San Diego California Report

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update August 7, 2009

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Counci

Making Of A Fisherman

Tim Ekstrom backed Royal Star into her slip at Fisherman’s Landing August 7 after the five-day Jason Hammond fifth annual trip. The 24 anglers aboard fished offshore and at Guadalupe Island, where Ekstrom described catching yellowfin by all normal methods during a protracted scratch.

“We saw lots of fish,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker. “Some bite, some don’t. We had a good night bite for big yellowtail. They were 30 to 40-pounders, and they bit well on scad slabs, but Whitey (white sharks) took his share.

“Fishing offshore the first day, we came on a school of bluefin at the surface and crewman Greg Tanji threw a surface jig on them as we slid up. An 80-pound bluefin jumped out of the water and did a complete flip and came down on the jig. Wow!”

Chartermaster Jason Hammond won first place for a 72-pound yellowfin. He said he got it with a sardine on a 6/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 50-pound Balckwater fluorocarbon leader, 50-pound P-Line and 65-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 12 LT reel and a Calstar 760 L rod.

Roger Hegyi of Laguna Niguel took his 14-year-old son Kevin with him. Roger won second place for a 67.5-pounder. It was Kevin’s first trip, and he caught a wonderful bunch of mixed tuna.

The pair posed for pictures. Kevin goes to Aliso Viejo High, where he is a quarterback in football and also plays baseball.

“He plays lead guitar, too,” said Roger. “He’s got a wonderful life in front of him.” “I had a great time,” said Kevin. “I’ll be coming back again.” Todd Fraser won third place for a 67-pound Guadalupe

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Brace of Heifers

“Guadalupe was good to us again,” says the American Angler report for August 6.

“The boat backed in this morning after a bumpy ride home, once again with a beautiful load of Yellowfin Tuna, two of which were over 100 pounds, and Yellowtail. Thanks to all who joined the trip, we appreciated you coming fishing with us!”

Jackpot winners

First place tie : Ron Hatada 105 pounds Yellowfin Tuna
First place tie : John Phillips 87 pounds YFT
Third place: Don Garcia 69 pounds YFT
Honorable mention: Tad Hirai 100 pounds YFT

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Staying Out of the Wind

Royal Polaris was at Guadalupe Island, where most of the best fishing has been lately. The lee side of the island offers shelter from the northwest wind, and is also usually the best place to catch the big yellowfin tuna that hang out there in summer. “Well, all good things must come to an end,” said the report for August 6. “We had big change in weather. We had 18 to 22 knots of breeze, with clear skies, and sunny. Even though we had a change in weather, the fishing continues to be good at the loop. “We had steady fishing until it was time to depart for Cedros island. Quality of the Yellowfin continue to be excellent with most of the fish in the 45 to 50 pound category, with the larger ones in the 70 to 80-pound bracket. We had 43 Yellowfin for our efforts. With the lack of Yellowtail at Guadalupe in the area we were fishing, Aaron made the decision to move east and try our luck at some Yellowtail at Cedros and San Benitos.”

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update July 30, 2009

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Counci

Cedros Jig Biters

Taka Tanaka’s annual five-day trip returned aboard the Royal Polaris with skipper Roy Rose on July 30. The 36 anglers got off at Fisherman’s Landing and Roy weighed the best of the catch.

“We fished offshore and at Cedros Island,” said Taka. “They were biting on jigs at the island, mostly on the yoyo jig. They also bit on the flyline.”

Zack Mouravian of Brea won the jackpot for his 30.6-pound yellowtail. He said it took a sardine in a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 40-pound Izorline on a Penn 4/0 reel and a Calstar 765 L rod wrapped by Luis at Taka Tanaka’s Tackle store.

Brian Fraser of La Palma won second place for a 24.4-pound yellow, and Keith Desroche of Buena Park took third place for a 20.2-pounder. John Woodward stood in with the group with his 20-pound yellowtail. 22 And Still Going

Excel docked at Fisherman’s Landing July 30, and skipper Justin Fleck tied her to the pier and offloaded his anglers and their catch. The five-day trip was the 22nd annual Sogioka-Stires charter, perhaps the longest-running charter of them all.

