Fast Wind Gets First Albacore

John Kukta, formerly of Burns Saltwater Outfitters and Turner’s Outdoorsman and now working for Fred Hall & Associates, bagged the season’s first albacore by cranking harder and faster.

“We had a four-way jig strike,” said Excel skipper Justin Fleck at Fisherman’s Landing May 27, “and John cranked fast enough to get his in first.”

The albacore was small, a “peanut,” but most gratifying to anglers here in the southland, who’ve been waiting for weeks for this event, signaling the arrival of longfin. Excel had 32 bluefin and 26 albies after skipper Fleck went toward a small area of warmer, 64-degree water.

“We’ve been watching the area for several weeks,” he said. “Thank God for Terrafin! We ended our six-day trip with all the Cedros yellowtail we wanted, just about limits, and we stopped to look at the spot. It was the right day, and flat as the harbor in front of us. There’s lots of birds and bait, lots of life around, and that clean, 64-degree water. I’m excited by the prospects.”

Fleck and his brother Chef Jason were headed for the airport to catch a flight out to Alaska, where they look forward to catching some Chinook salmon.

Kukta, from Laverne, told of taking the first albacore on a Burns hootchie in zucchini color. He used 80-pound Soft Steel Ultra line on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod; standard heavy trolling gear.

“I had a three-ounce silver torpedo sinker on there, too,” he noted.

The season’s first bluefin came to Steve Wolfe of Weston, who got the 29.8-pounder on a squid with a balloon.

“He jumped out of the water and crashed down on it,” he said. He used a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 50-pound Ande line, with a TLD 30 reel and a Custom Calstar 700 M rod.

Dan Smith of LA won first place for a dandy 48.8-pound yellowtail he bagged on a blue and white Salas 6X Jr. iron jig and a 40-pound rental outfit.

“This was my first trip,” he said. “I guess I did all right.”

Chris Cornette of Julian noted that his wife and son had been in jackpots, and now it was his turn, as he got second place for a 35-pound yellowtail.

“When we found the bluefin it looked like a kelp paddie or something,” he remarked. “We came up on this brown spot and it was all squid with their heads out of the water like they wished they could fly.”

James Ansite of Long Beach won third place for the trip’s best bluefin tuna, a 33.8-pounder.

Bass Rod Buster

Independence docked under owner Mark Pisano’s hand at Pt. Loma Sportfishing May 24. Her 31 anglers got limits of yellowtail on a seven-day trip sponsored by Big Fish Bait & Tackle. The boat caught fish in water from 58 to 64 degrees, and visited most of the major known spots between San Diego and Thetis Bank. Chartermaster Gary Buddenbohm got a 37.8-pounder himself.

“We went to Thetis, the 38, the 23, Uncle Sam Bank, Hipolito, the Benitos and Cedros Islands, and Chester Rocks,” said Gary. “We had good yellowtail fishing, with quality fish, some in the 40’s. Most were on the yoyo jigs and flylined baits. Chester Rocks was very good on the flyline and yoyo jigs. And we got some big reds, too.”

Jerry Sussman of Westlake Village fished with his “bass outfit” to bag a 52.8-pound whopper mossback on a sardine and a 6/0 Super Mutu hook. Describing himself as a “67-year-old OF,” Sussman said he used 30-pound Izorline, an Avet SX reel and a Lamiglas seven-foot rod, and that he got his best yellowtail ever after it took him around the boat three times.

Robert Galloway of Palmdale bagged a 43-pounder for second place, and Richard Neese of Torrance won third place for a 41.8-pound yellowtail.

Asked about what he’s seen on the trip, skipper Pisano said, “I’m waiting for the albacore, with this cooler water around. It needs to settle out. There lots and lots of plankton, a heavy feed layer.”

Brace of Super Cows

Excel arrived at Fisherman’s Landing May 19 after a 17-day Ralph Mikkelsen trip with 24 anglers. Skipper Justin Fleck took the boat to the Hurricane Bank and the Buffer Zone off Clarion Island, where an excellent catch of wahoo and tuna was made. Two of the tuna made the magic 300-pound mark, and the third-place fish, caught by David Choate of Torrance, just missed, when it hung out at 297 pounds.

The following information was provided by Excel Sportfishing’s manager Betty Stein and Bill Casper Jr. There were 17 tuna over 200 pounds, and the two over 300.

Peter Gammarano of Shoreline, WA got the best one, a 309-pound yellowfin. He’s been fishing for big tuna since 1979. Peter used a sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook to bag his trophy tuna, and tied the hook to 100-pound Big Game line. He fished with Power Pro 130-pound Spectra, a Penn 50 SW reel and a Baja Boomer rod by Calstar. He now has six 200-pound tuna.

“Big” Al Scow of Rancho Palos Verdes, an Excel regular for many years, bagged his 303-pounder on a Yummee plastic flying fish. He used 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar Bay Boomer rod.

David Choate, a pro staffer for Accurate and Seeker from Torrance, took a 297.6-pounder for third place. He also caught a 203 and a 206-pounder. Dave got the big one on a Braid Yummee Flyer on a Mustad 20/0 circle hook, 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used an Accurate 50 W reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod, also known as the “Rail Rod.”

Lew Kildall of Apache Junction, AZ got a 291.2-pounder with one of the boat’s outfits, after a skiff ride to chase the fish down.

Lawrence Nelson of Orange and Young’s Tackle bagged a 263.8 and a 228-pounder. He fished with 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel. The larger fish came on a Calstar 665 XXH rod and the smaller one on a Seeker 6455 XXH rod.

Long-time tuna record holder (388 pounds, in 1977) Curt Wiesenhutter of Coeur d’Alene, ID was aboard, and took a 263.4 and a 248.4-pounder. The bigger one came on an orange and black Marauder, very unusual and possibly the biggest ever caught that way. He used a Penn 70 reel for that one. The smaller tuna bit a mackerel on an 80 W reel. Both fish came on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. Curt fished with Calstar rods.

Oceanside angler Andy Marcum nabbed a triple: 262, 212 and 204 pound yellowfin tuna. He fished with 7/0 Super Mutu hooks, 130-pound Soft Steel line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel treated by Larry Coffeen and a Calstar 755 XXH rod wrapped by P-Bod. The big fish came on the kite.

Fishing with her husband Tom, Joann Ciciliano of Las Vegas caught a 236.8-pounder on a sardine and a Mustad 7/0 circle hook. She used 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 SVW reel and a Seeker 6455 XH rod.

George Meigs of Seal Beach found a 232-pounder with a sardine on a Mustad 3996S hook. He used a 130-pound Basil topshot and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Sabre 655 XXH rod.

Auggie Roberts of LA got a 228 and a 218-pound tuna. He used an Eagle Claw 8/0 hook, a 130-pound Basil topshot and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 SDS reel. He fished with a 6465 XXH Calstar rod.

Ulysses Quijada of Glendale caught a 205-pounder after an hour and 20-minute fight. He used a Mustad 7/0 circle hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra backing on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 655 XH rod.

The hugely successful Excel trip was the last of the 2007-2008 big tuna season for the boat. She’s out now, fishing on a shorter trip scheduled to arrive May 27.