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.