Beans Sogioka, the only man over 80 years old that Bill Roecker has met who can say he caught six cow tuna on one trip, was aboard, and other anglers said he was still the hot stick.

Don Sogioka of Ventura won first place for a 63-pound bluefin. That slugger bit on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he tied it to 40-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon. He fished with an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 700 M rod. Don used a two-ounce rubber core sinker to het his bait down about 100 feet, where the tusker bluefin picked it up and then continued on its way into the depths.

Lee Erlandson of Rancho Mirage won second place for a 55.7-pound yellowfin. Steve Wenzel of Redlands won third place for a 50-pound yellowfin.

Chris Erlandson, 17, fished with his dad Lee and got a nice bluefin on 20-pound line, but had to earn the fish with an hour-long battle that tired him about as much as the fish. He posed for a picture with his dad. Chris will be attending Pitzer College in Claremont. He plays football and basketball.

Five Is Enough

Tommy Rothery brought his Polaris Supreme home from a five-day trip with 21 anglers on July 30. His fishermen had a nice catch of mixed tuna and yellowtail.

Paul Oates of Huntington Beach won the jackpot for a 58.6-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he bagged it with a sardine on a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook and 50-poudn P-Line. He used a TLD 30 reel and a Calstar 765 L rod. Cody Emerson of Victorville won second place for a 53.6-pound tuna, and Al Preschutti of Mammoth Lakes took third place for a 52.8-pounder.

There were three generations of Emersons aboard the Supreme, and they posed for Roecker’s camera: Cody, his dad Mark of Victorville and granddad Dick Emerson of Rowland Heights.

Unreal

“The day started out slower than the previous morning, as expectations were high,” said the American Angler report July 29, “but there was little sign of fish. It took a while but when we located the fish, it was quite the show, as the 30 to 60-pound fish were free swimming in the water and they were actually biting too good. They were eating heavy line right out of the gate, but there was so much going on we had some massive multiple fish tangles. Everyone on the boat would have one on and there was fish after fish going through the corner unmolested.

Gary Teraoka from Accurate reels put one of Jack's new reels to the test, landing his 105-pound fish on the new B2-500 reel.

The dream continued when we left that stop and went fishing for yellows and had limit-style fishing on mixed grade yellows.

We understand that fishing is not normally this good but at least we now have a new high standard to always shoot for.

Luck Or Savvy?

“As we start our last day of fishing in the offshore grounds,” read the report from Intrepid July 30, “one has to think that we are extremely lucky or maybe we have some skill and some fishing savvy here on the Intrepid. We chose to hunt in an area where we knew the fish would be migrating through.

“At 6:30 am we found our temperature break and began working that edge. Textbook results! We got on a school of Bluefin Tuna at 7:00 am and are still drifting with them. The balloon is working well, along with a choice sardine on the flyline, without another boat in sight or within 20 miles of us and beautiful weather. What a great way to top off an already great trip!”

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update July 26, 2009

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Counci

Excellent Albacoring

“Our fishing was fine, just excellent,” said Royal Star skipper Brian Sims July 26 at Fisherman’s Landing. He had just returned from a five-day trip with 25 anglers.

“The fish were down yesterday, but that’s okay. They be back up shortly.”

George Green of San Clemente won the jackpot. His albacore weighed 39.5 pounds, one of many in the jumbo size range taken by the Star’s anglers. Green said he got it with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Flyliner hook. He used a 40-pound Shimano wind-on leader and 65-pound Line One Spectra. George had the first jackpot on the new Accurate B-2 500 reel and also used an Accurate seven-foot rod.

Baja Paddy Hoppers

The 16th anniversary of Sherman Lim’s charter group arrived July 26 aboard the Independence with skipper Jeff DeBuys at the helm. There were 29 Paddy Hoppers aboard the five-day trip with the boat tied up at Pt. Loma Sportfishing.

“We had good weather, and we saw some boomer albacore schools,” said DeBuys to dock reporter Bill Roecker at the scales. “We fished a bit at The Bush, Cedros and offshore.”

Mike Takaki of Torrance won first place for his 37-pound albacore. He used a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook, with 30-pound Izorline, and Avet JX reel and a Calstar 800 ML rod.

