Trap swimbait.

“It was on a foamer,” he told Roecker, “and everybody was just gawking at the fish as we slid up to it. I threw out a plastic bait and got hung immediately!”

John Medler of Mission Viejo won first place for a 35.8-pound albacore. He said he got it with a sardine on an Eagle Claw 3/0 hook and 30-pound Izorline, on a Trinidad 30 reel and a Custom Calstar 700 H by Yo’s.

Chartermaster Yatomi won second place for a 35.6-pound longfin. A brief confusion had the first and second place winners line up in the wrong positions for the jackpot shot. Yatomi said his fish came on a ‘dine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 30-pound Seaguar and 65-pound Suffix braid, with an Accurate 870 N reel and a Loomis eight-foot rod.

Morgan Kammerer of San Diego, 13, won third place for her 33.6-pound albie, and took her place in the lineup shot. She goes to Bernardo Heights Middle School.



“Water’s Settling In…”

Mike Lackey brought his Vagabond home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 21 after a three-day trip that fished about 125 miles south of port. He said there were 19 anglers on the open-party trip, and that fishing was best on his second day.

“We had two or three stops for 20-plus on the albies,” he remarked, “and they were nice ones. The water’s settling in, and it will get better.”

There was a tie for first place, so Ted Podkanski of Long Beach and Adam Gray of Santa Barbara split first and second place in the jackpot, with 36.8-pound albies. Ted got his on a 2/0 Mustad hook, with 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 40-pound mono on an Avet LX reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 rod.

Adam’s first albacore ever was the other big fish of the trip. He got it with a sardine on a 4/0 Flyliner hook, 40-pound Izorline and an Avet MX reel on a Calstar six and a half-foot rod.

Brent Wolf of Alpine won third place for a 35-pound longfin.



Boat Bent Bad

“We arrived at the yellowtail grounds around seven in the morning,” noted American Angler’s report for July 19. "We started poking and prodding in a lot of the old honey holes for zero success. The reports from the previous days were marginal at best but we still had to see for ourselves as we looked over some of the areas where we have had recent success. After seeing no sign, we started looking in different zones where we have had good fishing before. It is now eleven in the morning and we have covered half the area, still skunked, and so as one could imagine, the anxiety and stress level was red line.

“We were cruising and saw one fish puddle... went that direction and the whole world lit up. We stopped and never moved as we absolutely clobbered a nice grade of yellowtail. There was many times when the whole boat was bent over and many passengers said that this was the best yellowtail bite that they have ever seen. We wrapped it up after being stopped for a handful of hours and are headed back up the line.”



Rolling For Home

“Not much of a change out here on the big blue,” reported Mark Pisano aboard his Independence July 20, “good weather and even better fishing, we had yellowfin up to 110 pounds, wahoo to 50 pounds, yellowtail to 35 pounds, along with a few amberjack and dorado. The last 3 days of fishing is what long range sportfishing is all about, good times and a great group of guys to fish with. I want to take time to thank chartermaster Rick Ozaki who did not make the trip due to the ICAST show in Vegas, sorry Ricky you missed a good one. A big thanks to Avet reels, Raider Jigs (caught 90% of the wahoo), Fish trap iron, Graph-tech rods and West-coast marketing for all the great giveaways and raffle prizes on the trip. It's off to finish the trip on yellowtail and maybe an albacore on the way home.”



The Killer Python

"Today (July 20) was spent at an island in beautiful weather catching yellowtail. The fish ranged in size from 15 to 25 pounds and again like the last trip here they wanted the baits on the slider rig or the dropper loops fished around the 40 to 60-foot level. At times the yellows made a surface showing, splashed around the boat and succumbed to the surface iron. The 7X Python (pictured today, since we had such an influx of questions pertaining to this 'new' color, I don't think it's new to Salas, but it’s new to us) was again a top producer.”

The next day, July 21, skipper Smith told FishingVideos.com, “We had long drifts with sliding sinker action on fish at 40 feet, sometimes they came up. We had good fishing on yellowtail of 16 to 25 pounds. Now we’re going after bigger fish.”



Q’s At The Rocks

"We pulled into the rocks around 8:30 am today,” said the report from Qualifier 105 July 20, “and we started to troll around for a while. We put some wahoo type jigs behind the boat and started looking around at the high spots. First time long-range fishermen Brian Zufelt and his son Alex are with us and had a blast today. Alex hooked and landed his first ever-saltwater fish, a beautiful 40 lb wahoo on straight mono today. In addition, our buddy Dan Durbin is here and had a wahoo on mono to go with a few nice tuna today. Hot stick today was Jon Koregelos, he hooked 8 nice tuna, landing 6 and handing a couple off to other anglers.

"Our big fish today was Jordie Hibner, here with dad Tom, landing a fish around 80 pounds. She did a fantastic job with this fish. Dad Tom had one at the same time and they were happy to land both for some nice photos and some tuna steaks for the freezer. Not much in the way of the big yellows today, we are in deeper water then you usually catch them here but the tuna made up for that as we had Good action all day long. Our camera did not make it this trip so we will post some pictures when we get back. Our weather is very nice, warm with a breeze to fly the kites and over cast skies, perfect for fishing all day. We will try for a repeat tomorrow here at the rocks.”



Huge Fish—Is It A Grouper?

“Tom Ward gave me this photo,” Accurate's Jack Nilsen wrote to FishingVideos.com July 21, “of an amazing over 400-pound grouper that was landed on a recent Tony Reyes trip. Tom tells me that the fish weighed over 400 pounds and it certainly looks like it.  The angler is Roberto, who is our panga captain on our Accurate/Reyes trips.  I gave him an Accurate Boss 665 reel last June.  This one might be the biggest fish ever on a small Accurate Boss Series reel.

“Roberto has been our panga skipper for the last two trips on the Tony Reyes. Last June I left the reel with Roberto as a thank you gift for his excellent fishing and boating skills that help us have a great time on our trips. The catch was absolutely amazing on the small Accurate Boss reel. Congratulations Roberto, for this truly amazing catch.”

There’s exciting news today for long range anglers from the southern waters. Independence, under owner-skipper Mark Pisano’s hand, has found the right place to be. The season’s first big catch of wahoo came to the boat on Sunday. Prior to that day, only a couple of skins had been caught, though some Alijos anglers reported being snipped off when they were baitfishing for tuna, and one fish was trolled up on The Ridge. Today’s story details the excitement that followed when it became obvious that wolfpacks of striped speedsters had moved in, eager to bite.

Longfin Float For Fleck

“Our day started out on the slow side,” reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck July 19, “with no sign of tuna and only one dorado on the boat. In the afternoon conditions changed and the albacore floated. We had good fishing until dark with very good fish around. The weather is flat calm so we are going to drift out here tonight and try it again tomorrow.”



60 Big Skins

“First the good news, the weather is as good as it gets just a bit on the warm side, no wind and flat seas with air temps in the 80's and sea temp about 74 degrees,” said the report from Independence July 18.

“Now the great news, the fishing today was nothing short of spectacular, our first stop of the day gave us 41 wahoo that were all in the 40 to 65-pound range, we ended with 60 skin for the morning bite. The afternoon bought on excellent yellowfin tuna fishing for the rest of the day; the fish were in the 40 to 70-pound range with a few larger fish to 100 pounds. Needless to say we are stoked at the day’s outcome. We plan to do this again tomorrow.”



Better Bluefin Bite

“We finished off the trip with a fine afternoon of steady fishing on 28 to 35-pound albacore,” wrote Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom July 19, “and a good mix of bluefin including a pair that weighed in at 56 and 57 pounds. 60 and 21 were the numbers that did a stellar job of elevating spirits and ending the voyage on a high note. It was just what we needed after what was an uphill battle for the first half of the trip. All's well that ends well. With a fine load of albacore, bluefin, and yellowtail resting in the RSW tanks in premium, Royal Star condition, we head up the line satisfied and grateful that the voyage ended well. Now it is on to the next Phillips Steel/Wood Group five-day charter departing tomorrow. Yours truly will continue the narrative as I have the pleasure of taking the helm.

“Today’s photo feature shows Warren Sakamoto pictured with Capt. Brian Sims and his 57-pound bluefin landed in the bottom of the ninth to upset the jackpot. Len Cunningham, pictured with Capt. Gregg Tanji and a fat albacore, also landed one of the two bigger bluefin alongside Warren. Len's came in at 56 pounds to capture second place. Look for reports to continue and have a fine day!"



Yellowtail On Fire

“Weather continues to be excellent,” said the report from Royal Polaris July 19, “with flat seas, clear skies, and warm. We had an excellent day of yellowtail fishing, with limits the rule. Most of the yellowtail were in the 15 to 18 pound range, with some 20 to 25 pound range. It was fun for all aboard.

“We had one long drift, and we are now headed back to the albacore grounds. We departed the yellowtail area at 16:00 hours with a group of happy anglers. We will keep you posted on our daily events.”

The first trip out for Sacramento’s Pacific Extreme Sports returned to Fisherman’s Landing July 18 aboard the Shogun. Bruce Smith skippered the six-day trip, and Curt Yen was chartermaster. The group of 26 anglers found good fishing at Cedros Island.

Fermin Diaz of Pomona won first place for a 54.4-pound yellowtail that had spawned recently. He got it with a Salas 7X surface jig in green sardine swirl color, on 40-pound P-Line CXX line tied to 80-pound Spiderwire on a 533 Newell reel and a ten-foot seeker Ulua rod.

“There was a big school of yellowtail coming at us when we first came to the spot on the north Lee Side,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “I saw a big, slow swirl on my jig and he took off. I had to tighten my drag. I got him in about five minutes.”

Ryan Shillito of Huntington Beach won second place for a 41.2-pound yellowtail, and Dave Thompson of Huntington Beach got third place for a 40.2-pound yellow.



Nevada Gang Gals

Qualifier 105 returned to Pt. Loma sportfishing July 18 after an eight-day charter by The Nevada Gang. There were 23 anglers aboard, and the trip was skippered by Joe Crisci.

