| Holi-e-Mackeral
Name: Jeff Age: 47 Vessel: 18" Parker Holi-e-Mackeral Location: Orange County, CA Job:Sales
Posts: 271
| 71 cows on board, 4 more days to fish... from the Excel
From the Excell
Hello Anglers,
Today was another incredible day of yellowfin action aboard the EXCEL. We picked up 18 fish for the day, a 191, 199, and 16 fish from 204 to 271 pounds. Along with the 200 pound fish that we put in the fish hold we also released 4 fish estimated from 220 to 240 and a few 150 to 180 pounders. Our mission tee next three days is to catch 4 more yellowfin in the high 200 pound range and that is about all we will have room for. So far for the trip we have 71 yellowfin that have taped over 200 pounds, one over 300 pounds and another 11 fish in the 190 to 199 pound range and hopefully some of the 190’s will make the 200 pound mark. Wish us luck on the rest of the trip. Shawn and the crew
More reports.... from returning boats.
12/06/05
LoPreste Resets Mark
Royal Polaris backed into Fisherman’s Landing December 5 with a new mark for cow tuna aboard the 113-foot sport fisher; 68 tuna over 200 pounds. That best-ever catch mark would have been astounding a couple of months ago; now it may not last out the week. Even so, it was a truly remarkable catch, made in just ten days, that shows just how good the fishing this fall on Baja’s southern banks has been and still remains.
Kathy Rounds of San Diego won first and second places on the trip for tuna of 295.5 and 292 pounds. She also had a fish that weighed 240. There had been hope her biggest tuna would weigh 300 pounds or more, making her the third woman to accomplish the feat of bagging a cow from a long range boat.
She remembered the fight with the 295-pounder: “It was the second day we were on the big fish, in the afternoon, about 2:30. Fishing was a pick, and I was on a long soak with a sardine. We weren’t moving much. I saw the boil on my bait and the line started screaming off my reel. He got about three-quarters of the Spectra off my Accurate 50. Then he went to the stern and made big loops across the back of the boat. We got him after 35 minutes.”
Photo here...
Kathy fished sardines on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing on her Accurate 50, and used a Calstar 760H rod. Kathy’s sister Nancy helped her out by posing with one of the two big tuna.
Jack Nilsen acknowledged Kathy’s catch by saying she was now the woman with the best yellowfin catches with Accurate reels, and offered her the reel of her choice. She said it would be an Accurate 50W reel.
Photo here...
Charles Reed of Porterville won third place for a 282-pounder. He got his fish with a caballito on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing. He fished with a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.
Photo here...
There were other notable fish: Mark Hilliard of Cayucos caught a 275-pounder; Steve Dodsworth of San Jose took a 270, 210, 205, and a 200-pounder; Matt Bingham of Livermore got a 266-pounder; Harold Davis of Davis Boats got a 262 and a 238-pounder; Steve McCall of Fresno got a 261 and a 201-pounder. One angler had six over 200 pounds: Manfred Schiruska of Woodland Hills. His fish weighed 241, 237, 231, 220, 215 and 203 pounds. That’s a heavy half-dozen.
Four women posed with big tuna: Kathy Rounds and her sister Nancy, both of San Diego, with Kathy’s 295-pounder and Nancy’s 196; Candy Cadd of Geyserville with a 240-pounder; and Kelly Angel of Fremont, with a 230-pounder.
Photo here...
I asked Frank if he thought we’d ever see this kind of fishing again.
“I think we’ll see this some more,” said LoPreste, “but I don’t think we’ll see it this good.”
“God, What Fishing”
Royal Star arrived at Fisherman’s Landing with 22 anglers led on their ten-day trip by skipper Randy Toussaint December 5. Stowed aboard (packed would be a better word) were 57 cow tuna.
“God, what fishing,” remarked Randy, “I can’t tell you…”
One of the fish weighed 308 pounds when hoisted on the boat scales at the fishing grounds, as were all of the Star’s fish. It was caught by Mark Shimozaki and was not available for photos. Mark said he got it after an hour and a half fight, with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Calstar 760H rod.
Photo here...
Joe Ramos of Hermosa Beach won first place, for a 287-pound yellowfin. Joe said the fish fought for an hour and a half, and bit a sardine on an 8/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.
Scott Fletcher of Redondo Beach found one that beat him up for two and a half hours, and won second place. The 282-pounder ate a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook, on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing. He fished with an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760H rod.