Takaki was tied by his brother Rick, also of Torrance. Rick’s 37-pound fish was a bluefin tuna. The pair posed with third-place winner Mike Giardino of San Pedro, who got a 36.8-pound albacore. Albacore Galore

Art Taylor docked his Searcher July 26 after a five-day trip with 24 passengers. He weighed the best of the catch on the certified scales at Fisherman’s Landing.

Kevin Weber of Cota de Caza won first place for a 40-pound albacore that took a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook, 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 30-pound Ande line. He fished with a Trinidad 40 reel and a seven-foot Calstar rod.

Gary Atkins of Palmer Lake CO won second place for a 39.6-pound albacore. Kim Day of Wilson took third in the jackpot for his 38-pound jumbo albacore.

Boy Cracks JP Lineup

Sixteen was a lucky number for at least one Intrepid angler when the boat arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 26.

“Another fun day on the Intrepid,” wrote skipper Kevin Osborne July 25. “Today was fun in a different way, as we chose to go kelp patty hopping around the ocean. We were rewarded with big bull Dorado and nice grade Yellows for our efforts. We found a spot of porpoise and picked up Yellowfin on the jigs as a bonus. We want to thank The Rod Rack and BloodyDecks.com for their support and a fun trip all around.”

Bluefin highlighted the jackpot spots. Joey Horvatch of Camarillo won first place for a 43.8-pounder, best fish of the day. Joey said he fished a sardine on a 3/0 Flyliner hook tied to 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 40-pound Izorline XXX mono, and Avet JX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Glen Kennedy of Thermal got second place for a 42.4-pounder, and 16-year-old John Normoyle of Fremont tied him with an identical bluefin. John will actually turn 16 July 27, and he will be going to Washington High in Fremont.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Catherine Miller 619-889-4322
Or H&M Landing at 619-222-1144

FISHING STIMULUS PACKAGE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED

Stressed and out of work? H&M Landing is offering up a unique prescription, a “Fishing Stimulus Package” for the unemployed. Their advice, “Go Fishing!”. Not only will a fishing trip to sea help soothe worries, it can result in a bountiful return for the dinner table. H&M Landing is extending an unprecedented discount to make it affordable.

They are calling it H&M Landing’s FISHING STIMULUS $100 Mondays. On Mondays in July, people who have been laid off from their jobs can take a Full Day Outer Banks fishing trip for a ticket price of $100. That’s a savings of $85- $125.

The program, good for fishing on Mondays July 13, July 20 and July 27 only, requires showing an unemployment check stub and ID at the ticket office. Reservations are required and reference must be made to the Fishing Stimulus Package.

Q. Who is eligible for H&M’s special Fishing Stimulus Discount?
A. Those who are currently receiving unemployment benefits from the State of California, those whose benefits ran out within the last month, those who have applied for unemployment and have an award notice and active State of California employees who are on the state-mandated furlough program.

Q. What do I need to bring to receive H&M’s special Fishing Stimulus Discount?
A. Those receiving California unemployment benefits need to bring the stub from the weekly claim form, and a photo ID. Those who have been approved for unemployment benefits, but have not received a check yet, need to bring their award notice. Those who work for the State of California need to bring a state-issued employee ID, or a State of California paycheck stub.

Q. My employment benefits have run out. Can I still get H&M’s special Fishing Stimulus Discount?
A. H&M Landing will accept an unemployment check stub issued in June or July 2009 from the State of California.

Fishing is full swing in San Diego this summer. Full Day Outer Banks fishing trips target Albacore, Tuna, Yellowtail and other migratory species. Trips depart at 10 PM and return between 7 PM and 9 PM the day of fishing. Sleeping accommodations are provided on board.

Established in 1935, H&M Landing is the West Coast’s Oldest Most Experienced Sportfishing Company. H&M Landing offers a full range of fishing trips including ½ Day trips to the Point Loma Kelp Beds, ¾ Day trips to the Coronado Islands, Full Day, 1.5 Day and 2 Day trips Offshore and multiday trips to the waters of Baja.

More information is available at www.hmlanding.com. For reservations call: 619-222-1144.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update July 11, 2009

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council

Brown Sixer Gets Yellows

Rick Kelly docked Intrepid July 11 at Pt. Loma Sportfishing following a six-day Larry Brown charter that fished at Cedros Island and offshore with 14 anglers. The group had limits of yellowtail.