Mike LePore of Las Vegas won first place for a 44.2-pound yellowtail he bagged with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, a whole reel full of it, he said, on an Avet 6-4 reel and a Calstar 6470 rod.

Cliff Kemp of McGill, NV won second place for a 42.4-pound yellowtail.

“I got him in 30 minutes, after a long soak at Cedros,” he remarked.

Kemp used a sardine on a 6/0 Mustad circle hook, with 25-pound Ande line on a Penn Squidder and a Calstar 6460 rod.

Linda Kemp (Cliff’s wife) won third place for a 39.6-pound yellowtail.



“Sex In The City,” Tuna Roundup Corrals Yellowfin

Excel arrived July 18 at Fisherman’s Landing under Justin fleck’s hand. She had been out on a seven-day trip, a Tuna Roundup charter with 29 passengers.

“We had near-limits of yellowtail,” said Fleck, “and some good fishing on tuna, with a dorado and an amberjack in the catch.”

Pete Price of Woodinville, WA won first place for a 117.8-pound yellowfin tuna he caught with a Spanish mackerel on a 9/0 ringed Eagle Claw hook tied to 60-pound Jin Kai fluorocarbon on 60-pound Jin Kai mono and 100-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with an Accurate 12 reel and a Calstar 760 M rod.

Garret Vinikoor, 16, of Tucson, AZ won second place for a 110-pound tuna. Garret plays tennis at Catalina Hill High and said he got his big tuna on a “Sex In The City” Wally Rohr Special 4-oz iron on 40-pound line. He said the fish bit on the retrieve as he cranked the yoyo jig up.

Lance Franck of Ranchita won third place for a 98-pound tuna.



Kita Cranks ‘Tails, Too

Red Rooster III came home to H&M Landing July 18 after a six-day trip with 31 anglers and skipper Andy Cates at the wheel. Cates said it was the Ben Kita Invitational, and sure enough, Kita won the jackpot for a 40-pound yellowtail.

“We got limits of yellowtail,” said Cates, “and had some good albacore fishing. The water’s off color everywhere except on the outside. There’s big schools of bluefin out there but they don’t bite.”

Ben Kita of LA (one of three men to catch four 300-pound tuna) won first place for that 40-pound, sardine-caught yellow. He said he used a 3/0 Mutu on 40-pound Izorline, a TLD 30 reel and a Calstar 655 XH rod.

Lance Yamanaka of Pasadena won second place for a 36.2-pound albacore, and Joe Camacho of Culver City pushed him with a 36.1-pound yellowtail, for third place.



Bluefin, Albacore Sweep

Art Taylor’s Searcher came home to fisherman’s Landing July 18 after a five-day excursion to Cedros Island and offshore waters. There were 16 anglers aboard the open-party trip.

Dave Bell of San Diego won first place for a 34-pound bluefin tuna. He said he took it with a sardine on a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook and 25-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon tied to 25-pound P-Line on an Avet JX reel and a seven-foot rod.

Doug Hogue of San Diego tied for second place with Ed Furu of Huntington Beach, as each man took a 33.4-pound albacore.



Biggest Albie So Far

Mike lackey brought his Vagabond home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 18 after a four-day trip with 26 passengers.

Glenn Sakurai of Torrance caught the season’s biggest albacore so far, and won first place for it. The big longfin weighed in at 43.4-pounds on the certified scales. Glenn said he got it with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Flyliner hook tied to 30-pound Izorline XXX with 65-pound Izor Spectra backing. He used an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 700 ML rod.

Bryan Romine of Rancho Cucamonga won second place for a 36.6-pound albie and Homer Ruiz of Indio got a third-place longfin that came in at 34.4 pounds.

“There was a pretty good bite yesterday off Colnett,” Fisherman’s Landing manager Paul Morris told dock reporter Bill Roecker July 17. “The boats that were there got about 100 fish.”

It was welcome news, and could be important if the bite holds up. There’ll be plenty of vessels in the area trying it today.

Crystal Pier Celebration

“I guess this must be about our tenth trip,” thought chartermaster Jim Bostian, owner of the Crystal Pier, as he brought up a big albacore for skipper Brian Kiyohara to weigh.


The trip, with 22 anglers, was a five-day excursion aboard American Angler, and it docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 17.

“Those albacore that have been there all along are starting to bite now at 105 miles,” remarked Kiyohara to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “We were getting ours at 150 to 200 miles. We had excellent yellowtail fishing at Cedros and a good scratch on the tuna.”

Bob Williams of San Diego won first place for a 35.8-pound albacore. He said he bagged it with a sardine on a 1/0 VMC circle hook with a ring, tied to 30-pound P-Line fluorocarbon and 30-pound P-Line on a Trinidad 20 reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

Jim Bostian’s albacore was walking in those footsteps, as it weighed in at 35.4 pounds. Jim had his grandson Dylan with him, and Dylan showed off his best yellowtail. Dylan goes to Standley Middle School; he’s 11 and a LaCrosse player.

Ron Hughes of Moorepark won third place for a 34.6-pound albie. Valerie Otero, a fitness expert from Boulder, CO also posed with some of her best fish.



Catchy’s The Word

An eight-day trip to Alijos Rocks aboard the Intrepid returned July 17 to Pt. Loma Sportfishing under skipper Mike Prichard’s hand. Catchy Tackle's Wayne Martin of Colorado was chartermaster.

Prichard was stoked by the trip.

“We had really good fishing a Alijos Rocks for tuna up to 100 pounds,” he said. “And we had great yellowtail fishing at The Rocks and on The Ridge.

“It looks like summer’s starting,” he said of the local fishing, “about 500 miles from where it should be.”

Jenny DeLorenzi of Vacaville won first place for her 101.4-pound yellowfin. She caught it with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 60-pound Line One Spectra, on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 765 L rod.

“It took about 45 minutes,” she said. “He kicked my butt. He bit after a long soak, and came up in the port corner.”

Tony Constantino of Corona won second place for a 99.4-pound tuna. Glen Monson of Seattle won third place for a 92.6-pound yellowfin.
Brian Versmeulen of San Juan Capistrano took the young season’s best wahoo so far, a 69-pounder, on a sardine and 40-pound monofilament.

Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 16 after a good run to Alijos Rocks and The Ridge. He reported 68-degree water at The Rocks, which makes prospects look very good there, and a fantastic yellowtail bite at the top of The Ridge, for fish he called “18 to 50-pounders.” He had five yellowfin over 100 pounds in the catch.

The two best fish came on the boat’s kite outfit: two sardines on 3/0 ringed Mutu hooks, with 60-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 80-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6364 XXXXH rod.

Rick Henderson of Southgate won first place for a 110-pound yellowfin, interviewed by dock reporter Bill Roecker.

“Don’t forget to put the rail down, too,” said Henderson, “because I used that a lot!”

Glen Barnes of Covina won second place for a 109-pounder.

“He killed me,” remembered Barnes, “after that I was done for the day, and I’m still suffering.”

Walter Forman of Torrance won third place for a 107-pound yellowfin. Skipper DeBuy’s cousin, Jeff Young of San Diego, got the trip’s only wahoo, a 57.8-pounder, on a bait and monofilament. It was the first fish of the trip, said DeBuys, and set off a frenzy of Marauder-wielding trollers, but no more were caught.

The other notable fish of the trip was the 49.8-pound yellowtail caught by Sam Esposto of Burbank, on a Tady 4/0 jig in scrambled eggs color, on 50-pound line. Esposto and Young joined the winners for a lineup photo.



The Verdict Was First Place

Royal Polaris ended her five-day trip at Fisherman’s Landing July 16, after finding some excellent yellowtail fishing at Cedros Island. The last day, noted skipper Frank LoPreste, was frustrating, as he fished hard all day in nearby waters for four bluefin. He said water conditions there were poor and the fish unwilling.

Retired Monterey Superior Court Judge Harry Mauras of Pebble Beach won first place for his best bluefin ever, a 72.2-pound tuna that grabbed his sardine on 25-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and then took him around the boat a couple of trips during a 40-minute battle that was decided in his honor’s favor.

Micah Tice of Beloit, KS won second place for a 64.4-pound bluefin and Ron Jew of San Francisco took third place for his 54-pound shortfin. Accurate/Izor pro-staffer Kathy Rounds of San Diego won the Rollo Jackpot for the best yellowtail.



Blinded By The Light

“I've been blinded by the sheer awesomeness and attractiveness of Cedros Island,” Shogun second skipper Bruce Smith exclaimed July 15 in his report.

“It started early (again) drifting over the deeper edges of the island. By the third drift we were done with that size(16 to 22 pounds) of yellowtail and went to find some big 'uns. And indeed we did, we found an area of yellows up in shallow water, all of which went from the small 28 pounders to some pushing 50 pounds. Though out the afternoon we put on another 50 big yellowtail, at times we had these grumps boiling and crashing right on the hull, chasing baits and Surface irons. Randy (our cook) put the wood to them with the "Python" color Salas 7X jig.”



Q Reports In

"We had another day of great bass fishing from the skiffs today," read the Qualifier 105 report July 14. "In the morning, we headed over to Benitos Island for some kelp bass fishing. We were not disappointed with what we found. The fishing on the first run was very good with the skiffs landing and releasing 50 or so fish each. We did lunch on the anchor and then swapped out skiff teams and did an afternoon run. The current died during lunch and the fishing slowed. We still managed to land some nice fish. The big boat did a tour of the island and found some yellows, not any big hits just few here and there. We are headed to a new spot for tomorrow and are not sure what to expect. We will let you know how it goes."



Lady Anglers Win Big

Royal Star returned from a four-day trip with 22 passengers July 15 to Fisherman's Landing. Ellen Chevalier of Thousand Oaks took won first place with a 38.5-pound albacore, edging out her husband Tim who took second with a 38-pound Cedros yellowtail. Barb Kelver of Carlsbad took third with a 37.5-pound bluefin tuna.



