Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update
February 28, 2010
Izorline Trip Back With A Blue Moon Story
Red Rooster III arrived at H&M Landing February 28 after a 16-day Izorline trip with a fly back option. Andy Cates skippered the trip, which garnered four tuna over 200 pounds.
“We had nice days until the end of the trip,” said Cates, “when the wind came up. Most of our fishing was drifting, after we found ‘em on bird schools.”
Izorline rep Ernie Seko fished aboard, winning the jacket given by the boat for the biggest fish caught on the troll. In Ernie’s case, it was a 59.7-pound yellowfin that beat out Nick Montilepre’s 48-pound wahoo. Both fish took trolled Marauders.
The trip’s best fish was ineligible, as it proved to be a toughie, hooked by Jin S. Chang of Koreatown in Los Angeles. Jin said the 258.8-pound yellowfin bit a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod.
“It fought for about an hour and 45 minutes,” said Chang, and it went around the boat three times. Two other people helped me to land it.”
Chang stood in with the winners as honorable mention, and gave Bill Roecker a written report of the adventure, portions of which will follow this report.
Joe Cho of Fontana and Cosmos Sports of LAA Tackle Store won first place for a 245.6-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 130-pound Izorline fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline mono and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Boomer Jr. rod.
Joe, a regular on fly back trips, said he brought the big tuna to gaff in about 30 minutes.
Mike Zakar of San Diego won second place for a 206.6-pounder that stayed up on the surface and fought him for about 20 minutes. Mike said he got it with a sardine on 130-pound Izorline fluorocarbon, 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel and a Boomer Jr. rod.
Isto Pollanen of San Diego won third place for a 202.1-pound tuna. He hooked it after a long soak on a sardine and a rig borrowed from the boat: 130-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and Spectra on an Accurate 80 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.
Bill Wirth of Bonsall was awarded the Izorline Sportsman’s Trophy.
Joe Cho told Roecker that next year’s trip will run from February 11 to 27, and will be sponsored by Cosmos Sports of LA. It will be limited to 23 anglers. The first 16 to book with full payment will each receive a new Penn 50 VSW reel.
The following is extracted from Jin S. Chang’s account of the trip, which he provided at the dock:
“While my friend Joe was fishing, his line became entangled. A deckhand helped him untangle his line. But as the deckhand was handing back Joe’s rod, Joe’s hand slipped off and let go of it. As it fell into the ocean Joe’s quick hands grabbed the line. But since his reel was in freespool, Joe had to keep pulling until it reached the end of the reel. He was then able to get his rod back, after a lot of hard work and effort.
“Among the Korean community Joe is the leading long range angler. He rounds up anglers within the community to encourage us to go fishing. His skills are superior and his knowledge is vast. This was evidenced by the fact he won the jackpot.
“Here is a once in a blue moon story. Bong hooked a fish. As he put on his harness, his rod and reel went overboard. Bong’s lost fishing gear probably cost well over a thousand dollars. But there’s no crying in fishing, and the show must go on.
“About 20 minutes later, Bruce hooked something. He thought it was a fish. When he finally pulled his catch up, lo and behold, Bruce’s two-ounce weight was caught on Bong’s reel. Bruce not only caught Bong’s rig but also the fish that was still attached.
“Bruce, a former NFL player, got a two for one special. Bong was so happy to get his gear back he bought a round of drinks for all.”
Jin Chang’s story ended with a hearty thank you to the Red Rooster III, its helpful crew and skipper Andy Cates, “…for his tireless effort in making sure we had a good time and a great catch!”
Red Rooster III – Fishing Trip
Date of Trip: Friday, February 12 to Sunday, February 28, 2010
(16/13 – ride down/fly back trip)
There is a mysterious nature about water. Water is everywhere and can take any size, shape or form. Water can be in the ground, on the ground or in the sky. Water can be in the form of mist, liquid or solid. Water can also be different colors. It is because of water rainbows are created. A person has once said that a rainbow is one of the most spectacular light shoes observed on earth. Rainbows can be observed whenever there are water drops in the air and sunlight shining from behind.