Sang Vo of Garden Grove won first place for a 37.2-pound yellowtail. He said he got it with a sardine on a 2/0 Super Mutu hook on 30-pound Izorline. He fished with a Trididad 20 reel and a Calstar 800M rod.

Mark Lievrecht of Woodland Hills won second place for a 20.2-pounder, and Chris Pollack of San Diego got third place for a 19.6-pound yellowtail.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Bob Gurbuz of LA bagged a 27.2-pound halibut.

Vagabond Limits On Longfin

Mike Lackey docked his Vagabond at Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 11 after a two and a half-day trip that got limits of albacore, along with a good catch of bluefin tuna for the 25 fishermen.

Anglers aboard said they released at least 100 albies, and that the boat had to keep driving away from schools of albacore in order to pursue bluefin. The trip was a Dick Rhinehart charter, and Dick took second place.

Scott Ocheltree of San Diego won first place for a 42-pound bluefin that bit on his sardine and a 2/0 Mustad hook. He told Bill Roecker that he used a25-pound Ande line on a Saltiga 20 reel and a Sabre six-foot rod. Chartermaster Rinehart got second for an albacore that weighed 40 pounds on the boat but was unfortunately cut for food, so there was no photo or dock weight.

Keith Byrne of Temple won third place for a 36-pound bluefin tuna.

Dockwork Never Ends

The surface fishing season is in full swing now, and the docks are mostly empty and quiet during the daylight hours. The redshirts that work for fisherman’s Canning at Fisherman’s Landing are busy, though, and lately they repaired the non-skid surface on the ramps.

The ramps got a new coat of paint with reflective material, as the boys worked to get it done between boat arrivals.

A Plethora Of Longfin

“Excellent, excellent, excellent albacore fishing!” said the report from Polaris Supreme July 10. “And fair hits on the 30-pound bluefin to go with it. Beautiful weather. Everyone is having an excellent time. This is probably the best albacore fishing in four to five years. This is a great time to get out. And just to mention it again, we are only a few spots away from making our 3-day on the 16th a go. Call Susan if you can come out with us.”

Mighty Big Wahoo

“We have changed our game plan for the remaining fishing time we have left on our 8 day adventure,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper John Grabowski July 10.

“Yesterday I reported seeing pretty good sign of wahoo where we are and we landed one fish around 70 pounds. Well, today the sign of wahoo went from pretty good to I would have to say very good. The amount of fish we saw today on the (sonar) machines was impressive to say the least, however, it did not bite all that well.

“The size is also very impressive, we had 35 wahoo today from 40 to 90 pounds (that 90 pounds is a guess, it could be bigger or a few pounds smaller) and we had a lot of fish from 50 to 70 pounds in the 35 fish that came aboard. It was regulation wahoo fishing; see the fish with the sonar, and if you did get a strike or they responded to the bait you got the chance for some. If what we saw today acts even the least bit right, we could be in for a fun day tomorrow, time will only tell. Needless to say the excitement level around the boat for what could happen tomorrow is high. If we can scratch what we had today we will be stoked.

“We also had 30 more of the 40 to 70 pound tuna today (we did not spend much time trying for tuna) and 40 dorado, it was an exciting, action-packed day. Our weather continues to be picture perfect, and we are waiting to see what this place has to offer tomorrow with baited breath. Water temperature 72.7 degrees, good night.” Red Rooster III will dock at H&M Landing tomorrow morning.

Sensational Weather, Fishing

“Weather was sensational,” said the Royal Polaris report for July 10. “Fishing was as good as it gets. We caught 90 Bluefin tuna and limits of Albacore in the 18 to 24-pound category. From 15:00 hours to 19:00 we actually ran away from large schools of Albacore.

“We are hoping for some Halibut in the morning and then a few Reds. Wish us luck and enjoy the photo.”

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update July 5, 2009

Braid Trip Scores First Bigeye
Jan Howard was the Braid rep aboard the Excel when skipper Justin Fleck returned to Fisherman’s Landing after an eight-day trip July 5.

