West Coast Angler - Long Range Fishing Reports

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

Net Update

December 14, 2007

“Double-Trouble” Baitfish

By Paul Sweeney

“We were down there at the right time,” American Angler owner skipper Brian Kiyohara said after unloading 26 passengers at Point Loma Landing December 14. “We had great fishing on 60 to 150-pound tuna; our timing was great. We got the job done in three days.”

Skip Stenbro of Tiburon sponsored the trip, which brought back seven tuna over 200 pounds, including a 326.5-pound yellowfin caught on the kite.

After the crew hooked the kite up to a “double-trouble” bait, Anthony saw a small boil followed by an explosion on his two sardines.

“That’s all I saw of him until he was at gaff,” Anthony Foster of Long Beach said of his 326.5-pound trophy yellowfin. “I didn’t know how big he’d be. I fought him for an hour and a half. Crewman Jesse Kemble was helping me the whole time.”

The boat’s kite rig used 8/0 hooks, 130-pound Izorline, a Penn 50 two-speed reel and a Seeker 6465 XXH rod. “My previous best fish was a 50-pounder. Yeah, this was a trip of a lifetime,” continued Anthony.

Karl Khoe of San Diego took first place in the jackpot for his personal best, a 295-pound yellowfin.

“A real stubborn fish,” said Karl. “It was a real fight; a knock-down, drag-out kind of fight. And the crew kept me out of tangles, I don’t think I would have done it without them.”

Karl fly-lined a sardine with a sinker on an 8/0 Eagle Claw 2004 ringed circle hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Blackwater Spectra, an Avet SDS reel and a Custom Yo’s Special short rod.

On this trip last year, Steve Schneblin of Homeland, CA landed a 327-pound tuna.

This year proved Steve had the lucky stick again, catching a 272-pounder.

“We had a bigger one at gaff that got away. It was heartbreaking,” Steve said laughing.

“But this one was tail-wrapped, so it took forever. He went straight out right from the start.”

Steve fished a 7/0 Owner circle hook with 25 feet of 130-pound Seaguar leader and 130-pound Spectra Super-Braid, a Penn VSW 50 W reel, and a custom Calstar rod by Bluewater Tackle in Solana Beach.

“They’ve got the top guys down there, I promote them every chance I get.”

“Brian and the crew hit it just right,” continued Steve, “it was a fantastic trip. They have a Class-A Operation. ‘Taro’ (Crewman Todd Takeuchi) is a jackhammer.”

“You just gotta keep feeding these big fish bait,” said Webmaster Barry Gambarana, of Las Vegas. “Just keep the chum going.

“I handed off a big one caught on a yummee flyer. I let it sit out there, bout a 100 yards out and Boom, it hit it. Justin and Jason from the Excel showed me how to fish with the yummee’s.”

Three 300-Pounders: Intrepid

By Bill Roecker

Tuesday afternoon was a busy time for Intrepid anglers and the crew assisting them.

“We had five or six fish going of 250 pounds or more,” said Buzz Brizendine. Buzz, who owns the Prowler, was aboard the Intrepid as a crewman and valuable advisor on the ten-day trip with 19 anglers. He helped out with several big fish, including the supercow that enticed a crowd to the dock at Pt. Loma Sportfishing when Intrepid arrived December 14.

When the sun went down most of those big yellowfin were on the boat. Skipper Dan Nichols taped them, and the three biggest ones taped at 337, 300 and 381 pounds.

“I taped that big one three times,” said Dan, “and I shaded the measurements.”

Two of the big tuna came in right at their taped estimates, at 300 and 339 pounds. But Bill Falter’s giant fish came in light, at 355 pounds. Falter, a 51-year-old gas station maintenance expert with 15 years in the business, said his best previous tuna was a 65-pounder he got at Guadalupe Island.

“He boiled on my bait,” said Bill, “and he hit it like nobody’s business. He threw big water in all directions. My line straightened out and I set the hook and right away I knew it was a big fish.

“I had the drag set very tight,” continued Falter, “and I pulled on him hard and him came at the boat. Then he went to the bow and took off and came out surfing way out there. I could have water skied behind him.

“I didn’t give him any slack. I kept the drag on hard and stayed on the bow. The fight took an hour. That’s where they gaffed him, but they brought him up through the passenger gate down the side. Dan taped him at 83.5 inches in length and 61 inches in girth.

“I’ve only been fishing long range for a couple of years,” noted Falter. I’ve done lots of two and three-day trips, and I’ve fished on private boats. I’m hoping somebody will be interested in this one as a mount.”