Building Better Boats

The August issue of Popular Science has a couple of items of interest to boaters keeping an eye on the future. A small article with a huge photo titled “Sun Giant” gives the basic details of a new solar-powered boat, a 100-ton rig 102 feet long and 49 feet wide.

All of that isn’t sitting in the water, however. The rig is called a catamaran, but it looks like a cat on stilts, with Hobie-like pontoons way down below the wide, shallow, sharp-vee’d hull. The upper deck is covered with solar cells, 5800 square feet of ‘em.

The rig was launched in the Baltic Sea last March. It’s 25 feet high and cost $15 million, so it won’t be sitting pretty in my driveway anytime soon. Still, it’s refreshing to see an attempt at a four-motored solar boat that uses no fossil fuel. Bon voyage!

New Kayak Technology

Also in the August issue of Pop Sci: a fishing kayak with a pedal-powered prop drive is shown rigged and ready to rip lips. The business end looks like any small lower unit, and the article says the geared prop spins at ten revs per crank. It rudder-steers, makes 5.75 mph, and the operator can pedal backward for reverse. The drive train weighs in at a feathery 13 pounds. They call it the Mariner 12.5 Propel, and the article said it goes for $1800. See a video demonstration and learn more about it at nativewatercraft.com.

Folding Bait Tank

One more item for Kayaks is a portable bait cooler/container. Running on two D batteries, you’d suspect it’s really meant for fresh water applications. It might not work for more than a few saltwater baits at once, over a short period, but that might be ok for those operating from a motherboat. It’s at harmonygear.com and lists for $49.

“We have had a couple of excellent days of fishing here on the Big X. Yesterday we made a quick stop on the yellowtail ground and had very good fishing on 15 to 18-pound mossbacks. From 0800 to noon it was as good as it gets. Just about lunchtime, we pulled the anchor and started heading south to put ourselves in position to be at the Rocks for a couple of days.

“Today, anglers woke up to beautiful weather and calm seas here at Alijos. The tuna started biting just after breakfast and we stayed busy into the afternoon. It's a very nice grade of fish here with most of them weighing in at 60 to 110 pounds. Most of the fish were caught on flylined sardines but there were also a few flurries on the kite. Tomorrow we will fish here until 1500 or so before we start heading up the line to fish albacore on the way home.”



Epic Bite At Cedros

“After driving around the ocean all day long and finding fish that wouldn't bite,” reported American Angler July 14, “it was time for a change of scenery. We had an incredible downhill ride to the island and awoke to grease calm conditions. We started scratching right away and enjoyed steady fishing all day long. It didn't seem to matter whether you liked to fish bait or artificials as all techniques were equally effective.

“Everybody had a great time and we finished off the afternoon with one of the most epic and crazy bites that most on board have ever seen.”



“Now That's A Mix.”


”Our day started with beautiful weather,” noted the report from Intrepid July 14, “and phenomenal yellowtail fishing. After a while our anglers had a chance to play around with their bass and spinning rods.

“Once we had our fill of yellows we looked up the beach and came across some variety including some dorado and a very nice white seabass. We will be spending the day offshore tomorrow enjoying this great weather.”



Stir-Fry & Krill

“With lots of time left to fish,” said the report from Qualifier 105 July 13, “we have already had a great trip. This morning we decided to try for some school size yellows from the big boat. The fish here at the island are around in some big schools and are eager to eat. We ended up before lunch with just under 100 fish. Most had at least four or five yellows. It was fun fishing with the dropper and yo-yo jigs working the best. After a lunch of beef stir-fry, we headed up to the north end for a couple of skiff runs.

“After we got the skiffs in the water we headed into the kelp. It was weird, the kelp that always has a lot of bass had very few. We found out why very soon. They were under some birds out on the edge of the kelp chasing krill. We pulled up and could not believe what we saw, calico bass, most between 6 and 10 pounds cruising around with open mouths eating the krill. The area was about 100 yards around and at some times you could see a dozen or more fish in a small hole in the kelp. Problem here is the krill, they can swim around with open mouths and eat the krill and their for would not touch any thing else.

“We managed a few, all big ones, with Diane Snyder landing a huge one around seven pounds! In addition, Kenny Shoning had a couple nice one's and had a couple big ones yesterday.”



Late Save

“Good evening, folks,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates July 13. “We had a pretty slow day here today. The savior was late when we had a stop for 29 albacore. Aside from that it was a lot of driving and an occasional short stop. The last stop saved the day. It brought us up to 63 albacore, three bluefin and a handful of yellows on kelps. We are heading in now to fish yellows for a couple of days and then, weather permitting, finish the trip offshore.”



Art’s Big Day

“Well today was our day!” exclaimed Art Taylor of the Searcher in his report for July 14. “We had excellent fishing for albacore in the 20 to 30-pound class. All the traditional methods worked with plenty of opportunity for troll fish and bait fish. Most of the fish were caught in the afternoon but we had an indication of where to be in the morning. We are spending the night and trying again tomorrow. It was too much fun to leave!

The weather is great and the forecast looks good for tomorrow and the next day.”



Royal Polaris Uplook

“Weather today was just beautiful, with clear skies, a slight breeze, and sunny,” said the report from Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris July 14.

“Our morning was a bit slow, with only one bluefin tuna caught. We saw lots of fish, but they would not bit, they are feeding on small baitfish. We departed the bluefin area, and headed northwest, and we did find some albacore late in the afternoon. Most of the albacore were in the 18 to 25-pound range, with some going over 30 pounds.”

“We will stay in this area until lunch, then we will call it a trip. So wish us luck and we will keep you posted on our daily events.”



“On The Right Foot”

“The day started off on the right foot,” recalled the Shogun’s report for July 14, “and continued to get better until about 15:00, when we left the productive area.

“I've said it in the past and I will say it again, I Love Cedros Island! 16 to 25 pound yellowtail were biting consistently, no let me put it a different way, they were biting well. Dropper loops and one ounce sliding sinkers did the most damage, but the surface iron crew took their toll also. The weather is hot and grease calm. There is no charge for Awesomeness!”

(Press Release)

For almost twenty years, we lived a few miles up the beach from Rancho Leonero. I planned my calendar year around being there in October when the fishing was as good as East Cape had to offer. My only reservation when I was asked to host a fishing trip to the Ranch was that I would be sharing one of my treasured secret Baja spots.

Rancho Leonero is a special place located in a special place, hidden away from the highway on a secluded bluff where the only thing between you and the legendary Sea of Cortez is a couple of hundred yards of white sand. First-timers and seasoned veterans both share that magical, almost mystical, tingling as they take in the view upon arrival.


Here the line between "inshore fishing" and "offshore fishing" can become blurred as both are well within sight of land. With hundreds of species, including wahoo, amberjack, jack crevalle, sierra mackerel, yellowtail, grouper, cabrilla, and snapper, the bar for sport fishing quality is raised to a level that is hard to beat. Billfish and other offshore exotics, including dorado, roosterfish, sierra, bonito, skipjack and other middleweight species can often be found within minutes of departure from your hotel. East Cape didn't come by the ‘fish ‘til you drop’ reputation accidently.

The secluded sandy beach in front of the hotel offers some spectacular surf casting. Patrolling the beach on foot with a rod in hand, an angler can experience a fishing challenge seldom found in other venues. Roosterfish, jacks, and pompano are found swimming well within casting range of the beach literally chasing schools of sardina up onto the sand, along with an occasional dorado or yellowfin tuna.

Dialed in, Rancho Leonero regulars often bring their casting rods to breakfast or cocktails in the afternoon. A fish boil so violent that it can be heard can send the hard core anglers flying down the steps from the restaurant or bar to the beach with rod in hand and it is something to behold. The whooping and hollering as rods go ‘bendo’ can be heard all the way back on the patio.

Fish the tackle you want; conventional, spinning or fly…it’s up to you. If you are interested in a fly guide, contact 800/919-2252.

For those planning to attend the WON/Yamaha Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot and Fish Hard, Party Harder on November 3rd through November 6th, East Cape Escape would be a great beginning to your tournament week. Kicking back and catching some fish at Rancho Leonero with no pressure for a few days before switching into the tournament mode may give you the winning edge.

East Cape Escape is about taking advantage of this fishing phenomenon, catching…not competing! Accurate Reels will be providing five reels as raffle prizes along with some additional great prizes that all attendees will have an opportunity to win each night. The dates are October 28th to November1st, 2010, and the cost is only $978 per person which includes four nights in a deluxe room at Rancho Leonero with all meals, plus three days of fishing on a Super Panga and all applicable taxes. With the Volaris airfares at $280 r/t from Tijuana, adding the extra days of fishing at the Ranch is like getting a twofer!

While I spent years guiding hundreds of trips in Baja, this will be the first time that I will be hosting an event. It’s going to be a blast for me, just fishing, talking about fishing and hanging out with a bunch of fishing friends at one of my favorite places in Baja.

Hope to see you there. Call Ben Babbitt at (949) 366-0030 ext. 30. right away before this trip fills up. To paraphrase someone "It’s all about the fishing…stupid!"

Talking with long range and charter skippers Wednesday morning, dock reporter Bill Roecker heard that the cold water that has kept the albacore and bluefin bite off San Diego from booming may be starting to break down.

Polaris Supreme skipper Tom Rothery remarked that the water is no longer uniform 100 miles from San Diego, but is breaking up into streaks and pockets of warmer water, and that it’s come up a degree or two in the last three days.

Skipper Joe Chait of the Pegasus agreed with that assessment, as did Mike Keating of the Spirit of Adventure. The next few days should see a much improved tuna bite, although northwest winds on the far outer waters could hold things back a bit. Winds may not be a factor on waters inside and south, however.

Today’s reports from yesterday show that some skippers are finding biting fish while others are still seeing fish that don’t bite very well.