The sun rises, as well as sets on the water during my fishing trip. When the sun reflects off the water, it is the most beautiful view you’ll ever see. And on this fishing adventure, I am on this majestic water for many days. And my fellow fishermen and I have high hopes to catch the big fish.
As soon as we pass the lighthouse at Point Loma, I know we have 90 more hours to get to our destination, Clarion Island. Once we get near Clarion Island, we report to the Mexican military camp to notify them of our arrival. Once the routine procedural things are done, our fishing adventure begins!
It has been my experience that fishermen love to tell stories. Well, this trip created many stories to add to their collection they can share with loved ones. And since I am a fisherman, let me tell you a few stories about this trip….
Simultaneous catches: Whose fish it anyway?
I don’t think I have experienced simultaneous catches on a trip before, but how ironic that it happened twice in one trip. Two anglers happened to hook the same fish. But whose fish is it? In order to figure this out, they had to crank in the fish together and figure out who had first hooked the fish. Bong’s hook was inside the fish’s stomach, while the other fisherman’s hook was on the fish’s mouth. So it makes sense that the fish took Bong’s bait first, swallowed it and then bit the other fisherman’s bait next. So, Bong had dibs on the fish because his hook was already inside the fish’s stomach which means Bong likely hooked the fish first.
The second simultaneous catch happened to me and Mike. Both our hooks were on the fish’s mouth. The hooks were only about an eighth of an inch apart from each other. This scenario was not as clear cut as Bong’s incident because our hooks were almost in the exact same spot. So whose fish was it?
You better make sure to hold on tight.
While my friend Joe was fishing, his line became tangled. A deck hand helped him untangle his line. But as the deck hand was handing back Joe’s fishing pole, Joe’s hand slipped off the pole and let go of it. As Joe’s pole was falling into the ocean, Joe’s quick hands managed to grab the fishing line. But since his line was in free spool when all this happened, Joe had to keep pulling and pulling the line until it reached the end of the reel. When the line finally reached the end of the reel, he was then able to get his fishing pole back. Joe put a lot of hard work and effort to get his fishing pole back.
Just a little note about Joe, he is one of the reasons, I take these fishing trips. Among the Korean community, Joe is the leading long-range angler. Joe rounds up anglers within the Korean community to encourage us to go fishing. His fishing skills are superior and his knowledge is vast. This is evidenced by the fact that Joe was the jackpot winner of this trip. Congratulations!
This could only happen to a lucky man.
Here is a once in a blue moon story. Bong had hooked a fish. So to help reel the fish in, he needed to put on his harness. But in the midst of putting on his harness, the hooked fish had pulled so hard, Bong’s fishing pole fell into the ocean. Bong’s lost fishing gear probably cost well over a thousand dollars. Not only did he lose his gear, but the fish as well. But there’s no crying in fishing, and the show must go on.
About twenty minutes later, Bruce had hooked something. The line was pulling, so Bruce thought it was a fish. After a couple minutes of trying to reel it in, Bruce felt that there was something odd about this catch. But Bruce continued to crank it in and when he finally pulled his catch up - lo and behold, Bruce’s two ounce weight was hooked into Bong’s fishing reel. Bruce had not only caught Bong’s fishing pole but also the fish that was hooked by Bong’s fishing pole. Bruce caught a 2 for 1 special. Bong was so happy that his fishing gear was recovered that he bought a round of drinks for everyone. Bruce who is a former NFL player, was happy to return Bong’s fishing pole along with the fish. Bruce’s priority on this fishing trip was to make sure he got some proper exercise for his body and that’s what he got from this catch.
You do not want this to happen to you.
As Young was untangling his line, the line had accidentally wrapped around his middle finger. Well of course, right when that happened, a fish decided to bite his bait and run. The next thing we knew, the tip of Young’s finger was dangling off. Since we were in the middle of the ocean, there was no hospital or doctors available. But luckily the Mexican military camp at Clarion Island was able to help Young. Young was taken to the camp by skiff boat and got 19 stitches. His finger had to be wrapped in a lot of gauze. He was very lucky to be able to get treated. Fishing can be a dangerous sport; so we must always be vigilant throughout the trip not to get hurt.