Falter got his jackpot-winning monster on the boat’s kite gear. The boat’s report said, “…it exploded on a jumbo live squid pinned to a custom double hook leader using an 18/0 Mustad 39960D circle hook and a 12/0 7691 Stinger attached to a 600-pound Soft Steel leader. Backing that up with 200-pound Jerry Brown hollow Spectra on an Avet Pro EXW 50-2 (thanks Harry, you rock) reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH Black Steel Graphite rod.”

Corey Kong of Torrance won second place for a 339.2-pound yellowfin on a boat rig, after it also ate a squid under the kite.

“He boiled when he took the bait,” said Corey, “and then he ran out 300 yards. He was very stubborn and he fought for an hour. My best fish before this one was a 250-pounder. I want to credit the crew for their excellent help. What will I do with the fish? Cut it and eat him.”

Tom Hoskins of Fullerton won third place for his 300-pound tuna. His previous best was a 280-pounder.

“This one was on a squid and the kite with the boat rig, too,” he said. “He bit, he took off, he came back to the boat and fought me for an hour and a half. We were up on the bow and he took me around the anchor six or eight times.”

There was a large crowd at the landing, including several television crews and reporters. The rest of the fish weren’t available, but angler Scott Redd of Switzerland, who comes back to the states to fish long range, had three cows of 212, 230 and 237 pounds, all caught on sardines. He said he used 7/0 Eagle Claw hooks and 90-pound Momoi leader on 130-pound Line Spectra.

One of Redd’s cows came on a small Accurate 665 “topless two-speed” reel and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod. That fight lasted an hour and 10 minutes, he said.

The other pair were caught with an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

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

Net Update

December 10, 2007

Intrepid’s Huge Supercow

“We had another great day down here,” read Intrepid’s report for December 10, “on these beautiful Tuna. Along with a steady pick on the 150 to 190-pound fish, we ended up with two at 205, a 210, 212, 243, 245, 246, 273, 300, and a 337. We have one more day down here and hope fishing like this continues.”

The next day provided even more excitement: “With today being our last day down here it was absolutely a wonderful way to wrap things up. We drifted again all day and picked away at these brutes ending the day with 12 of the 120 to 190-pound grade and eight from 210 to 260 pounds.

“We also picked up another Tuna today that taped out at 381 lbs. Congrats go to Bill Falter for battling this giant Tuna and as you can imagine Bill is a very excited and happy fisherman. Bill hooked this fish on the kite after it exploded on a jumbo live squid pinned to a custom double hook leader using an 18/0 Mustad 39960D circle hook and a 12/0 7691 Stinger attached to a 130-pound Soft Steel leader. Backing that up with 130-pound Jerry Brown hollow spectra on an AVET PRO EXW 50-2 (thanks, Harry, you rock) and a Seeker 6463 XXXH Black Steel Graphite rod this fish really didn’t stand a chance.”

If Bill Falter’s fish comes in at its taped weight, it will go into fourth place on the all-time top ten tuna list, as shown below:

Mark Gasich, 399.6 pounds, Polaris Supreme, Clarion Island, November 15, 1992
Dave Manella, 395.4 pounds, Royal Polaris, Clarion Island, Feb 19, 1993
Curt Wiesenhutter, 388.75 pounds, San Benedicto Island, April 1, 1977
Al Herzog, 380 pounds, Qualifier 105, San Benedicto Island, January 11, 1981

Intrepid will dock at Pt. Loma Sportfishing Friday morning, December 14. A crowd may be expected to view the giant yellowfin at the certified scales there.

Star Whacks Cows

“What a stark contrast between days,” wrote Tim Ekstrom for Royal Star December 11, “as our success ratio on trophy yellowfin was one hundred percent. We landed seven out of seven with the biggest today weighing in at two hundred fifty six pounds. Calm weather is certainly to blame as the incredible stress on the equipment is distributed smoothly in smooth conditions enabling anglers to utilize their gear to the maximum extent of their ability. Overall the day’s catching was a little slower than yesterday but the action was still very good by big fish standards with 22 fish from 150 to 256 pounds caught, with a dozen of those under 180 pounds released.”

Too Much Glory

“Hi Bill:
On your EXCEL trip report, it states that I got a #252 and a 248. I only caught one cow; the 248. Happy Holidays!”
Tim Turis, Atlanta, GA (by email December 12, 2007)

On The Game

“Well its game on here at the Hurricane Bank,” said Shogun’s report for December 10. “We had a great spaghetti dinner and they are still biting…JIGS! Bruce had the Shogun trolling up a dozen wahoo and then we anchored up on the Northeast corner around 2pm. Momentum slowly built and in the last hour fishing for tuna from 80 to 240 pounds was pretty damn good. Fly line sardine, the kite with squid and toward sunset chunk fishing really took off. As I write this there are fish still biting. We hope to double our score tomorrow, as we fine tune techniques. I can hear hoots out on deck, must have boated another one. It’s going to be an interesting night.”