Albacore-Bluefin Mix

A four-day trip aboard Polaris Supreme docked at Fisherman’s Landing July 14. It was an open trip with 20 anglers, and owner-skipper Tom Rothery weighed the best of the catch at the landing’s certified scales to determine jackpot winners. There were numerous bluefin mixed in with the albacore, but big longfin swept the top spots.

“Fishing was spotty,” said Rothery, “but they bit all day long. We had lots of stops for two or three albacore, and some for 15 or 20 fish or more. We got ours on spotted fish and sonar marks, but other boats were getting ‘em on bird schools.”

Tim Ryan of Pt. Loma won first place for a 36.6-pound longfin. He said he got it with a ringed Mustad 2/0 hook on 30-poundSeaguar fluorocarbon, 30-pound Yo-Zuri line and 60-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet LS reel and a seven-foot Kencor rod.

Kirk Kirkpatrick of Temecula won second place for a 34.6-pounder, and Dennis McNeely of Santa Cruz won third place for a 33.6-pound albacore. Gisella Todd of Madison, IN got a 34.6-pound bluefin on the troll.



Great Yellowtail Fishing

The 22nd annual Jim Boyle Charter aboard Spirit of Adventure docked at H&M Landing July 14 after four days at sea with owner-skipper Mike Keating at the wheel. There were 23 passengers aboard.

“Fishing was great on yellowtail,” remarked chartermaster Boyle. “On Monday evening we got into some real slugs off the lighthouse on the North End of Cedros. We had a scratch bite on albacore and bluefin the day before. They bit all day and averaged 20 to 30 pounds.”

Tom Wilkens of Moorepark won first place for a 42.1-pound yellowtail. He caught that one on a sardine and a 4/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 40-pound Ande line. He used a Newell 440 reel and a Calstar 6470 rod, he said.

Brian Smith of Lakeport won second place for a 38.5-pound yellowtail and Ron Stuncyk of Banning won third place for a 38.2-pound yellow. Smith and Wilkens posed for a photo with their winning ‘tails.



Angler Picks Away

“We had very high expectations after we heard about the good albacore fishing that was had the previous day,” reported American Angler July 13. “We got into the zone shortly after daylight and got on a decent school of bluefin but only managed three fish out of it. After that the search was on and it never ended until dark. Along the way we saw a few kelps with yellows, small spots of jumping tuna, and some pretty decent sized spots of blue fin. The yellows on kelps were nice grade and it seems like the cyclical 2 or 3 weeks of good grade yellow tail fishing is about ready to start.

“The jumping spots of tuna produced only a few albacore and a lot of anxiety as we watched them boil on their own bait right next to the boat. The decent spots of bluefin were no different as they acted like 'bluefin' and were very hard to hook. Experienced angler Dylan Bagaline gets the assist from crewmember Jim Bostian with a sample of today’s yellow.

“The water is moving around very fast and things are changing more quickly than we have seen so far this year. Hopefully, it will move the fish into local range soon.”



“Another Great Day”

“Today was yellowfin day,” said the report from Intrepid July 13. “Action started early and continued on throughout the remainder of the morning and into the early afternoon. With most of the fish in the 40 to 100-pound range there were some long battles to be had and big rewards paid. Of course yellowtail kept the guys busy that wanted to fish for them.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot the 70-pound-plus wahoo that graced us with his presence on straight mono. With a very impressive three day's catch and happy anglers, we say goodbye to The Rocks and are making a move inside.”



Sweet Weather For ‘Tails

“Today we enjoyed flat calm weather," reported the Royal Star July 13, "biting yellowtail, and beautiful scenery. What more could you ask for?

“Our picture shows a happy Tim Chevalier and his 38-pound yellowtail.”



From The Royal Polaris

“Our weather today was warm and sunny with eight knots of breeze,” noted the report for July 13. “We had a wonderful day of steady yellowtail fishing, with everyone catching what they wanted to keep.

“Most of our passengers have found a new love for yellowtail after enjoying Anthony or Brett’s recipes. Personally, I feel Yellowtail is one of the best-eating fish in the ocean. It is great barbequed, baked, grilled in fish tacos or smoked.

“We are now headed north to hopefully catch some bluefin tuna.”



Can’t Eat Reports

“With the reports from yesterday we had high expectations of catching some albacore today," Shogun skipper Bruce Smith reported July 14.

“As it goes, this year is proving to be very frustrating, the fish bite for a couple of days and literally move tens of miles overnight and we have to find them again. Today was spent chasing bluefin boilers most of which didn't want to bite, although we did come across a few that were willing.”



Results From Bill Poole Tournament

(San Diego July 13, 2010)

Thanks to publicist Jack Innis for the following information:

High Tournament: Peter Vasiliov 50 pounds total

Hi Kayak: Kurt Hoffman 31-pound yellowtail

High Sportboat Robert Fletcher 26-pound bluefin

High Private Boat, third place Paul Gomez 34.7-pound white seabass

High Private Boat, second place Rod Melchert 37.9-pound white seabass

High Private Boat, first place Peter Vasiliov 50-pound white seabass


Each category winner received a hand-carved David Wirth Hawaiian fishhook sculpture (they sell for $500 a pop at IGFA's eBay site). High Tournament also received a Vessel Assist Gold Card membership and a couple hundred dollars worth of goodies.

“I don't have official totals,” said Innis, “but in addition to raising a ton of awareness in the angling community about HSWRI's white seabass replenishment program, Ed Zieralski’s column (San Diego Union-Tribune) says we raised close to $50,000; all going to the white seabass program.”

"Our first day of fishing was very encouraging,” reported Excel skipper Justin Fleck July 12.

“All of the albacore that has been missing for the past couple of weeks decided to show up and bite for us today. The longfin started showing around 0830 and all the boats in the area were able to put good scores together of 100 fish or more. I say this is encouraging because there is actually some water structure now and hopefully we can stay on this body of fish for a while. Here are some pictures from our day.”



They’re Biting 400 Miles Away, Too

“We had a great day today down at the rocks,” noted Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys July 12. “Shortly after daylight we started hooking tuna and kept busy until late afternoon. We did catch a wahoo as well as some good grade yellowtail. The score for today was 74 tuna, nine of which were 80 to 110 pounds. The weather has been really nice the past few days.”



“A Commitment To The Rail”

“Another great day at Alijos Rocks,” said Intrepid captain Kevin Osborne.

“This morning started out with more phenomenal yellowtail fishing right from the get go. With over 40 quality 'yellows' on deck by 0630 we were off to a good start. As the day wore on we focused on tuna and were rewarded with some tackle busters.

“A good majority of our yellowfin today were in the 60 to 115-pound range. Hooking these fish on 40 or 50-pound line resulted in a commitment to the rail for as long as an hour. We had our share of heartbreaks (some by the way of a giant mako) and several anglers landed a personal best. Our weather is now flat calm and we are excited about tomorrow.”



RP Gets Albies, Goes For Yellows

“We started our day with good weather,” said the report from Royal Polaris July 12, “we had overcast skies, with 8 to 12 knots of breeze, but it was a bit chilly. We did get a little more wind towards the end of our day (12 to 15 knots).


“As far as fishing goes, we had a good day on mixed fish, with the albacore leading the way. We ended up with 98 albacore and 25 bluefin tuna. Most of the albacore were in the 18 to 25-pound range, the bluefin were in the 15 to 30 pound catagory, with a few fish going over the 60-pound range. Lucky angler today was Harry Mauras, with a bluefin that went over 70 pounds.

“We departed the tuna grounds at dark, and we are now headed for Cedros Island, and we will try to get our yellowtail fix, so wish us luck and we will keep you posted on our daily events.”



A Better Breakfast

"Our weather today was a little better then yesterday morning' said the report from Qualifier 105 July 12."We put the skiffs in the water after a breakfast of biscuits and gravy with eggs. Then it was bass fishing in the kelp. Our first runs were good fishing with most catching their first ever calico bass. Then the wind pushed us south as the kelp on the north end was picking up. As we moved south, fishing calicos on boiler rocks was all right but not like the kelp fishing up at the north end.

"Joe put the big Q on a spot of yellows and we headed that way. It was good fishing on 20 to 25 lb yellows in the skiffs and for those lucky enough to have done a skiff run with yellows biting will tell you it is as fun fishing their is. All aboard the skiffs had a chance to pull on a fish or two. On the big boat the fishing was also very good, a couple of bigger 40-pound yellows were landed. After a baseball cut steak for dinner, all will sleep well tonight."

A conversation with Tim Ekstrom Monday morning indicated that a resurgent bite might be starting. Tim had just talked with his skipper Brian Sims, who’s out with the Royal Star.

Albacore and bluefin tuna have been near the local area, at 80 to 200 miles, for a long time, but the schools have been acting like cold-water fish, thought Ekstrom; they didn’t really want to bite except at certain moments.

“My take,” said Ekstrom to dock reporter Bill Roecker July 12, “is there’s a tremendous amount of albacore and bluefin on the beach. When the water warms I think we’ll see some real wood down there. Seiners are there, but coincidentally, it just happened that the fish went down when they showed up. The bluefin market is bad.

“There’s a hell of a lot of albacore down there, and out to the west. It’s just started. The warm water is starting to form up, and the guys are beginning to catch some today. Most of the local fleet is west, fishing closer to San Diego."

“We arrived at the 'Rocks' just after 1030 to nice weather and OK conditions,” said the report from Intrepid July 11. After looking around for a bit we anchored up and started getting busy. Things slowed down after about 1600, but not before pumping out over 100 mixed fish, including yellowfin in the 100-pound range and yellowtail in the low 40s. We can only hope that tomorrow morning brings a similar tail.”



Island Yellows Busy

“Here is what we know so far,” wrote Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys July 11. “We stopped short for a yellowtail check and saw good sign of beautiful grade 18 to 45-pound fish. We decided to stop and try and were rewarded with a very busy action-packed day. We left the island and are currently headed down to points south. The weather is good, and we hope it will hold for a few days.”