“We fished at Alijos Rocks for two days,” said Jan, “and another day on The Ridge, where we had full-speed yellowtail fishing for three hours. They bit on bait or jigs, with all methods, and the fish were 18 to 35 pounds with a few bigger ones.

Don “Big Daddy” Burnside won first place for a 90.7-pound tuna he got with a double trouble sardine rig under the fishing kite. Don said the rig featured 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks, 100-pound blue Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 7465 rod.

Roland Reesby of San Clemente won second place for a 72.8-pound tuna, and rod builder Jim Kastorff was breathing down the back of Roland’s neck with a 72.6-pound yellowfin.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

A bluefin tuna was caught at Alijos Rocks, an unusual event, and the season’s first quality bigeye, a 50-pounder, came to Steve Alexander of Truckee at The Rocks.

Chartermaster Takes Second JP Spot
Chartermaster Mike Shirer of Chino Hills won second place in the jackpot on his eight-day trip aboard the Intrepid with 20 passengers. Skipper Kevin Osborne brought the boat in to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 5.

Al Gardner of Grass Valley won first place for a 110.6-pound yellowfin tuna that slurped in the double trouble sardine rig on the kite. Osborne said the hooks were 6/0 ringed Super Mutus on the boat’s rig, with 80-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Jess Drake of Westminster won third place for a 72.2-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

Spiders Woof At Rocks
Tim Ekstrom and Randy Toussaint took their 25 anglers to Alijos Rocks, where they spent four enjoyable days anchored on a spot that produced about ten tuna per rod. They also made a decent catch of better yellowtail.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

The skippers were pleased with the trip, and Toussaint remarked that the water at the rocks was up to 68.5 degrees, and that another boat had made a fleeting contact with a wahoo, another season’s first. The trip was a combined charter that included members of a long-standing group known as the Barking Spiders.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

John Warren of Ocean City, NJ won first place for a 112.5-pound tuna. He said he got that one with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 40-pound Ande main line and 65-pound Izorline Spectra backing on a TLD 30 reel and a Calstar 6460 rod. The fish fought for 40 minutes.

Jeff Cox of Westchester won second place for a 111-pound tuna he caught on 40-poundline, and Chris Hendrickson of Mission Viejo got third place for a 105.5-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Steve Hill of Santa Ana stood in with the lineup for his 54-pound yellowtail, a fish that ate his sardine and lost a battle on 40-pound line.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update June 26, 2009

Big Fish For Young Anglers
Roy Rose brought Royal Polaris home from the annual five-day family trip June 26. About half the 36 passengers were kids. Many of them caught the largest fish of their lives, yellowtail almost as long as the kids were tall. The trip spent time at Cedros Island and also offshore, where a few albacore were caught along with a couple of the season’s best bluefin tuna. The boat had limits of yellowtail, and anglers aboard said the smaller fish caught first were nearly all on jigs, while a batch of big ones caught the next day on the other side of the island were nearly all on bait.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Mike Darakjian of San Clemente found an 81.4-pound bluefin tuna with a sardine on a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He wrestled the first-place tuna for 30 minutes on 30-pound Seaguar flourocarbon leader and 30-pound blue Izorline, with a Penn 555 reel and a Calstar 870 rod.

Not seen is Kevin Wyman of Laguna Niguel, who got a 44.4-pound Cedros Mossback, which won second place in the adult jackpot.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Annie Vellonakis (daughter of well-known RP big tuna regular Stas) won third place for her 42-pound bluefin, decking it in 15 minutes after it took a sardine disguised with 35-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader. The kids posed for a lineup shot with some of their best fish. I say some because some fish weren’t available for pictures, having gone to the processors. The kids grabbed what was still there for a top of the dock shot. In the lineup shot are Hanna Hibbs, 12, with a 45-pound yellow, Dominic Mulay, 9, who got a 41.6 pounder, Anthony Mulay, 6, 37.8 pounds, Olivia Bohrer, 11, 34 pounds, Samantha Bohrer, 8, 35 pounds, and Conner Braun, 12, who caught a 37.2-pounder. That fish was fourth in the junior jackpot.

Alijos & Cedros

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

The annual Thom Hultgren Memorial eight-day trip aboard Red Rooster III returned to H&M Landing June 26 with chartermaster George Daniels. Several members of BloodyDecks.com were aboard, involved in a boat-to-boat contest with other members aboard Intrepid for the best fish. Winners will be known tomorrow when the other boat arrives.