Finally, I’d like to thank all the anglers on the Red Rooster III, some of which came to catch fish, others to relieve their stress or to relax.
Thank you to the deck hands who were so very helpful. I never needed to ask for help, they were always there. Thank you Fernando, Nick, Tom and Joe.
Thank you to Rick and Jaime for feeding and nurturing us to give us energy to fish.
And finally a big thank you to Captain Andy, who’ve I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with before. For his tireless effort in making sure we have a good time and a great catch!
Sincerely,
Jin S. Chang
322 S. Lucerne Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90020
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH 2010
LENGTH OF TRIP: 16/13 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: CLARION ISLAND, HURRICANE BANK
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: TRIP 3W10/ IZORLINE
FISH COUNT: 205 YELLOWFIN TUNA 29 WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 245.6 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY JOSEPH CHO OF FONTANA, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 206.8 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY MIKE ZAKAR OF SAN DIEGO, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 202.1 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY ISTO POLLANEN OF SAN DIEGO, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 59.8LBS WAHOO CAUGHT BY ERNIE SEKO OF LA PALMA, CA., 258.8LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY JIN SUNG CHANG
ETA for Sunday is 9 AM
Feb. 22, 2010
Good evening folks. We had another decent day today. Most of the action came in the afternoon and biggest fish caught today was 197. A lot of wind today and looks to be that way for the next couple of days. Nothing to bad but annoying. We will report.
Andy Cates
Feb. 20, 2010
Good evening folks. We had a similar day here as yesterday. Good sign but a lot of moving around and no much biting. It looks like most of the fish are closer to the Island. Biggest fish today about 170 pounds. Sharks got some and made it a little tough.
The weather came up this afternoon as well. Uh oh
Andy Cates
Feb. 18, 2010
Good evening folks. We had another nice day today with great fishing on 80 to 120 pound fish. There were more fish in the mid hundreds today and two fish over 200 caught. A 220 and a 256. Those were the two biggest fish of the day. The weather is still nice and looking forward to another day tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Feb. 16, 2010
Good evening folks. Our first day we found some better size fish and struggled most of the day trying to get bite with fish boiling around the boat. We had what looked to be three chances at big tuna and managed one fish 241 pounds. With the sign and hopes of hooking more we gave it the whole day and picked at fish from 100 to 150 pounds. Big numbers were not had but everyone had a chance. Tomorrow we are going to be on the hunt for more action and hoping it comes our way.
Andy Cates
Feb. 15, 2010
Good morning folks. We will start fishing tomorrow and everyone is more than ready for that to begin. The weather is great and looks to stay for a little while.
Tomorrow we will have something to report.
Andy Cates
Feb. 13, 2010
Good morning folks. We left yesterday on a 16 day fly-home, Izorline sponsored trip. So far all looks good with a nice load of bait and nice weather. The weather outlook is good for the next few days Looking forward to getting into some warm tropical weather and hopefully some good fishing.
Not much to report we are headed south and enjoying the ride.
Andy Cates
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update
January 21, 2009
Back-To-Back Cows
The Catchy Tackle-Pelagic 15-day trip aboard Red Rooster III returned January 21 with 19 anglers and skipper Andy Cates at the helm. The boat visited the Hurricane Bank, Clarion Island’s Buffer Zone and the southern banks off Baja, and found near-limits of tuna, with a good catch of wahoo as well. There were five cows aboard and two chartermasters for the two sponsoring companies: Fred Knilans and Sonny Jones.
Dylan Malmberg of Encinitas caught two cows on two casts, he said, and weighed them in at 249 and 229 pounds at the H&M Landing scales. The big one won first place. Dylan said it took a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook.
“He got tail-wrapped and he almost spooled me,” said Dylan. “I sat on my rod with my feet off the deck. He fought me for two hours.”
Malmberg said he used 130-pound Momoi Diamond leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.
Catchy Tackle rep Fred Knilans won second place for a 237-pound yellowfin he got with a sardine on a ringed 5/0 Super Mutu hook. Fred said he used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Momoi Diamond line with 130-pound Izorline Spectra on n Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 M rod.