“Good Signs Of Albacore Out Here”

“Today we were offshore 100 miles southwest of San Diego,” noted the report from Art Taylor’s Searcher July 11. “There are good signs of albacore out here with plenty of fish around. They didn't bite all that well today, however. We managed to land 28 fish, in mixed sizes from 15 to 22 pounds. The weather is calm and we are hopeful that tomorrow is our day.

“There is some good news for longer trips with some bigger albies being caught today at around 200 miles from home. It just so happens we are leaving on a five-day trip in a couple of days and we are hopeful we will get a shot at those fish. There is plenty of room on the next trip, so if you are interested in a light load trip, call our office and take advantage of some good fishing.”

Frank LoPreste docked his Royal Polaris at Fisherman’s Landing July 11 after an eight–day Ringedhooks.com trip with chartermaster Guy MacDonald.


“We started at Alijos Rocks,” said Guy to dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and conditions were a little tough. We had to scale down to 30 and 40-pound gear and small hooks to get bit in the weak, shifting current. It was about 67 degrees, and we got some 20 to 40-pound yellowfin tuna there, with a few bigger ones.

“Then we went to The Ridge and got some good yellowtail fishing on The 23 Spot. They were very nice yellows and there were some grouper there, too, and black sea bass. On the way home we came three days up through waters that seemed pretty barren, and up on this end we got a few albacore.”

Oliver Tan won first place for a 72.3-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 4/0 Mutu hook on 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 30-pound P-Line tied to 60-pound Izor Spectra. He used an Avet JX reel and a seeker eight-foot rod, and gave the fish a half hour of effort.

Angel Cruz won second place for a 59.4-pound tuna, and Kevin Halkola of San Marcos won third place for a 57-pounder. Dave Klein of San Ramon split the Rollo jackpot with Rob Ebacher of Anaheim; both men had 39-pound yellowtail. Klein got his with a blue and white Tady 45 jig.



Kashiki Trip Scores Yellows

Tim Ekstrom skippered the Royal Star on her annual Kashiki seven-day trip, which produced a goodly batch of yellowtail for 25 anglers.

The fish were biting on bait, but not on flies, as Dennis Nishimini of Fresno noted. “I wanted to get one, but didn’t get any yellowtail on the fly rod,” he said. “Maybe next time.”

Joe Baima of Ramona bagged a 36-pound forkie with a sardine on a 3/0 Mutu hook and 25-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He tied his fluoro to 30-pound Jin Kai line and 50-pound Izor Spectra, he said, and used a Trinidad 20 reel and a Calstar 700 M rod. The fish scrapped with him for 20 minutes.

Dave Bookin won second place for a 35.5-pounder, and Bob “Turbo” Ryan of Laguna Niguel won third place for a 35-pound yellowtail.



“A Beautiful Ocean”

Mike Lackey’s Vagabond docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 11 after a four-day trip with 20 anglers.

“We had a beautiful ocean,” said Mike, “but we had to work for our fish. We scratched up a decent catch, though.”

Scot Moore of Gilbert, AZ won firt place for his 29.2-pound albacore. He said it came on a sardine and a 2/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 20-pound Big Game line and an Avet JX reel on an eight-foot Seeker Black Steel rod.

Ted Phoenix of El Cajon won second place for a 26.9-pound longfin, and Dave Carey of Atascadero bagged a 25.8-pound albie for third place.



Six On The Big X

Mike Ramirez skippered the Excel on a six-day trip to Cedros Island and the offshore fishing grounds, returning to Fisherman’s Landing July 11. Big bluefin swept the jackpots, and Mike reported encountering nice weather. Yellowtail were plentiful.

Levy Kempler of Sherman Oaks won first place for a 67.4-pound bluefin, which also won him the Seeker trophy for the best fish taken on a Seeker rod. He posed for a picture, and said he got his prizewinner on a sardine on a 4/0 hook, 50-pound Big Game line, an Avet HX reel and a Seeker 670 rod.

Andy Lam of Torrance won second place for a 63.6-pound shortfin, and Gary Halves of Torrance won third place for a 61.2-pound bluefin tuna.



Lunker Tuna, First Skinny Of The Season

Andy Cates docked the Red Rooster III at H&M Landing after the Jorge Nicifore Memorial/Coach’s Beefer eight-day trip with 28 anglers. The trip was a big success, with plenty of yellowtail to go around and numerous other species in the catch, including the best yellowfin so far this year and the season’s first wahoo.

The big tuna weighed 146.5 pounds. It was caught at Alijos Rocks by Mark Escalle of Huntington Beach, and won first place. He said he bagged his beauty with a sardine on a 3/0 gorilla hook tied to 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 50-pound Ande line with 65-pound Power Pro Spectra backing on a Talica 12 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Joe Hellerman of Hermosa beach won second place for a 122-pound yellowfin. Mike Watts of Lancaster got a 109-pound tuna for third place. Mike Shelton of Florence, AZ produced the new season’s first wahoo, a 37.9-pounder that chomped on a red and black Marauder at The 23 Spot. He stood in with the winners for a lineup shot.

“We went to Cedros Island and fished in the offshore waters,” said Qualifier 105 skipper Eric Weldele July 10 after he docked the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing. His seven-day trip had 25 anglers, who had near-limits of yellowtail, and nice bunch of bluefin and some albacore.

Ross Yasukochi of Carlsbad had three of the better grade bluefin, and the best one, a 68.3-pounder, won first place. Ross said it bit on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Gorilla hook tied to 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 40-pound Ande line with 60-pound Power Pro Spectra backing on a Torium 20 reel and a Calstar 6485 L rod. It fought 20 minutes.

Steve Brandon of Redondo Beach was second, for a 59.3-pound shortfin that took a ‘dine on a 2/0 Mustad hook, with 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 30-pound Big Game line and 60-pound Izorline Spectra on a Trinidad 30 reel and an eight-foot Calstar rod. He said the critter beat him up for an hour.

Steve Stuchelski of Ramon won third place for a 44.8-pound bluefin.



Tim Green Goes To Cedros

Mike Keating docked his Spirit of Adventure at H&M Landing July 10, following the 20th annual Tim Green Invitational charter of seven days. There were 26 passengers aboard, including retired skipper Joe Dunn, now 91 and still fishing.

“Our best days were at Cedros Island,” said Green to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “We had several big yellowtail up around 39 pounds, from the Lee Side, in clean water about 63 to 64 degrees. We got into some bluefin on our second day out, and that’s where the big ones came from.”

Ed Corbin of San Diego won first place for a 67.2-pound bluefin. He bagged it with a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook on 20-pound pink Ande line on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 6470 rod wrapped by Rod Doctor. He didn’t say how long it takes to get a big bluefin on 20-pound line.

Jeff Koep of Las Vegas won second place for a 61.5-pound shortfin, and Travis Canada of Chula Vista won third place for a 60.7-pound bluefin tuna.



Angler Albacore Trip

American Angler docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 10 after a two and a half-day trip. There was only one jackpot spot, won by Edward Franceschi of Santa Rosa for a 34-pound albacore.

The fish wasn’t available for a photo, so Matt Salas of Salas Lures allowed a picture with a typical albacore from the trip.

Mike Prichard skippered Intrepid on a three-day charter that returned July 8 to Pt. Loma Sportfishing. There was a single jackpot winner.

Clark Saito of Cerritos won first place for a 29.8-pound longfin. He said it bit a sardine on a 3/0 Mutu hook. He fished with 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 30-pound Izorline and 50-pound Spectra backing on a Daiwa Saltist two-speed reel, with a seven-foot rod of unknown make.



Salas Bats First

“Today we started our trip on the local offshore grounds,” said the report from American Angler July 8, “in hopes of locating the elusive albacore. At first light, we instantly took advantage of the beautiful flat calm weather and got to work with the binoculars. Having to sacrifice a few morning hours to get them dialed in, we then did not have to go far before seeing small spots of jumping fish. With some spots cooperating and some not, we managed to piece a day together.

“Seeing encouraging sign throughout the day gives us high hopes for tomorrow. Today's picture stars owner of Salas Lures, Mr. Matt Salas, showing off the first fish of the day.”



Shortfin For Excel

“Today we fished offshore for bluefin” reported skipper Mike Ramirez for the Excel July 6.

"We saw lots of fish, but it wouldn't cooperate very well. We still managed to scratch a handful of fish. The weather remains grease calm. We're going to look at some different water tomorrow. Wish us luck.”



Big Bluefin Chew

“We had another good day of action with another 90 fish for the day,” wrote Andy Cates for the Red Rooster III July 8. “The ratio of 30 to 60-pounders was better today and the bonus was six fish over 100 pounds. It should be a great Jack Pot contest at the dock. We are heading up now and travelling tomorrow and hoping to get into position for albacore and Bluefin on Saturday. The weather is good and we really hope it holds.”



Even Pete Can…

“Great day on the tuna grounds!” Art Taylor reported for the Searcher July 7. “We picked up 68 nice albies for our group. We saw good conditions and look forward to the next 1.5 day trip leaving tomorrow. Pete Gray was with us today and caught two nice fish.”



Shogun Replays Some Scenes

“Almost like a scratched vinyl album of 2010, “ said the Shogun’s report for July 8, “we saw lots of fish, bluefin and albacore, but they didn't want to bite.

“For the most part they were pushing/slashing through balls of small, firecracker sardine. Usually we can get some guys in the bow, fire some small jigs or mega baits into the melee and get some bites, but not today. The weather is good, overcast, not too much wind.”

I’ve been using both the late-issue handles from Accurate on my reels. Since several anglers have asked me, I’ll offer my thoughts about using them. The first one is the rubber knob. The company introduced it this way:

“Accurate released the Rubber Knob at the European Tackle Show in Budapest, Hungary. You can buy the knob as an accessory to an existing Accurate Reel or get it on a new Accurate Reel. Look for it at your local retailer.”