“Another nice day of fishing with trophy size yellows,” reported Cates June 24, “and skiff runs for Calico Bass. We spent the day in various parts of the Island and everyone got a chance to fish from the little boats. The great yellowtail fishing was all done on the big boat. No yellows in the skiffs, although the bass fish was very good.”

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

The best fish on the Rooster wasn’t eligible for the jackpot. The 133-pound yellowfin tuna was caught by Rooster regular Hans Rueckert of Granada Hills on a sardine and a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu. Hans said he had 80-pound Spectra backing on a Trinidad 40 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

“He almost killed me,” said Rueckert. “He fought for an hour on 40-pound Izorline and took me around the boat three times. I’m lucky I got no hair; I couldn’t lose any more.”

Dave Malmberg of Encinitas won the jackpot for a 61.6-pound yellowfin tuna. He said it came on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Spectra on an Avet JX reel and an unknown make of rod.

On his first long range trip, Chris Gault of Upland won second place for a 61.3-pound yellowfin. Alec Robbie of San Clemente took third place for a 59.1-pound tuna that he got with a borrowed 870 Accurate reel and 40-pound Blackwater Fluoro.

“I did better than I’ve ever done,” said Alec to Bill Roecker at the scales. “I got my best yellowfin ever on the kite with a double sardine rig.”

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Alec was on last year’s trip, and after that started a fishing club at his high school.

Confirms Report

“Great report Bill I was on the Legend the same time you were and your report and mine are almost the same. Boy was it a blast seeing those jumpers all day.”

John Collis (by email June 25, 2009)

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

They Liked It, Too

Well thanks again for your company, if you ever make an appearance here at the Bass Pro Shops Rancho Cucamonga let me know the girls would like to say hi.
Regards, Steve Rodriguez, Alta Loma (by email June 25, 2009)
Polaris Supreme Kids Trip (by Larry Brown, Chartermaster)

After locating the fish at the south end of Cedros Island it seemed like every single bait or iron tossed or dropped was nailed ferociously by a mean hungry yellowtail. We were on our 9th annual kids themed trip and this time we had 10 kids, 3 grandparents, eight proud dads and a few other anglers.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

At first we were focused on getting all the kids bendo, which was quite easy as the yellows were hungry and cooperative. Several of the kids were already veterans from our prior trips and needed no help at all and in fact had several fish before many of the adults got bit. Veteran teenage angler, Daniel Delgado, was on fire through out the trip and started helping the other kids and adults with advice, mentoring and hook and hands. These were the perfect sized yellowtail to start the trip; 15 to 20 pounds of solid muscle and fight. Jason and Daniel Davis, two eight year old twins from Bozeman, Montana joined their dad, Scott, and Grandpa Dan on the trip and had never tackled anything except their local trout and walleye. These kids were already addicted fresh water anglers and learned rapidly how to fight and follow their fish around the boat.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Although they accepted every hook and hand fish offered throughout the trip, it was really cool and very gratifying to see them pin on a bait, drop it in, get bit and land many of their fish all by themselves. These kids are fishing fools and will be back for many more trips.

Daniel Jacobsen (yes, we had 4 Daniels) was another veteran teen on board and had his way with yellowtail, after yellowtail. Both teen Daniels outfished most of the adults.

Proud papas, Fritz Jacobsen and Danny Delgado, along with all of the other dads were so happy and proud when their kids were at the rail trying to get bit or using all their muscle and wit to land these fish. Ian Campbell, also from Bozeman, joined his dad Clint and Grandma Kate on the trip.

After tagging beautiful grade yellowtail on our first day at the island, we started our hunt for quality. Captain Tommy Rothery wanted to give us a shot at the world-class, trophy yellowtail Cedros Island frequently produces. A 15-pound yellowtail is a very tough fighting machine. A couple new anglers were a little intimidated by the thought of 30 and 40-pound monsters. We were soon rewarded. Huge boils in our chum line caused our group adrenaline to jump start and we were shortly on to a new game.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Amazed and dazed during the action but sore and satisfied that evening we all shared stories of the gigantic yellows we conquered and all the ones that got away. Every angler earned one of these trophy fish and lucky or skilled anglers landed several.

