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Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing November 1 after the 14-day annual Winter Wanderlust trip of 14 days with 20 anglers. He had two very large tuna aboard, one he estimated at over 330 pounds. There were 11 cows on the boat.
“There weren’t many close to 200 pounds,” Cates told Bill Roecker as he cinched up the big one. “They were either 220 or more or they didn’t make it.”
Hoisted on the certified scales, the massive critter came in well over its estimated weight, tipping the digital scales to 351.2 pounds, a weight that has in past years often made fish of the year honors.
The giant yellowfin was caught by 75-year-old Bob Peters of Medford, OR, and won first place in the jackpot. He said his best previous tuna went 260. Bob said he used a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri leader, 130-pound Izorline and 100-pound Line One Spectra.
As Cates was hoisting the tuna, I remarked to Bob, “That is one big SOB, he might be bigger than Andy thought.”
“I called him a lot worse than that,” said Bob, “when I was pulling on him.
“He made several runs,” added Bob, “and took about two-thirds of my line. He came up in the front of the boat, on the port side.”
Jim Kokesh of El Granada had a fish on the cusp of 300 pounds, but the scales said it weighed 294, good enough for second place. Kokesh said he took it with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Blackwater Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Boomer Jr. rod.
“He fought long and hard,” said Kokesh, “for about two hours.”
John Nelson of Escondido won third place for a 277.2-pound tuna. That one bit on a live skipjack festooned with an 11/0 Mustad 7691 hook. Nelson said he used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.
“He took me around the boat once,” said Nelson. “He came up in the port corner.”
John Wichmann of Oceanside bagged a brace of cows weighing 236 and 258 pounds. He fished sardines on 5/0 Super Mutu hooks. He fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 XH rod.
Mike Butler of Sonoma took a 235.8-pound tuna on a four-pound yellowfin pinned to a 12/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He told dock reporter Bill Roecker he used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXH rod.
Joe Davidson of San Pedro caught a 226.5-pound tuna on a sardine and a 12/0 Mustad circle hook. He fished with 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 130-popund Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Shimano TTS 50 reel by Cal sheets and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.
Larry Martin of Dayton, NV bagged a 265.5-pounder with a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Maxima line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
“It took about an hour and 15 minutes,” said Larry, “in the skiff. Everyone should go for a skiff ride at least once!”
Charles Tanaka of San Francisco got a 2565-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook. He told Roecker he used 130-pound Seaguar and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 topless reel and a Calstar 770 H rod.
David Snyder of Thailand came back to the US to fish, and caught a 220-pounder on an 8/0 Mustad J hook, a 94150, he thought. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 30 T reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
“My best fish,” he told Roecker. “He fought for 45 minutes, and he came up at the bow.”
Fred Wakefield of Tustin got the trip’s “small cow,” a 211.9-pound yellowfin that bit on his sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 100-pound Momoi Diamond line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod, custom-wrapped by Melton’s. He said the fish fought for 40 minutes and came up on the starboard stern corner.
Captains Andy Cates, Joe D'Acquisto, John Grabowski
(619) 224-3857 - H&M Landing
“Good wahoo fishing,” remarked Royal Polaris skipper Roy Rose after docking the boat at Fisherman’s Landing November 1. “We fished at Alijos Rocks, The Ridge and up above.”
There were 28 anglers aboard for the ten-day trip, and they had a number of larger tuna from The Rocks, as well as a good catch from The Ridge. The most unusual specimen came from “up above.”
Bob Brister of Palm Springs caught the last fish of the trip, he said. It was a 58.2-pound white seabass, and it came up from 20 fathoms on heavy, 100-pound line, as Brister was looking for a big yellowtail to horse away from the rocks.
“My best white ever,” said Bob, who got it with a sardine.
Ron Brister of Austin, TX won first place in the jackpot for a 92.2-pound yellowfin that took a sardine on a 4/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 40-pound Izorline and 80-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 6-3 reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.