I tried the handle at Alijos Rocks, on tuna of 30 to 90 pounds and wahoo of 30 to 55 pounds, on the BX-2 500 reel. I loved it. I thought it was excellent for casting bait or jigs, and the grip was fine for cranking power. It fits the hand naturally, soft and comfortable.

“The Power Handle Knob is at a nine-degree slant,” said the company when they introduced it, “for more power and has crisscrossed machined groves on the back side for more grip.”

This offset T-handle is the best of its type that I’ve tried. I could put more heat on larger tuna of 60 to 100 pounds and up with this handle than the rubber knob, which is what you might expect from looking at the illustrations. It is definitely the ticket for moving big, sulky fish.

I still liked the rubber knob better for casting, however. So I’d prefer the knob for the 400 series and those 500 series reels I’d use for jigcasting. If I planned on hooking bigger fish I’d go with the Power Handle Knob on the 500 and 600 series reels. Other anglers might feel quite differently about this, but that’s how it shakes out with me.

Maybe Accurate could design a quick-change setup so you could opt for the other handle than the one you were using when you hooked up. Just reach into your pocket and click it on! That would be one step closer to a perfect world. But these will do until that day comes. They’re both great handles.

“Today started out with decent albacore fishing and flat, flat, flat calm weather,” said the report from Intrepid July 7. “Aside for a little mid day lull we managed to pick away at some quality fish. Gonna do some searching around tonight and see what we can come up with for tomorrow.”



Rooster At The Rocks

“Yesterday was pretty tough for us: only17 tuna and quite a bit of releasing on yellowtail. The evening completely died and we did nothing. So far this morning we have done better, with around 20 fish of half decent grade, the others small. Hopefully we can scratch here today and possibly settle our jackpots.”



Off The Ridge

“Weather today was cool in the AM,” reported the Royal Polaris July 7, “but the afternoon brought lots of sunshine and a 12 to 15-knot breeze.

“Fishing today was quite outstanding. We caught limits of yellowtail in the 20-38-pound class, seven grouper, one dorado, and 15 yellowfin. We even released a couple of striped marlin. Everyone aboard pulled on fish till their arms were sore. We are now headed for an area where we hope to find some bluefin."



Poole Tourney This Weekend

The 2nd annual Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament (formerly known as the White Seabass Benefit Tournament) has been expanded and is coming July 10/11th! This event is designed to kick off the 2010 angling season with a combination of friendly competition and good clean fun. We also hope it becomes a major source of exposure and support for Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, the folks who’ve released 1.6 million white seabass into Southern California waters during the past 22 years.

Fishing

The Saturday July 10 tournament has been expanded to include more species: white seabass, halibut, yellowtail, tuna (albacore, bluefin, yellowfin), and dorado. Angler categories include private boat, sportfishing boat, kayak, junior, flyfishing, and top angler. Angler category awards for this low entry fee, non-money tournament include a hand-carved David Wirth Hawaiian Fishhook sculptures worth $500—just for starters.

Captain’s Meeting

Thursday July 8. Pick up angler goody bags (easily worth more than half the entry fee), find out what’s biting and where.

Banquet

Awesome Sunday July 11 Awards Banquet (tickets available separately while they last), held bayside at HSWRI facility at Mission Bay, has already become the stuff of legends. The banquet prepared by one of San Diego’s top executive chefs includes cultured sturgeon fish tacos, abalone salad, teriyaki chicken, and a host of delicious side dishes. For more information please visit www.hswri.org

Virtual Fishing Tournament

Many anglers would like to help Hubbs by volunteering—feeding seabass at grow-out pens, helping transport fingerlings, releasing them into the wilds—but can’t because of busy schedules.

This year, the Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament has added a Virtual Fishing Tournament where anglers can support the Institute in a unique way.

Please follow the link and join the Virtual Fishing Tournament where you can “fish” by yourself, start a team and encourage others to fish with you, or join the HSWRI team. And don’t forget to use the “Tell a Friend” feature. It’s a super easy way to tell other sincere anglers about this great cause.

By Paul Sweeney

Sam Patella docked American Angler at Point Loma Sportfishing July 7 following a four-day trip looking offshore for schools of tuna.

"Thank god for binoculars and sonar," Sam said at the weigh in. "We did most of our business further down. We had to go a long ways, but we had beautiful weather. I was hoping for albacore, but they stayed down. We ended up with a real nice catch of bluefin and a few albacore and yellowfin."

David Karlin of San Diego won first place with a 38.2-pound bluefin that his 10-year old son Mitchell gaffed for him. David used a 1/0 Eagle Claw hook, 30-pound Seaguar Premium leader, 30-pound Big Game line, and a Calstar 700 M rod.

"Mitchell had a great time," David said. "He gaffed a couple fish."

Donovan Dsouza, of Murrieta, CA and his uncle Richard Dsouza, took second and third place respectively with a 37.6-pound bluefin and a 34-pound bluefin.



Surfing Southward

“Good evening folks,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates July 5. “We had a really good day of yellowtail fishing today. Nice fish 18 to 30 pounds; really a good show with surface Iron action that will be hard to beat. Of course, now we have bad weather and are heading to the Rocks. We just can't seem to stay out of this weather.”



Oops, Should Have Zagged

“It is difficult to say for certain, because we can never be in two places at once,” noted Royal Star skipper Tim Ekstrom July 6, “but my fishing instinct yesterday nagged me into believing that a morning zig instead of a zag cost us some opportunities. Of course we will never know.

“We made an afternoon of it offshore in beautiful weather. Today's theme was typical for bluefin that have earned their reputation as the most challenging tuna to target for good reason. Numerous spots were found throughout the afternoon that produced plenty of excitement and anticipation, all the way up to the catching part of the equation. We did have a few stops where they stuck around and yielded a handful or two, but the majority were far more interested in extending the suspense by continuing their crashing and jumping while ignoring our baits. Typical bluefin.

“It was a fine day for offshore fishing, and we saw plenty of fish, but by the end of it we were ready to try our hand elsewhere. Looking for a change of pace we are relocating tonight in search of something that shows more interest in biting tomorrow. We have a fair foundation to work with, plenty of time, and the drive to make it happen. It sounds like things are beginning to wake up on the albacore grounds above so we are looking forward to a little better cooperation from our quarry.

“Photos today feature a handful of anglers enjoying one of the hot and heavy afternoon moments when the bluefin dropped their guard and gave us a few shots. And, long time Royal Star veteran Dave Bookin happy to display the 30-pound size average of the bluefin landed yesterday and today.”

RP’s On The Move

“Today’s weather was 12 to 14 knots of breeze,” reported the Royal Polaris July 6, “a bit chilly but we did get some sunshine in the afternoon.

“We had another nice day of scratching nice grade yellowfin up to 85 pounds. We also had good yellowtail fishing with a few fish up in the 40-pound category. A stranger in the catch was a bluefin tuna, which was the first fish aboard this morning.

“We left Alijos at 3:45 p.m. and are now headed for the 13-fathom spot. We are hoping for a good day on big yellows and maybe a few grouper.”



New Pink Accurate Reels For Ladies

(Accurate Press Release)

Strike Zone Tackle in Jacksonville stepped up and put the first Pink Accurate reels on the market for the lady angler. To see them go to Strikezonefishing.com.

“We had all the stars lined up for us this morning when we woke up,” said Sam Patella aboard his American Angler July 5. “Right at daylight we got our first spot of fish and it was good fishing for bluefin tuna; throughout the morning and into the afternoon it was steady fishing from spot to spot with better luck on some than others.

“We have had very nice weather along with our nice fishing and looks like tomorrow's forecast is in our favor again, so we have to work up the line and hope for some more good luck.”



At The Rocks

“Weather today was overcast,” said the report from Royal Polaris July 5, “with a 10 to 12- knot breeze. All in all, it was a pleasant day as far as weather is concerned.

“We also had a nice day of scratch fishing. We caught 57 yellowfin from 40 to 90 pounds. the bulk of that ranging from 45 to 60 pounds. we also had 35 smaller grade yellowfin ranging from 15 to 20 pounds and 24 yellowtail as well.

Lucky angler today was Sasha Smiljanich who caught a 70-pound tuna on the sardine and then finished his day with a 90-pound tuna on the kite. We plan to give this another shot tomorrow and will be back at it bright and early in the morning.

“We do have two openings on the July 11th five-day and one spot available on the July 16th five-day. Call our office at 619-226-8030.”



Baja Fish Gear Aboard Q105

"We awoke to great weather and sign of fish around us this morning," read the report from the Baja Fish Gear charter aboard Qualifier 105. "It was not long before we stopped on a spot of bluefin that were up chasing small baitfish. They wanted to eat and we ended up with most of our anglers catching a few fish with a couple of hot sticks. Ross Yasukochi and Steve Brandon were hot; the setups were simple, 25-pound test line, long rod and a short piece of fluorocarbon with a small 2/0 hook! Both hooked and landed a limit for the day. We had good fishing most of the day; most stops were good with a couple better then others. For the day, we had a nice load of fish tagged and put into the RSW today. We are staying put and trying this area again tomorrow, we will let you know. Our picture today is Joe Dorando with a nice bluefin tuna."



Back Bay Bonefish Bite

Doug Kern, manager of Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Store, found a nice catch when he took some relatives skiff fishing on San Diego’s back bay July 5.

“We got ten bonefish,” said Doug to dock reporter Bill Roecker the next day,” and they were fat, up to 16 inches. We used ghost shrimp to get most of out fish, and we also got some yellowfin croaker and black croaker. The croakers will go, with permission, into our saltwater aquarium at the center front of the store, where they’ll keep our opaleye and a goby company.”

There will be much more to come, but they’re getting ‘em out there right now. Buzz Brizendine returned from 110 miles early this morning, and said the albacore are on the bite. Local boats are scoring very well, and today the bluefin went back on the feed. It appears that tuna and yellowtail are biting very well from about 80 miles all the way south to Alijos Rocks and The Ridge, not to mention that white seabass bite off La Jolla.