Returning kids, Alex Bravo, Sydney Mack, and Annie and Alan Burgess, also had great trips retaining the skills from their prior voyages. Alex Jr was on fire for a couple of hours when he caught more fish than Alex Sr, although dad seemed to always kick off the bites and certainly was one of the hot sticks for the trip. Teenager Annie Burgess landed a 39.4-pound yellowtail to secure the first place in the kids division jack pot. Sydney Mack brought her cousin Dominic Ortiz along and they swept 3rd and 2nd with monster fish of 35.6 and 35.8, respectively.

Alan Burgess was proud of his kids, Alan and Annie, and also of his Dad, Bob, who got 2nd place in the jackpot for his 39.6-pound yellowtail. Fritz Jacobsen earned 2nd place with his 38 pound fish and lucky me came in first with a 40.2-pound yellow, one of eight caught on the Salas 7X and H/T Transition Jig surface irons. By the way, the best irons on the trip were the old standard Salas 7X for surface and 6XJr for yoyo and the new Transition Jigs by High Tide.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Even the guys without kids had a blast. Dean Hepp is a salmon and steelhead fishing guide out of Orleans, California and had never caught a yellowtail, albacore or bluefin tuna. He scored a grand slam on all species and was also totally surprised by the strength of these fish. Before the end of this trip Deano had booked two more long range trips and invited any of his fellow Supreme anglers to a free guided fishing trip in Northern California. My best friend of 30 years, JC Hardemion, put on a yoyo demo on day one, landing so many fish he had to slow down to manage his limits and leave room for a few trophies. Veteran anglers Rod Cavanaugh and Pete Villareal were new to this trip and had a great time with the kids.

Thanks to all of our generous suppliers for the many raffle items. Shimano generously donated a beautiful Tallus Rod and Tyrnos 2-speed reel. Lori Byron donated a beautiful limited edition print from the Chuck Byron collection for our charity raffle. Thanks also to Salas and High Tide for all the jigs they donated and Izorline for the free line. Thanks to AFTCO for the great shirts and hats, Big Hammer for the swim baits, www.SportFishingReport.com and 976Tuna for the T-shirts and our friends at Western Outdoors. We raised $500 for the MDRA Youth Fishing Program, See www.mdranglers.com.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Also, thanks to Captain Tommy Rothery and the awesome crew of the Polaris Supreme. Congratulations and thanks to Chef Dave for the incredibly awesome cuisine on his first voyage. The prime rib and marinated lamb chops was some of the best ever, the seafood fettuccine Alfredo is a signature dish and your turkey extravaganza was amazing.

Lastly, I want to thank all of our anglers. Seeing you dads and grand parents work and bond with your kids is inspirational. Thanks also to the guys who did not have their own children for their patience, kindness and help with the kids. For all of you reading this trip report, please consider introducing your kids, nephews, nieces, neighbors and grand kids to the joy of fishing. This is the only way our sport will survive. A five-day trip is the perfect venue as it provides the time for learning and developing the skills, the opportunity and time to find good fishing areas of biting fish and the comfort and space of a deluxe long range vessel.

Be sure to call Susan right away at 619/390-7890 to reserve your spot for next year’s kids long range fishing trip. Happy Fishing.

Photo Credit Bill Roecker

Net Update June 21, 2009
Big Fish Tackle Trip: “It’s Looking Good”
Bill Roecker
Oceanic Productions
P. O. Box 6033
Oceanside, CA 92052-6033
www.FishingVideos.com
760.941.2029
email: Bill@FishingVideos.com

An eight-day trip sponsored by Big Fish Tackle with chartermaster Ron Hirao returned June 21. Skipper Jeff DeBuys docked the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing and weighed the best fish in the catch of yellowfin tuna and yellowtail.

“It was a very good trip,” said chartermaster Hirao. “We had good anglers aboard and some good weather, too. On our last day of fishing we got about 70 albacore.”

Gene Okita of Tustin won the jackpot for a 90.8-pound yellowfin tuna he got on the kite with one of the boat’s rigs.

“This is my first kite fish,” he told Bill Roecker at the scales. “It was amazing; he crashed on my squid, and they all screamed, ‘reel, reel!’ I love your website, I always read the reports.”