“It took an hour,” said brother Ron."He was a stubborn fish, but he came up in the end at the port corner.”
Marcos Flores of La Habra won second place for an 86.8-pound tuna. Duane Gray of Laguna Beach won third place for an 84.4-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.
San Diego Anglers Club Scores Limits
Mike Lackey brought his Vagabond home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 31 after a ten-day trip with the
San Diego Anglers Club. There were 17 fishermen aboard, and they visited Guadalupe Island during a brief open period, and then went down to The Ridge.
“The water was up to 83 degrees at the 38 Spot,” noted Captain Mike. “We got out limits of tuna and there were a lot of small dorado, but the anglers agreed to release all of them. We only kept a few bigger ones. It was an excellent ten-day trip.”
Bob McKittrick of La Mesa won first place in the jackpot for a 97.8-pound yellowfin he bagged with a sardine on a 4/0 Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 80-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 80-pound Big Game Spectra on an Accurate B2 600 N reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.
“I got him on in only 20 minutes,” he said. “I really like this new reel.”
Tim Gunter of Carlsbad won second place for a 79.8-pound tuna.
Scary Johnny Bass
Spirit of Adventure arrived at H&M Landing October 31 after a 10-day trip with 19 anglers. Skipper Mike Keating docked his boat and weighed the best of the catch.
Joe Dunn was one of the anglers aboard. Dunn is well-known around the docks, having owned and skippered the Champ and other boats over a long career.
“I got three wahoo,” said Joe to dock reporter Bill Roecker. “Not those little 25-pounders; three nice wahoo. Not bad for a guy who’s 91, huh?”
Rick Rudd of La Mesa won the jackpot for a 49.7-pound bull dorado he caught on 30-pound line.
“He made about a dozen jumps,” said Rick. “He’s my best dorado.”
Flint Swassond of Iowa had a 41-pound yellowfin tuna.
John Hatakeyama of LA caught what may be the world’s biggest Johnny bass. The giant weighed 7.1 pounds on the H&M certified scales. It has other names, and may also be known as a yellowtail rockfish.
Hatakeyama said he caught it on 40-pound Izorline and a 4/0 Owner offshore hook. He was looking into submitting it for a world record.
Captains Mike Keating and Brian Evans
(619) 222-1144 - H&M Landing
Qualifier 105 docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 31 after a 15-day trip sponsored by
The Rusty Hook,
Seeker Rods and
Accurate Reels. Joe Crisci was the skipper, and owner Alex Masumoto of The Rusty Hook was aboard, as were Bob Michener for Accurate and Brian Porter for Seeker. There were five cows on the boat.
“The bites came in flurries,” said skipper Crisci, “with the big ones biting best from three in the afternoon until five or later. You had to be ready. There were small flying fish around, and we found some red crab in some of the fish. We had nice weather.”
Brian Porter of Downey won first place for a 236-pound yellowfin he bagged on the boat’s kite outfit with a double sardine bait rig. He said it had 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Big Game Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.
“I used my Two by Four Super Seeker bait stick for everything else,” he remarked. “It was the only stick I used the whole time. It was a time of day thing for the bite, from three until closing time.
“Sardines were our only bait,” continued Porter. “Most of us fished with 100-pound line.”
Phil Lisi of Costa Mesa got a brace of cows, tuna over 200 pounds. He won second place for a 229.9-pounder, and he also got a 208.8-pound yellowfin.
“The big one fought like hell,” said Lisi. “He took me around the boat three times.”
Lisi said he fished with sardines on 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He used 130-pound Big Game fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.
Jeff Bruner of Westminister got third place for a 215.2-pound tuna. He said he also used the boat’s kite rig, with a squid bait on a pair of 14/0 Mustad 7691 hooks.
Tony Montez of Moreno Valley caught a 213-pound tuna on sardines under the kite, with the boat’s outfit.
Fish Of The Year? Already? 
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