November 30, 2004 By Bill Roecker Previous Report <--- George Treneer with his 196lb yellowfin off the Red Rooster III

New Boat's Best
Independence brought the biggest fish aboard of her young career during a ten-day trip that arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 24. Skipper Jeff DeBuys and owner-skipper Paul Strasser ran the trip, which fished outside Mag Bay on most days, with some fishing in more northerly spots coming and going.

"We had great weather and saw excellent sign of big tuna down below," said DeBuys. "I guess we had pretty fair fishing on 'em; I want to be there when they decide to really bite. We had some very good wahoo fishing and some decent yellowtail on the beach on the way up."

Keith Tedrow of Hacienda Heights won first place for a 195-pound tuna. He said he got it with a mackerel on an 8/0 Super Mutu hook, with 80-pound clear Izorline and 100-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 30 SW reel and a Calstar 765H rod.

"He about killed me," said Tedrow. "My best tuna before this was a 24-pounder."

Tom Zaan of Costa Mesa was second for a 159.5-pounder, and Jim Carver of Oceanside was third, for a 159-pound yellowfin.

Gary White of San Diego, who works at Fisherman's Landing, got honorable mention for a 160-pound tuna.

35 Over 100
Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III November 24 after an 11-day trip to the southern banks that produced some 35 tuna over 100 pounds, along with a catch of smaller tuna, dorado and wahoo. Eight marlin were also hooked and released.

George Treneer of Oceanside won first place for a yellowfin that weighed 196 pounds on the H&M Landing scales (photo at top). He bagged his prize with a mackerel on a 7/0 Super Mutu hook, 100-pound Ande line and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 50S reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6460 XXH rod.

"He bit on the slide," said George, "and he took me around the boat three times and kept me on the bow for a half-hour before we gaffed him. I was on him for an hour and a half."

Wes Keusder of San Juan Capistrano won second place for a 176.7-pound tuna, and Jim Purvis of Coronado was third for a 176-pound yellowfin tuna. Chartermaster Jack Nilsen stood in for trolling jackpot winner Leo Reisen of Gray Eagle, with Leo's 64.9-pound wahoo.

REPORT: Battling Big Bruisers
Skipper Andy Cates took his Red Rooster III anglers on a tour of the southern banks during an eleven-day Accurate trip that offered a fly home option. This reporter was one who took that option, with cameraman Paul Sweeney. We flew out of Cabo San Lucas November 21. Fishing began outside the north end of The Ridge and we fished as far south as the Jaimie Bank, almost all the way to Cabo.

We found biting wahoo and dorado with some small tuna at our first stop. A very small kelp, just a couple of stringers, produced two or three wahoo around for us, and we banged it two or three times. I got a brace of 40-pound 'skins on a donated copper-colored heavy Kicker jig with a single hook; then a third wahoo bit it off. Bombs and other worked well, too, with Burns Bombs, home-made bombs, Tadys, Salas and Raider jigs getting bit.

What worked for me was a Seeker Black Steel 6470 Grabowski Special rod with an Accurate Boss narrow 665 reel and 50-pound Soft Steel Ultra line. The rig made long casts, had a high-speed, six-to-one wind and got bit even though I was slow to get to the rail.

I kept one wahoo and gave the other to the galley, where Chef Jorge Nicifore served it up the next day, deliciously breaded with his own recipe (which he said he'd share later). Jorge is a master wahoo angler himself (making his own bombs), and brought in at least three of the tiger-striped slashers. A couple of big ones, maybe 70-pounders, came on trolled Marauders and home-made rigs. Dorado up to 40 pounds were mixed in under the kelp.

As we worked our way south, we found fishing got tougher as we went. We fished a day each on a deep water bank southwest of Magdalena Bay, the Jaimie and the Finger for little or nothing. There were fish at all those places, and they were big, and they boiled in our chum but they wouldn't bite. We fished on small whales, porpoise and birds, all at once, sometimes, and we got a few dorado and small tuna for our trouble. We never had a meter mark of fish come up and bite.

We got five marlin hooked at once during a stop on a bird school, and I brought a striper to the boat on the 50-pound rig in about 15 minutes, for pictures and release. Deckhand Brian Shore said it looked to weigh about 135 pounds. We let all the marlin go, which is only proper.

Skipper Cates could see the big tuna on the meter and we could see them jumping under the birds, but they wouldn't bite. I fished hard, for a few small tuna to 40 pounds and a dorado around 30 pounds.

We headed north. Back at the deepwater bank things had changed, Cates learned by radio. Royal Star and American Angler and other long range boats were there, and now they were catching a few nice tuna from 60 to over 100 pounds. Two seiners were also there, we saw in the morning. We saw a good school of porpoise and birds, headed it off and threw sardines and mackerel chum like crazy, and the fish came up.