Bill House of Kingman, AZ got a 280-pounder. He said it took a mackerel on an 8/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, with 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line, a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Seeker 6463 XXH rod.
Photo here...
Bill Dunn of Frisco, TX used an unusual “Acid-wrapped” rod (the guides circle around the rod halfway to end underneath at the tip) to take three over 200 pounds: at 214, 238 and 252 pounds. He said he fished with sardines on 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He used 130-pound Line One Spectra backing and a tippet of 130-pound fluorocarbon from BHP tackle, an Accurate 50 reel and the custom Calstar 755 XXH rod.
Supreme Gets 31
Tom Rothery took his 24 Polaris Supreme anglers and chartermaster Nate Porter on a Dillon Beach Tuna Club 10-day trip that returned with 31 cow tuna December 5. The best one weighed 300.4 pounds.
Photo here...
Larry Stevens of Elk Grove got that super-cow, with a sardine rig under the fishing kite, on the boat’s kite rig. He said it fought hard for 40 minutes.
“I’m a rookie long ranger,” he said. “It was beginner’s luck. He hit in five minutes from my bait going in. I saw him boil. He went straight down. He took me up and down the side.”
Photo here...
Terry Fogel of West Sacramento won second place, for a 280-pounder.
Bob Warren of Davis took a 270-pounder after a two-hour, 20-minute scrap. He said his fish bit on a sardine, a 6/0 Mustad hook, 100-pound P-Line and 130-pound Spectra backing. He fished with a Penn 50 VSW reel and a boat rod.
Mike Lawson of Dillon Beach caught a 236-pounder with a sardine on a 9/0 Mustad hook tied to 100-pound P-Line and 130-pound Spectra backing. He used a 30 VSW reel and an Okuma heavy rod, which he said broke right at the end of the fight.
Indy Punches Cows
Skipper Jeff DuBuys docked Independence December 5 after a 10-day trip with 27 anglers. Jeff said, “It was a 10-day trip and we had fair fishing. Excellent weather, but we scratched for these fish.”
There were 34 cows on the Indy.
Photo here...
Jim Audette of Downey had a 289.7-pound tuna for first place. He said, “The best thing was using a Smitty harness; that made it so much easier. It took an hour and 45-minutes to bring him to the boat and then fifteen more minutes at the rail. I had a great time.”
Audette used a 5/0 Super Mutu ringed hook, 100-pound Izorline, a Tiagra 50 reel and a 6460 XH rod.
Jerry Eldridge had a 289.5-pound tuna and a 244-pounder. He won second place, and said, “How could you top this, It couldn’t get better.”
Dale Lethcoe of Sunland won third place for a 286-pound yellowfin.
He said, “Obviously, this was a trip of a lifetime but I learned a lot. It was my first 10-day, and I’ll be more prepared for next year.”
Mike Banda of Arcadia said, “It was my first time on the boat and I can’t say enough. The food was excellent, and I’m definitely going back again. The water was flat calm and the weather was a little hot actually, but beautiful.”
Almost Five Dozen
Qualifier 105 docked at Point Loma Sportfishing December 5 with another huge load of 59 tuna over 200 pounds. Joe Crisci guided the 27 fishermen on the ten-day trip.
Captain Joe Crisci said “We were maxed out; we had to cut the boat just to fit ‘em all.”
Phil Havlicek of San Francisco said, “The third and last day were really good. In the last hour, on the last day, Captain Crisci stretched the trip and it couldn’t have been more perfect. We literally had twenty-five 200-lb fish on at one time. It was like a Chinese fire drill, we got 33 that night, which was incredible. The crew did wonderful, and these two kids, Evan Cayeax and Neil Woodford, are incredible anglers.”
Chartermaster Joel Greenberg of Valley Village said, “We’re all gonna do the same dates next year. Brian Simms talked me into it. We used rubber band sinkers because the water was so still. We just had a lot of bait under the boat and it started as a trend, but quickly turned into a cult.”
Richard Kaae of San Bernadino had the best fish with his 295.7-pound tuna. He turned out to be the hot angler with catches of 231.6, 230.8, 217.7, and 204.4-pound tuna.
Jeremy Denman of Woodlands, TX placed second with a 276.9-pound tuna. He said he used a Cal-Baker 80N reel. Jeremy said, “It only took me 25-minutes; this 80N is an absolute winch.”