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

Net Update

December 9, 2007

Ocean Anglers Eleven

Apollo docked December 9 at Fisherman’s landing after an eight-day trip with just 11 anglers, who visited Alijos Rocks for some nice tuna fishing with skipper J.J. Gerritsen. Many large yellowtail were also caught.

The jackpot winner was Don Kirkendall of Eagle Point, OR. Don took an 88-pound yellowfin tuna on a sardine and a 3/0 Mustad hook tied to 40-pound Izorline. He used an Avet LX reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

“Like A Mother”

Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home to Point Loma Sportfishing on December 9, after a 15-day trip with 26 anglers. The Save-On Tackle trip fished inside and outside, as far out as the Hurricane Bank.

“It was an epic trip,” summed up DeBuys, who tallied 19 cows, or tuna over 200 pounds.

“Hello from the tired Indy crew,” he wrote December 1 at the Hurricane Bank. “We had a spectacular day today here at the bank. We arrived at 0900 and got situated in no time, and immediately started getting fish. We were steady all day long on these beautiful grade tuna, 130 lb. to 190 lb. and 3 over 200 to 240 lbs. We ended the day with 70 fish for our efforts. Everything was the hot ticket today, sardine, mackerel, chunk, squid, and good kite action till dark. The weather is really good, and we hope it stays that way for a while.”

When Jeff weighed his catch, the big fish weighed 311 pounds. It was caught by Alex Kastaniuk of La Habra Heights, who also got a 207.6-pounder.

“He fought like a mother,” said Alex. “There were times I thought I’d definitely die. He got wrapped up with other anglers four times, and he took me around the boat for an hour and a half. My best fish before was a 190-pounder. I think I’ll have him cut and wrapped.”

Alex said he fished a sardine on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Shimano six-foot rod.

Gary Ondrisco of Shelley, ID won second place for a 286-pounder that fell for a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu on 100-pound Seaguar, 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing g on a Penn 50 reel and a Shimano Talus rod he won on the boat.

“He fought up high, “ said Gary. “He never sounded and he fought way out for two and a half hours.” Gary also got a 202-pounder.

Chartermaster David Taylor of Downey won third place for a 265-pound tuna. He said he bagged that baby in 15 minutes, after it ate his sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline Spectra, an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod. He also had a 207-pounder.

Bob Buckland of Simi Valley took tuna of 239 and 226 pounds. He fished squid under the kite with the boat’s rig.

Ron Baron of La Crescenta took an hour to beat a 226-pounder. He also got a 222 and a 208-pound tuna. He said he fished sardines on 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks, with 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6465 XXH rod.

Terry Prather of Dallas, TX got a 236-pounder in 45 minutes. He said he fished a sardine on a 9/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Truline six-foot rod.

Fernando Rocha of Whittier caught cows of 221 and 214 pounds. He said he fished sardines on 7/0 Mustad hooks, with 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 SDS reel and a Calstar 760 H rod. The bigger fish fought for 45 minutes.

Chuck Woyce of Monterey bagged a 210-pounder with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu an d 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon tied to 100-pound Izorline on a boat rig.

Clarence Becker of Victorville caught a 209-pounder on a sardine and an Eagle Claw 8/0 hook, tied to 100-pound Ande line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and a Calstar 645 rod.

Don Farrell of Laguna Niguel got a 205-pounder on a sardine and a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu on 80-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

“Very Long Run”

Justin Fleck docked the Excel December 9 after a 16-day Braid trip with 20 anglers. They got 11 cows.

“Today we had a very productive day on tuna out here on these lower banks,” he wrote December 5. “We had beautiful weather which helped in finding the bird schools that these fish are on, and nearly every spot of fish resulted in a hook up. We ended up tagging 45 fish ranging from 50 to 260 pounds, with the average size being 150 to 180. Highlight of the day was Warren “Bergie” Bergman who landed the last fish right after dark, which taped out at 260 pounds.”

Chartermaster Dennis Braid was aboard with his rep Jan Howard. Dennis said he released seven tuna over 100 pounds, the winner of the release contest was Tom Carlisle of Long Beach, who won a $200 gift certificate for releasing nine tuna.

Chris Forster of Valencia won first place, for a 283-pound tuna he brought to gaff in 45 minutes.

“He made a very long run,” said Chris. “He almost spooled me.”

Chris said he fished a sardine on a 7/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 30 SW reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

Warren Bergman of Mira Loma won second place for a 280-pounder. He took it with a mackerel on a 9/0 Mustad hook, with 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod. The fish fought for an hour and a half.