Bill Roecker watched Norm Kagawa preparing a pal’s seabass this morning, and the fish weighed 62 pounds! A look in that baby’s gullet showed the king croaker to be jugged with fresh squid. The bad weather has subsided and fishing’s good again. Right now boats are running light, so this is the right time to go fishin’!

Braid Bags Bluefin

Dennis Braid took his annual charter aboard the Excel fishing offshore and caught the trip’s second-largest bluefin tuna. The trip was eight days, with 21 anglers and skipper Justin Fleck guiding the group, and visited Alijos Rocks and offshore areas, as well as some yellowtail fishing on the beach.

Braid posed July 5 with his big bluefin, a 55-pounder, in front of the new Fisherman’s Landing building.

“We had good bluefin fishing the first couple of days,” Dennis told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “with a pick bite and a good show of fish near the boat. Most were found by spotting ‘em from the boat.

“Alijos Rocks was a slow pick on yellowfin on mixed tuna and yellowtail of 20 to 40 pounds with some bigger ones. The kite and the double sardine rig worked well.”

Sean Mullen of Lomita won first place for a 110-pound yellowfin he caught on the kite after a 20-minute fight on the boat’s kite outfit.

World record holder (388-pound yellowfin) Curt Wiesenhutter of Coer d’ Alene, ID won second place for a 72-pound yellowfin tuna. It also came on the kite. Ernest O’Dell of Helena, MT got third place for the trip’s best bluefin tuna, a 63-pounder.

“We saw bluefin from Benitos to Ensenada,” remarked skipper Fleck. “We saw one bunch of good ones packed so close they were rubbing each other on some small bait, but they wouldn’t bite very well.

“But today we heard they were biting, and it’s flat calm out there. Sammy Patella (American Angler) had an excellent catch first thing this morning. It looks like we’ll have good spring and early summer fishing.”



Lomita Angler Tops ‘Gun Trip

James Benedict of Lomita had the best fish aboard the Shogun when Norm Kagawa brought the boat back to Fisherman’s Landing from a three-day trip July 5. There were 30 anglers aboard.

Benedict said his 32-pound bluefin took a sardine on a 2/0 Flyliner hook. He fished with 25-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 25-pound Izorline and 50-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 335 reel and a Calstar 6465 rod, and decked his prize in 20 minutes.



Izorline Trip Finds Forkies

Art Taylor’s Searcher returned to Fisherman’s Landing July 5 after a good visit to Cedros Island. Art drove the boat, and his second skipper Aaron Remy showed the boys how with a 42-pound mossback he got with a mint green/blue Candy Bar. He said he used a Newell reel with a cracked handle and an Ulua rod, “typical boat gear.”

A pair of Izorline reps also highlined the catch. Norm Fujimoto of Izorline and Fullerton was chartermaster, and took a 36.6-pound yellowtail.


The trip produced near-limits, he told Bill Roecker, “…most on the yoyo jig, but the big one came on the flyline. They were on the lee side.”

Izor rep Ernie Seko of La Palma was on a busman’s holiday, and won first place for a 38.6-pound yellow. He said it bit a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad hook tied to 30-pound Izor fluorocarbon leader, 30-pound Izorline mainline and 65-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 800 ML rod. He said the fish scrapped with him for 20 minutes.

Alvin Flores of San Diego won second place for a 34.6-pounder, and Jerry Walton of Las Vegas won third place for his 33.8-pound yellowtail.

Make your own marinade from scratch:

One and a half cups of fresh pineapple, or canned, if fresh isn’t available; no juice

One and a half cups of soy sauce

Three cloves of garlic

One finger of ginger

Seasoning salt (to taste)

Blend all and marinade.

Intrepid docked under skipper Kevin Osborne’s hand at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 4, after the Mike Shirer Group eight-day trip with 24 anglers.

Bob Douglas of Rancho Palos Verdes won first place for a 109.2-pounder Alijos yellowfin tuna.

“I just got out on the kite,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and the ‘dines were dancing on the surface, when whomp! He bit. It took me 30 minutes to get him in on the boat’s kite rig.”

That rig consisted of two sardines on 3/0 ringed Mutu hooks, with 60-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 80-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6364 XXXXH rod.

Randy Ito took second place for a 104.8-pounder, and Jess Drake of Westminster won third place for a 102-pound tuna.

Fourteen-year-old R.J. Marrocco of Shelby Township, MI fished aboard the trip, and posed with a yellowfin tuna. He goes to Mallow Senior High where he plays tennis.



“Fish To Catch Everywhere”

Randy Toussaint brought his Royal Star home to Fisherman’s Landing on the Fourth of July, after an eight-day trip to all the regular and recently productive spots, including Alijos Rocks.

“Overall, it looks like there’s fish to catch everywhere,” he remarked, “but some of it is weather conditional. When it’s nice weather it’s pretty good catching.”

Kurt Dearie won first place for an 80-pound yellowfin. John Hastey of Bonsall borrowed a similar fish from Bonsall Bob for a photo. He won second place for a 66-pound Alijos yellowfin. Brent Hirsch won third place for a 63-pound bluefin.



Eleven On The Iron For Youngster

Paul Strasser and Kyle “Rooster” Karcher brought Independence home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing after a five-day trip on July 4. The trip was a long-standing charter by Purfield’s Pro Tackle, and owner Richard Schaffer was aboard as chartermaster.

“This was a group of mellow anglers,” said Schaffer,” and the skipper made great choices. Benitos was right even with the bad seals. We found good quality yellowtail both at Cedros and Benitos.”

Homan Khaki of Sportfishing Report and Camarillo won first place for a 36.4-pound yellowtail he caught on a Tady 45 in blue and white.

“I saw the fish crashing,” he said, “so I tossed out the jig, and he hit it right away. These were good old quality Cedros yellowtail.”

Khaki said he used 40-pound Izorline on an Accurate BX-2 600N reel with a Seeker Ulua nine-foot rod.

Fred Lee of Rolling Hillsgot a 35.4-pound yellowtail for second place. Don Padick of Altadena and Sportfishing Report won third place for a 32.8-pound yellowtail.

Eight-year-old Dylan Cook of Menifee fished with his dad on the trip. It was only his second trip, but he pegged 11 yellowtail on the iron, mostly with Salas 6X Hr. jigs. He goes to Evans Ranch School, where he plays first base. He drilled the yellowtail, but posed with his bluefin tuna.



Local Fishing Good Inshore & Offshore

The white seabass bite off La Jolla that’s been going on for about a month is still going strong, according to local skiff anglers. Fishermen who work behind the counter at Pt. Loma and Fisherman’s Landing have reported taking whites up to 50 pounds over the past few days.

Most of the fish are coming on fresh squid, made and fished in about 90 feet. A few have come on the iron or on big plastic baits called slugs, in white or squid colors. It seems odd, but few of the fish being caught are reported to be wearing wire tags in their heads, possibly indicating a particularly strong run of fish migrating up from the south.

The Bell Bank has been productive for albacore over the past few days. Drew Henderson brought Polaris Supreme back from a day and a half trip July 4 with 130 longfin. Vagabond also arrived July 4 with what looked to be a good catch of albacore.

Long Ranger Passes

The news came from Tracy Toussaint of the Royal Star. Bill Roecker and Paul Sweeney were grieved to hear of the passing of long range angler Jim Ruch of Ojai June 17. Ruch had been getting chemotherapy treatment. We had fished with Jim on several boats, and knew him to be a fine angler and a concerned conservationist.

During his working career Ruch held many important positions, including Director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, California State Director of the United States Bureau of Land Management, and executive vice president of the Grand Canyon Trust.

He enjoyed long range fishing to its fullest after he retired. In 2007 he published a book of poems, “A Somewhat Different Nature,” by PUBLISHAMERICA, LLLP. It is a book of rhyming verse for the most part. Occasionally Ruch probes into the meanings of nature, through his experiences hunting and fishing.

One memorable stanza from his poem “Hunting Snow” exemplifies Ruch’s love of the wild, his pursuit of personal truth, and introspective recognition:

Out of the gray wind, northern, new, geese cry.

Urging something hidden in old genes.

Responding to frost on brown grass

And the scent of a pheasant’s splendor

In the dog’s eye.

Jim Ruch will be missed by the many who knew him and fished with him.

The annual trip for youngsters aboard Frank LoPreste’s Royal Polaris returned when skipper Roy Rose docked the boat at Fisherman’s landing July 3. There were 36 anglers on the boat for the seven-day trip, said Roy.

“We had very good fishing,” noted Rose. “The future looks good. Tuna showed up until we got about 150 miles from port on the way back.”


Dock reporter Bill Roecker and office manager Scotty Shintaku rounded up the junior anglers for a photo of the younger kids with their best fish.

The adult jackpot was won by Brandon Kreutel of Escondido, for a 40.2-pound yellowtail he bagged with a mint-colored 7X jig on 50-pound Izorline. He said he used a Newell 533 reel and a Seeker Ulua rod.

Lexi Louchious of Orange County won second place for a 38-pound yellowtail that bit a sardine on a 3/0 gorilla hook tied to 40-pound Blackwater flourocarbon and 60-pound Blackwater Spectra on an Accurate 870 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Leslie Braun of Clayton also had a 38-pound yellowtail.



Triple-Sponsored Trip

John Klein docked his Qualifier 105 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 3 after a seven-day trip with 25 anglers, sponsored by Hugh Cobb’s Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle, “Cowboy” Gary VanderLyke and Hoss Hoag. There was a good catch of yellowtail aboard and three white seabass, two of which were caught by A.J. Waters.

“This was the nicest group of people you’d ever want to fish with,” said Cowboy. “We got plenty of yellowtail, so it looks good for the future.”

Mike Dunning of Pomona won first place for a 51.6-pound bluefin tuna.

“He gave me the best fight I’ve had in years,” said Dunning. “He took me around the boat three times.”