Big tuna jumped in the chum line, and a few of them bit. We had as many as five tuna going at once, and got about nine fish off that school over a couple of hours, though it was still run and gun, with the bites coming only on the slide. The first fish I hooked popped my 50-pound line like thread after it ran about a hundred yards. Oops; too much drag pressure.

I switched to 80-pound Ultra liner with an Accurate 30 two-speed reel and a Seeker 655 XXH rod, the heaviest gear I had. Skipper Cates urged his anglers to use 100 and 130-pound test. Most of them did just that, after that experience. You could hook 'em on 60-pound, but you'd have to go through two or three in order to land one, because they'd chew you off after beating you up. At least one angler fished 60-pound because he found it was the best way he could get bit after the slide.

We had some old-time regulars on the boat: Art Green of Newport, Hans Ruckert of LA and Del Marsh of Calstar, and they all caught fish on the slide. Fishing the slide may be tough, but experience seemed to help. The slide is that moment the boat slides to a halt after the skipper backs off the throttles.

"It's all presentation and location," said Cates.

Trying to appeal to the fish, most of us used circle hooks and fluorocarbon leaders. I fished with Mustad Demon 8/0 ringed circles made by Carl Burns, and with his 80-pound fluorocarbon leader.

There were only a couple of takers per stop; nearly all came as the Rooster slid to a halt. It was discouraging, chasing so many fish for just a few biters, but the weather was lovely, in the low 80's with blue skies, white puffy clouds, the breeze down and the seas flat. It was nice just to be out there watching all the wildlife going about its business.

Frigate birds soared in circles until the shearwaters and jaegers pinpointed the location of feeding tuna. Then they dived like the pirates they are, and we knew where to go. It reminded me of fishing in Panama, with trophy tuna showing often. But the big yellowfin were hard to coax off those porpoise; they wanted to get going again, no matter how much chum we brailed.

After a day of chasing and catching, we had to go back in to Magdalena Bay to make bait again. The next day was our last one, and we made a dozen stops for two or three dozen fish. The smallest was about 40 pounds, certainly no match for 100-pound line. But the big ones approached 200 pounds, and most needed the elephant gun to stop them. Cates was right; 100-pound line was a good bet to bring the fatties to gaff. Some of them took a couple of hours of sweat and stymie.

When it got dark, we had to head south for Cabo again, so most of us could fly home. Chartermaster Jack Nilsen lent reels to all who wanted to try them, and he gave away an 870 Boss Magnum reel each day to the taker of the largest fish. When we got to port he invited all of us to the Hacienda Resort Hotel on the beach for a morning's rest with chips and dip, the hotel pool and margaritas or beer and soft drinks, before the boat had to depart for San Diego at noon. That evening, the 21st, Paul and I boarded AeroMexico flight 488 for Lindberg Field and home.

Thanks to skipper Andy Cates, second skipper Julio Ochoa, deckhands "Spike" Ivan, Brian Shore and Fernando Calleros for their expert help and advice and a smooth trip for trophy yellowfin tuna. Thanks to Chef Jorge and his helper Jose Flores for keeping us fat and sassy with fish, chicken, lamb, veal and beef; something different for every meal.

This is the second good year for trophy tuna on the southern banks. If you go down there, you've got a chance at the fish of a lifetime. Bring your biggest guns and a pocketful of patience. Get your bait in on the slide fast, and you could be on a true slugger of a yellowfin.

Southern Bank Report
"The weather was sunny and beautiful all day today," reported Frank LoPreste aboard his Royal Polaris November 15. "Fishing today was quite good on Yellowfin tuna and a handful of Dorado. Our biggest fish today was caught by Andy Vare on a 7-foot rod with 60-pound test line on a Boss 665 Accurate reel. The fish was a Yellowfin tuna that taped 235 pounds. We did lose one other big fish had several over 100 pounds, but most were in the 80 to 90-pound class. We also had some fish in the 20 to 40-pound category. We will give this one more day."

At the dock November 21, the jackpot winners were: Scott Linkletter of San Pedro, for a 159-pound yellowfin; Mark Bower of Tracy, for a 131-pounder; and Tommie Miles of Escondido, for a 128-pound tuna. The 30 anglers on board had a good catch of tuna and yellowtail, along with some wahoo and dorado.

Cows On Sonar
"We got most on sonar schools," said Excel skipper Shawn Steward at Fisherman's Landing November 23, after a ten-day, "Team 'Hoo charter trip down Baja. "We had one drift for three tuna over 200 pounds. We fished yellowtail on the beach for very good action."