Fifteen year old Neil Woodford of Diamond Springs was third with a 272.3-pound tuna. He also had a 250.3, 213.7, and a 213.4-pound tuna.
Photo here...
In May of this year, Nanette Smith of Huntington Beach shattered her wrist, broke two ribs, and broke the L2 and L3 discs in her back while playing basketball. She said, “This trip was the ultimate rehab, but my back is really sore. I got on the boat just to see if I could do it. Before this trip, my previous big fish was sixty pounds, and I’ve just signed up to go back out the day after Christmas. I’ve never been more excited.”
Guy MacDonald of Anaheim, and Ringedhooks.com were sponsors for the trip. Guy said, “Most of the big fish were caught on Eagle claw 9/0 ringed hooks. I was using a ringed Super Mutu 6/0 hook. We slid right up on ‘em that last day. We dumped the tank on them, we were out of sardines, just dropped the box on ‘em. It was the biggest load ever.”
Vag Sticks ‘Em
Mike Lackey took a rare ten-day trip with 19 anglers on the Vagabond, and brought his fishermen home to Point Loma Sportfishing December 5 with 38 tuna over 200 pounds.
Photo here...
“I needed the crew to see it,” said Steve Spencer of Riverside, who won first place for a 297.8-pound tuna. “He went at least six miles. He fought for two and a half hours, and he took me around the boat seven times. I couldn’t believe it. I lost ten pounds.”
Photo here...
Steve said he got his whopper on a sardine and the kite, and that his previous best fish was a 68-pounder. He used a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook, 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Tiagra 50W reel and a 6460 XXH rod.
Dan Cash of San Diego got a 285-pounder for second place. He fished a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw ringed hook, Ande 100-pound line and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a custom Calstar 660 XH rod tied by his wife Liz Cash.
Photo here...
“He nearly spooled me four or five times,” said Dan. “Then I’d get it back to the topshot, and then he’d leave again. I got him with help from Mike, Gordon Lackey and the crew.”
Steve Berczik of Upland was third, for a 284.7-pounder. It fought for two hours after it took a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 100-pound Maxima line, 130-pound Line One Spectra backing, a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker 6364 XXXXH rod. He also had fish of 270.7 and 210.7-pounds.
Photo here...
“The big one’s my personal best,” he said.
Eddie Hagihara of San Gabriel played his 277-pounder for three hours. It bit a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. Eddie said he fished with 125-pound Soft Steel Ultra line, 130-pound Spectra backing on a 50 VSW reel and a 760H rod.
On the Soak
Brian Kiyohara docked American Angler December 6 after a ten-day trip with 25 passengers to the southern banks.
Photo here...
“It’s as good as it was before down there,” said Brian, referring to the fishing down south last month.
His anglers had 40 tuna over 200 pounds, and a catch of smaller fish that included at least one nice goldspotted sand bass, about a five-pounder with a half-pound octopus in its gullet. That one was caught by Ben Arellano of Bonita on a sardine.
Photo here...
The trip’s big fish was caught by Ken Corwin, who owns Ken’s Custom Reel in Oceanside. Ken got a 285-pound yellowfin on a sardine.
“I was just lucky,” said Ken. “He fought for about an hour, and I got stuck in the corner with him for a half-hour. He bit on the soak.”
Ken said he used a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 50S reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.
Photo here...
Larry Lau of Sacramento was second, for a 267-pounder that fought for a half-hour. He said he fishe with a sardine on an 8/0 Gorilla hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing, a Penn 50S reel and a Seeker 6364 XXH rod.
Andrew Owyoung of Sacrament was third, for a 265-pound tuna that bit a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He said he fished 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra backing on a 50S reel and a Seeker 6463 XXH rod.
“That fish was just tough,” said Andrew. “He fought for 30 minutes.”
Add June Pierce
The following e-mail came from Chris Dunn, and pertains to the recent postings about June Pierce, first woman to deck a 300-pounder aboard a long range boat.
“Hey Bill!
Saw the info about June Pierce’s big tuna…and I have a small point of clarification. She caught the 304 (I thought I remembered it as 302#) on a 14-day trip I was on down at the islands…Clarion. It was April of 1986. She and her husband Larry (I think they are from Indio or Desert Hot Springs?) also came on a June 6-day trip that Spring season on the Rooster.”
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