The kite rig (skipper DeBuys said the group went through three complete kite rotations) put the squid on a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook, with 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXH rod. Okita got his fish in 30 minutes, he said.

Rick Berg of Saratoga won second place for a 59.4-pound tuna. He said he took that fish on 25-pound line. Paul Gaines of Colfax won third place for a 59-pound yellowfin he caught on 30-pound line. Wayne Honda of Oceanside got close with a 55-pounder. Anglers aboard the Indy said the surface iron was working well at Cedros Island, where the group stopped to fill out their yellowtail limits on the way home.

Skipper DeBuys said, “We enjoyed classic spring fishing at Alijos Rocks, on a nice grade of yellowfin tuna. The offshore tuna were up yesterday in the morning. I saw some bonafide schools of bluefin and albacore. It’s looking good.”

Scratching
“We started out the trip yesterday with a couple handfuls of bluefin within 1 day range,” said American Angler skipper Brian Kiyohara June 20. “There was decent sign of fish but previous local experience put the equation together. Close to home, good weather, Saturday, and the first good sign of tuna fish in local waters meant that we would not be there on a 3 day.

“We idled down during the night and in the morning with the help of a few other boats we were able to get on some fish. We saw pretty good sign of jumpers throughout the morning but a lot of the spots wanted nothing to do with us. We scratched a few here and a few there and ended up with a respectable 66 albacore and a couple of bluefin.

“Today's picture shows the Japanese American/bluefin connection. Pictured is Takeuchi (gaffer), Takeshige (angler), Imai (angler) and Kiso (mast man) with our two bluefin of the day.”

Rooster At The Rocks
“We got to the Rocks just before lunch,” Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates wrote June 20, “and had a decent scratch until about 3:00. Conditions took a turn for the worse and everything swam off. We made a couple of adjustments but nothing paid off after 4:00. It was a slow afternoon.

“We did manage 50 tuna and a dozen yellowtail that we kept. The tuna were 30 to 50 pounds with a couple just a little bigger. With a full day tomorrow we are hoping to have a bigger window of opportunity. If conditions hold up it looks like there is a chance.

“Good kite action for a bit but most fish were taken fly line with 40 pound test We will report again tomorrow.”

Royal Polaris Report June 20, 2009
“Happy Father's day. We had a scratchy day of fishing offshore, but we end up with 17 Yellowtail and 14 Bluefin. The Bluefin were in the 23 to 30 pound range. The largest Bluefin was caught by Duane Malin.

“Weather today was cool, with overcast skies, and flat seas. We will arrive to Fisherman's landing at 06:30 hours. We will depart on our annual 5-day family trip at 11:00 hours. Until tomorrow, wish us luck, the R/P crew.”

Royal Star Day And A Half (June 20)
“As the sun came up in the morning we were in beautiful flat calm, bait-filled, clean water, knowing that a great day of fishing awaited us,” said the boat’s report. “It took us until around 10 in the morning to get things located and when we did the bluefin acted like bluefin. Meaning that the visual show above the surface was well worth the ticket price and even though we were hitting spot after spot, it took the perfect presentation to elicit a strike. When all was said and done we landed ten 22 to 35-pound tuna. Our jackpot winner was young Sam Ernst with the 35-pounder.

“On another note in another area the albacore made a pretty good showing for a couple of guys. This other area is in 1 ½-day range. Unless things change substantially we will be chasing albacore on our next day and a half trip Tuesday night. There are still spots available.”

(Note: Bill Roecker and Paul Sweeney plan to be on the boat Tuesday night. Join us for a day of albacore fishing!)

Searcher Report June 20
“Today we are in a different area 140 miles from San Diego. Yesterday there were albacore and bluefin tuna caught by another boat here. We saw lots of fish on the surface but they wouldn't bite that well.

“We managed to land 28 albies in the 15 to 20 pound range. Some of the other boats in the area had better luck on some of the spots, so they had a little better fish count. The encouraging thing is that this is a different area with what appears to be good signs of fish.

“Things have definitely changed for the better with more fish showing up all the time. There has been a lot of bluefin tuna seen in several different locations so there is hope for the upcoming trips.”