“He was a hard fighter,” said Fred. “I thought about my wife and kids the whole time.”
Bill Branstetter of Mission Viejo got a 235-pounder with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Baja Boomer Jr. rod.
A shout went up from Bob “Scrappy” Michener of Oxnard when his 210-pounder was weighed.
“It’s my 40th cow,” said Bob. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this! He’s long and skinny, and he pulled hard. I got 36 of the 40 on Accurate reels.”
Bob said his tuna ate a sardine on a 12/0 Mustad circle hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 100-pound Izorline mono and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760 XH rod.
 |
 |
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6TH – THURSDAY, JANUARY 21ST 2010
LENGTH OF TRIP: 15 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: CLARION ISLAND
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: TRIP 1W10/ CATCHY TACKLE PELAGIC GEAR
FISH COUNT: 210 YELLOWFIN TUNA 128 WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 249.1 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY DYLAN MALMBERG OF ENCINITAS, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 237.2 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY FRED KNILANS OF RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 235.5 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BILL BRANDSTETTER OF MISSION VIEJOS, CA
229.1 LBS CAUGHT BY DYLAN MALMBERG
210.0 LBS CAUGHT BY BOB MICHENER
202 LBS CAUGHT BY BILL BRANDSTETTER
Jan. 20, 2010
Good afternoon folks. Well, it looks like our timing is excellent with the weather. We have had a very nice ride home and right now we are experiencing a huge north west ground swell and all the wind coming out of the south east. This is putting the wind at our stern an actually pushing us up the line. We are making great speed and should be safe in the bay sometime tonight. Our ETA for tomorrow is 8:00 AM but we will be in the bay around midnight.
Our next trip sponsored by Izorline leaves Feb 12 and it is a fly home trip that will give you the option of avoiding this ride up the line. With the fish on the Lower banks, this could make a perfect finish as it looks to be the water is sustaining a warm temperature of 76 degrees and should hold through March. With the extended day trip the Outside spots will be a great bet for wahoo and tuna especially in the later months we see and traditionally catch more wahoo at the Hurricane bank as the season continues. The scheduled trip is a go and we are looking forward to having more people interested as we move into the winter time fishery. Call the office if you have any questions about rental tackle or the status on the passenger load. The boat will be heading down on Feb 12 so get your spot now.
Andy Cates
Jan. 17, 2010
Good morning folks. Yesterday was pretty tough for us here. We moved around a bit trying to get in position and could not get on fish that would bite. You want to talk about frustrating. Any way we went up and caught bait last night and have a few tuna this morning. It looks like we have some fish gathered on us so we are hoping to pick here today. Biggest fish was high hundreds about 190. I sure hope this spot works out, so far better than yesterday.
Andy Cates
Jan. 15, 2010
Good morning folks, we are heading up to finish off at the lower banks. We will be there in the morning we will report again tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Jan. 13, 2010
Good evening folks. A couple of chances on big fish matched with a couple of tackle failures. We did manage 8 fish from 150 to 185 pounds but landed nothing bigger. We are giving it one more day here and then heading up to finish off at the Lower Banks. We saw just enough sign here to try it again so hopefully it works out.
Andy Cates
Jan. 12, 2010
Good evening folks. We finished our day off nice with an area that had sign of big fish. We had about 8 bites in the afternoon and managed to land a 223, a 235, 236 and a 241. Needless to say we will be trying it again tomorrow and releasing fish under the 200 mark. Lets hope it works out.
Andy Cates
Jan. 12, 2010
Good morning folks. Yesterday we had another good day of fishing with the biggest fish caught by Bob Michner and he won himself a Pelagic jacket for his efforts. His winning fish was 206 and that was the biggest for the day. More of the stock grade fish this morning, but I think we are going to take a look around and see if there are any big ones somewhere.
We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Jan. 10, 2010
Good evening folks. We had a really nice first day here today. Excellent action on fish from 75 to 230 pounds. There were a few bigger ones mixed in but up to 180 pounds was the biggest. Tomorrow we are going to spend some time looking around to see if there is much bigger fish. Bill Campbell won the daily jack pot with a 200 dollar gift certificate to Angers Center in Newport beach. He was stoked.