Ken Cirks, an Excel regular from Orange, won third place for a 262-pound tuna with the aid of a helium balloon and a skiff ride of an hour and a half. Ken said he used a sardine on a 12/0 Mustad 39960 hook tied to 125-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 T reel and a cut down Calstar 655 XXH rod. Ken posed with his two sons. Korey is nine, Koldey is four.

Tim Turis of Atlanta got tuna of 252 and 248 pounds. Tim used a squid under the kite for bait. He used 20/0 Mustad 39960 hooks, 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 80 S reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod.

Andy Marcum of Oceanside caught a 235-pounder in 45 minutes. He fished a double sardine rig under the kite, with 10/0 Mustad 7691 hooks. He used 125-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 80 N reel and a Calstar 755 XXH rod.

Jan Howard of Mission Viejo took tuna of 223 and 210 pounds with sardines on a 10/0 Eagle Claw hooks. She fished with 130-pound Berkley High Test line and 130-pound Berkley Spectra on a Penn 50 SW reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod she cut down herself.

Gordon Seward of Parma, NV bagged a 216-pounder. Michael Stiny of Goleta caught a 210-pound yellowfin. Mike Lovelle of Boulder City, NV took a 203-pounder.

“They Wanted Trophies”

Andy Cates bought Red Rooster III home to H&M Landing December 9 after the 17-day Rod & Reel Radio charter with 17 anglers. Like the other two boats that arrived just before the Rooster, Cates had opportunity to fish both inside and outside, but chose to stay off southern Baja for his anglers.

“They wanted trophies, they said,” remarked Cates. “And it looked like the 300-pounders might be inside.”

On December 5, Cates wrote, “Our last day here and this morning is showing better sign with a 206 and 216 and a few 100 plus pound fish to go with. We are hoping for a big day here to finish off with. Yesterday we had action on smaller fish in the morning and then later a handful of fish in the high hundreds up to 199 and a whopper of 337 caught by Bud Mauerhaun. Bud has had a great trip with a 273, 270 and now this 337 after a long skiff ride. Not bad for 81 years old. Congratulations Bud.”

The trip ended with 20 tuna over 2000 pounds, including a pair over 300 pounds.

“I’m 83 years old,” Bud Mauerhan, “and this 339.6-pounder is my best fish ever. The best one before this was 256 pounds. I had to go in the skiff for a two-hour ride.”

The ride paid off with the big first-place tuna and two others that weighed 269 and 251 pounds. He said he used mackerel for bait on 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Seeker 6460 XXH rod wrapped by Smitty G.

Archie Irions of Escondido won second place for the other super cow, a 318.9-pounder. He also got a 219.5-pounder on a dart, a Mega Bait jig, with an Accurate 12 reel.

But Irions’ big fish bit on a sardine pinned to a 5/0 Super Mutu ringed hook. He said he used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound Momoi line, and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 30 topless reel and a Seeker five and a half-foot Black Steel rod.

“It took an hour and a half, “ said Archie. “He’s my best fish ever. He bit 40 feet under the boat, and ran out 450 yards. He came up on the stern corner and they put four gaffs in him.”

Bill Walsh of Chino Hills used 45 minutes to bring in a 278-pounder, the fish that won third place. He also got a 207-pound tuna. The big one bit on a sardine and a 6/0 VMC hook. Walsh used 130-pound fluorocarbon, and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Baja Boomer rod.

Gerhard Ihde of Malibu took a 276.5 and a 201-pounder. He said he fished a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Michael Zakar of San Diego took a 267-pound tuna with a sardine on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 80 reel and a Calstar 6460 XH rod.

Mike Yamamoto of Hemet caught tuna of 218 and 205 pounds. He fished sardines on 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks, and used 100-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod. The big fish came to the boat in 45 minutes, he said.

Bill Mauerhan (Bud’s son) of Fairfield bagged a 226-pounder with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Spectra on a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Steve Branscombe of Westminster caught a 217-pounder with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, 130-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 765 H rod.

John Keeler of Santa Monica made off with a brace that went 225 and 213 pounds. He fished sardines on 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He said he used 130-pound P-Line and 130-pound Spectra on an Avet 50 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

Larry Martin of Dayton, NV caught a 215-pounder with a mackerel on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel and a Seeker 6460 XXH rod.

Gary Branscombe of Garden Grove needed only a half-hour to bag a 213-pounder with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

Jim Kokesh of El Granada copped a 213-pounder in 45 minutes, after it bit on a mackerel and a 9/0 Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorovarbon and 130-pound Lin e One Spectra on a Penn 80 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Ben Kita of LA got a 210-pounder on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.