Mike said he used a sardine on a 3/0 gorilla hook, tied to 30-pound Maxima line and 30-pound Spectra on an Avet JX reel and a Shimano five and a half-foot rod.

Ron Gerstenberg of Dinuba won second place for a 50.2-pound bluefin, and Dave Smith of Poway got third for a 34.4-pounder. Eight-year-old T.J. Ponder of Encinitas, on his first fishing trip, caught a bluefin and an albacore. He posed in the jackpot lineup shot with his albie. He goes to El Camino Creek School.



Rooster Comes Up Roses

Joe D’Acquisto skippered his first eight-day trip aboard Red Rooster III to success, arriving at H&M Landing July 3 with 20 nearly limited out anglers and a catch of yellowfin, bluefin, albacore and yellowtail.

Joe said he took his group fishing for two days offshore, three days at Alijos Rocks and a day at Cedros Island.

Chris Cossins of Calgary, Alberta won first place for his 118.3-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he caught it with a sardine on a 9/0 Mustad hook under the kite, on the boat’s kite rig: 130-pound Izorline, 130-pound Izor Spectra, an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760 XH rod. The battle lasted 45 minutes, said Cossins.

Robert Yoon of Northridge won second place for a 113.8-pound tuna. Eric Lund of Rancho Santa Margarita got third place for a 94.4-pound Alijos yellowfin tuna.

The Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament was created to benefit Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI), a non-profit marine research Institute founded in 1963 to seek scientific solutions that protect and conserve marine animals while benefiting humans and their reliance on marine resources, including seafood.

Since 1983 Hubbs aquaculture scientists have bred, raised, and released more than 1.6 million juvenile white seabass.

Thanks in part to this extraordinary program, the white seabass, a popular recreational and commercial fishery, has staged a remarkable recovery.

While many marine science programs deserve support, this one is virtually unique in that it actually returns fish to the sea!

“Yesterday afternoon we arrived at Hipolito,” wrote skipper Justin Fleck for the Excel July 1, “and could see very good sign of yellowtail but they just wouldn't bite. We decided to stay the night and it really paid off for us. This morning, the forktails showed up in the early AM and bit full speed right up until we pulled the anchor and left them on the corner. Once again the hot ticket was definitely the Salas 7X surface iron. Watching a 30-plus-pound yellow crash on your jig never gets old.

“Since we have all the yellowtail we can handle, we are headed out to the Rocks to see if we can continue our good luck and catch a tuna or two.”



Yellowtail Bite

“We just wanted to let you know how our trip is going,” said the report for Independence July 1. “The first day of fishing we spent it off shore looking for tuna and it was tough. We had good weather and conditions but the fish were not there. We fished hard all day for a few albacore and yellow fin tuna. The fish were down so we decided to come in and fish yellowtail today and were rewarded with a good day of fishing for all everyone had a good time catching 15 to 20-pound yellows on the iron and we are going to try our luck at it again tomorrow.”



Left The Rocks

“We had a great day here at the Rocks,” noted skipper Kevin Osborne of the Intrepid July 1. “It was one of those days where everyone was able to land a nice-sized Yellowfin along with many other species. It was an all-day deal on the tuna and yellows, along with a very nice amberjack for Michael Price, and an assortment of bottom dwellers.

“Best thing about the tuna was that they were all good ones in the 50 to 100-pound class. The weather picked up a bit yesterday afternoon and last night was a bit uncomfortable for those of us sleeping up top, but by morning things had calmed down and the wind was just right for our kites. The current turned around and the tuna started putting on a show.

“We spent most of the day at the Rocks and left them biting at 0500 on our way to the beach for some yellowtail fishing. Almost everyone on board has the Trifecta on the Tuna's, albacore, bluefin, and yellowfin. The ride could be a little rough if we didn't have these stabilizers working over time for us. The ride is nice and the atmosphere on the boat is high.”



Yellows Biting: Seals, Too

“Today we fished Cedros Island,” said the Red Rooster III report July 1, “and we had good fishing. We would of had an excellent day if the sea lions didn't eat half of what we hooked. The bummer about the sea lions is that they didn't eat the whole fish, just the bellies, and then came back for another one. It made the day tough. The fish were 15 to 18 pounds with some up to 35 pounds. The weather is up, so we are going to finish at San Martin or San Jeronimo. It depends how bad it is tonight. Wish us well on fishing and weather.”



Star-ing Big Yellowtail

“We pieced together a decent day for 85 yellows highlighted by an incredible afternoon show on 30 to 40-pound fish," reported Royal Star July 1. "The premium grade was reluctant to bite but we managed to boat 21 of them by dark. With choppy weather offshore, we've opted to spend the night here in the lee and hope it bites tomorrow.”



Quality In the Bumps

“Weather continues to be a bit bumpy,” noted Royal Polaris July 1, “with a stiff northwest wind (15 to 18 knots), overcast skies. We did make the best of our day today, with a good bite on Bluefin in the 18 to 25-pound range, and a few going over 30 pounds.


“We also caught a handful of albacore. We are now headed for the beach, and we will fish for a couple of hours, then head for home. So until tomorrow, wish us luck.”

“A Good Day”

“It was a good day of yellowtail fishing,” related the report from Shogun July 1. “We moved around hit a bunch of spots, feed the local sea lion population and still came away with a bunch of fish for the hold. The weather came down, we do have some drizzle, but the wind has backed off quite a bit.

“Lots of pictures today and I would like to mention, thanks to Kevin Cooney for the use of his Newell 533 that was converted to a 522. Kevin, it works great, got a 30 pounder with it today!”



Recent Notes to FishingVideos.com

“Bill: Thank you very much for posting the picture of Bernie Caughlin with the Opah on your website today. You guys do a great job with the Website!
Bob Hara (by email June 30, 2010)

“Bill:
 Great report (Excel trip returned June 27) and great fishing with you and Leif, who was fun to spend a week with. Thanks again for the reel giveaway and for posting Sarah’s picture in your report.” 
Mike Reader (by email June 30, 2010)

“We had another nice day of fishing on the offshore tuna grounds,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck June 29, out fishing on a Braid trip. “For the amount of fish we saw around, they just didn't bite very well. But we were still able to string a few nice stops together. To keep things interesting, we saw a nice mix of bluefin up to 60 pounds.

“Unfortunately the weather is forcast to come up a notch or two, so we will be heading into the beach for the next couple of days to concentrate on some yellowtail. Here are some pictures from our day.”



Albacore Down

“After the decent albacore fishing we had last trip,” reported American Angler June 30, “we were ready to do it again. We woke up to another beautiful light wind morning and witnessed one of the charter boats getting a triple jig strike and 5 baitfish. We didn't think twice about it as we figured we would be enjoying steady strikes throughout the day. Little did we know that one blind jig strike for three fish would be it.

“We were fortunate enough to find an area of bluefin boilers in the afternoon where we could at least stop the boat and fish. We saw plenty, but they acted like bluefin and most of the spots did not want to bite. We ended up with 16 bluefin for the afternoon and each one that came over the rail was greatly appreciated. It is weird to find out that the albacore was down in the lower area as well and once again it is more than coincidental that when they are down, they are down everywhere.”



Tuna On The Q

“Day three (of the Cowboy/Hoag/Cobb seven-day trip) was, for the most part, a hunting expedition,” noted the report from Qualifier 105 June 30. “John decided that going to the Rocks wasn't worth the time spent running versus fishing time that we can enjoy on a seven-day trip fishing for albacore, bluefin and yellowtail. We spent the day looking and stopping on meter time marks and top water signal. Every stop produced a few very nice albacore or bluefin.  One spot  in particular was good for a good number of 30-pound tuna.  One late stop was big on quality but small on quantity as Qualifier 105 veterans Ron Gerstenberg and Mike Dunning each landed beautiful bluefin in the 50-pound class.  Ron got his fish on an ancient Penn 500 reel, which had been used by his father many years ago.  His fish took him around the boat three times but 73-year-old Ron won in the end.

 Tonight we dined on gourmet chicken, sweet mashed potatoes and beans, prepared to perfection by chefs Chris and Johnny.  Tomorrow we'll be fishing for yellowtail at Ceros Island.”



Intrepid Report

"Good evening anglers," Intrepid reported June 30. "Today we arrived at Alijos Rocks around 0830 to find fishy looking conditions and slightly choppy seas. With a fair bite on 30 to 40 pound yellowfin we stayed busy and with a few over a 100 pounds it kept our fisherman on their toe's. We just set up for hopes of some night time yellowtail and maybe some early morning tuna."



Rocks Go Slow

“The (Alijos) rocks were slow today,” reported Red Rooster III June 30. “We had 37 tuna and 17 yellowtail. It was still the same grade. I'm sure if we stayed we could have scratched out some more but the weather is getting bad and is supposed to get worse so we opted to get altitude where the weather is somewhat decent. We will be at Cedros Island tomorrow in hopes of good action on yellowtail. It would be nice to have good action on yellows to round out a great trip.”



Star Scratches A Jackpot

“We scratched out a fair morning here at the rocks for 40 yellowfin tuna with a sprinkling of yellows but unfortunately the afternoon fell flat.”

“With the weather picking up a notch and the fish going off the bite, we opted to start our trek back up the line earlier than expected and are hoping for a good day of yellowtail fishing tomorrow in the lee of an island. Kurt Dearie with an 81-pound yellowfin, is today's shot, which is the jackpot at this point.”



RP Tries Big Island

“Weather continues to be excellent,” noted royal Polaris skipper Roy Rose June 30, “with flat seas, clear skies, and sunny. Fishing continues to be good, with quality yellowtail in the 22 to 30 pound range, with a few going over 40-plus pounds.

“We spent the whole day at the island, and we are now headed back to the albacore/bluefin grounds, and it's a little bit bumpy.”


Out on the annual Kid’s Trip, Roy concluded, “We will spend a full day of offshore fishing, hopefully the tuna will cooperate. With that note, we will close for now, so wish us luck.”