Wayne Snowbarger of Paso Robles roped the biggest cow; a 259.2-pound yellowfin that fought for two hours after he hooked it with a mackerel on an 8/0 Eagle Claw circle hook, 100-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar Grafighter five and a half-foot rod.

"He hung at the end of my topshot three times," said Snowbarger.

Pete Price of Seattle, WA took second place for a 215-pound tuna that bit on a mackerel pinned to an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, 80-pound Big Game line, 130-pound Jerry Brown Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50W reel and a Calstar 760H rod. The fish was gaffed after 15 minutes when it came in tailwrapped.

Carl Dorton of Tarzana was third, for a 208.3-pounder. He said he bagged that one with a mackerel on a 6/0 Eagle Claw hook, 80-pound Big Game line tied to 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 30 SW reel and a Seeker 6460 XXH rod.

"He didn't want to come in," said Dorton of his 45-minute tussle.

Crewman Richard Utter posed with his father Dick Utter of Valley Center, who got his first big tuna, a 178-pounder, and his first wahoo.

Bit Used Bait
American Angler arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 23 under Sam Patella's hand. She was off a ten-day venture that fished with the rest of the long range fleet in waters southwest of Magdalena Bay, on a Cal Sheets/Swifty charter.

Glenn Bummer of La Crescenta won first place for a 205-pound tuna. He said he caught it with a mackerel on a 6/0 Eagle Claw hook, 80-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Spectra backing. He fished with a Penn 30SW reel and a Calstar 760H rod, and collected his winner after a 30-minute fight.

Eugene Wong of Marina del Rey was second, for a 180.5-pound yellowfin, and "T. J." Dave O'Halloran of Encinitas won third place, for a 166.5-pounder.

Tom Campbell of Apple Valley posed with George Williams of Carlsbad and a pair of nice "flats," or dorado.

Limits of Skins
"We had a good time and got limits of wahoo," said Spirit of Adventure owner-skipper Mike Keating at H&M Landing November 23, after an 11-day trip.

"At the end we tried to drive away from 'em on a kelp, about 50 short of limits. Then we saw another kelp, but we got stopped four times getting to it. We could see 'em all the way around us on the sonar screen. This was called The Bomb Squad" trip."

Ray Woolhether of Long Beach won first place for a 106-pound tuna he took with a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu ringed hook, 60-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Spectra backing. He said he fished a TLD 30 reel and a 700H rod.

Chartermaster "Big Jim" Boyle was second, for a 95-pound yellowfin, and Jimmy Yokota of Gardena was third, for a 92-pound yellowfin tuna.

The best 'skin was a 73-pounder caught by Steve Powell of Big Bear Lake. He stood in with the winners for the jackpot photo.

Half Dozen Cows
"We were on a one-hour drift," said Dale Kurata of Cerritos after he got off the Royal Star with a 245-pound yellowfin he caught with skipper Randy Toussaint.

"He bit 25 feet down," continued Kurata, "and he went out and then down. They used four gaffs on him once I got him up in the port corner. My best tuna before this one was 90 pounds. I got three over 100 pounds on this trip"

Dale said he fished a mackerel bait on an Eagle Claw 9/0 hook, with 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 30T reel and a 6460 XH Calstar rod.

Thomas Turner of LA won second place on the ten-day trip, for a 229-pounder. He nabbed it with a sardine, he said, an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook on 80-pound blue Izorline and 100-pound Spectra backing, and fished with a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 7465 ML rod.

Mike Ragan of Valley Center was third, for a 213-pound tuna he got with asardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook, 80-pound P-Line and 80-pound Spectra backing on a Tiagra 30 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a custom Calstar 765H rod by B&T of Escondido.

It's my first 200-pounder," said Ragan. "It took about 40 minutes."

Rick Sweetser of Huntington Beach had a 208-pounder on a sardine and a 4/0 Super Mutu ringed hook tied to 80-pound fluorocarbon leader on 100-pound Spectra. He fished with a Tiagra 30W reel and a Calstar 760M rod.

Kyle Walker of LA caught a 204-pounder with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook and 80-pound blue Izorline with a 100-pound fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Spectra backing. His Tiagra 30 reel was modified by Cal Sheets and he fished with a custom Calstar 765 rod by Bob Sands Tackle.

Skipper Toussaint commented on the behavior of the big tuna that are biting off Mag Bay and the southern banks, just as they did last year. "There's no rhyme or reason to it," he noted.

Stand-Up Fishing Show Schedule

Bill Roecker owns Oceanic Productions and provides promotional services for the San Diego Sportfishing Council.