Tomorrow it looks like biggest fish will get a Pelagic jacket.
We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Jan. 8, 2010
Another day of travel with very nice weather. A tuna seminar and a little rigging this afternoon and that was it. Not much else to report, one more day of travel tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Jan. 7, 2010
Good morning folks. So far, we have had very nice weather on our 15 day Pelagic/Catchy Tackle Sponsored trip. We had a great raffle yesterday afternoon and I would like to thank Pelagic, Catchy tackle ,Mustad hooks and Five star fish processing for the contributions for the trip. John Grabowski and David Dudley put together Mustad bags for each passenger full of hooks and hats that I hope will be useful throughout the trip.
Today we did a quick seminar on Jack Pot and fish processing and are headed down. Where, I am not sure yet, but South it is.
We will report again tomorrow!
Andy Cates & Crew
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Foursome For Joe’s Guys
Joe D’Aquisto docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing January 5 after a ten-day trip with 15 anglers, who bagged four cows along with a good catch of other tuna.
Michael Rosenthal won first place for a 231.7-pound tuna that bit his sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and an "Armbreaker" short rod of five feet made by Calstar.
Hans Rueckert of LA took an hour and a half and a skiff ride to bag the larger of his two cows for second place. That one weighed 220.7 pounds. The smaller one went 202.6 pounds. He used the same outfit: a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 80-pound Big Game on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 7670 H rod.
Terry Marx of Las Vegas won third place for his 220.5-pounder, which he got with a sardine on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Yo-Zuri line and 130-pound Line One backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Lamiglass acid wrap 5110 rod.
Ed Scheenstra of LA bagged a 205.4-pound tuna.
CAPTAIN: JOE D’ACQUISTO
DATE OF TRIP: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26th 2009 –TUESDAY, JANUARY 5TH 2010
LENGTH OF TRIP: 10 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: ALIJOS ROCKS, 300 POUND BANK, RIDGE, & SAN BONITOS ISLAND
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: TRIP 28S09/ NEW YEARS SPECIAL 2009
FISH COUNT: 149 YELLOWFIN TUNA 96 YELLOWTAIL 35 DORADO 1WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 231.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY MICHAEL ROSENTHAL OF PHOENIX, AZ
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 220.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY HANS RUECKERT OF GRANADA HILLS, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 220.5 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY TERRY MARX OF LAS VEGAS, NV
205.4 LBS CAUGHT BY ED SCHEESTRA 202.6 LBS CAUGHT BY HANS RUECKERT
Jan. 4, 2010
Good Afternoon Folks
We ended our trip by going into the beach and catching some bottom grabbers. We are all done and on our way home. We should be at the dock at 8:00. Weather is absolutely beautiful. Have a nice afternoon. We will report back later.
Joe and Crew RR 3
Jan 3, 2010
Good Evening Folks
We had a good day of yellowtail fishing and are heading up. We will be finishing up the trip tomorrow. We are going to do a couple drifts for some rockfish then heading home to San Diego. The yellowtail are from 16 to 18 pounds. We've had a great trip and are looking forward to going home to weigh up our catch. Have a great night we will report back later.
Joe ands Crew RR 3
Jan 2, 2010
Good Afternoon Folks
Today we fish the ridge for a couple of hours. We had some yellowtail, handful of tuna and one wahoo. We are heading up to Benitos island tomorrow and will be trying our luck for yellowtail. Most of the fish on the ridge we're small and we threw them back. We are hopping for better quality tomorrow. Wish us luck.
Joe and Crew RR 3
Jan 1, 2010
Good Morning Folks
We have sixty fish for the morning and are still fishing. The fish is fifty to sixty pounds with an occasional one ninety to one hundred. This is beautiful fish for the RSW. We are stocked with are morning and are hoping it will continue. Will report back this evening. Also Happy New Year to all.
Joe and Crew RR 3
Dec. 31, 2009
Good Evening Folks
We had a good one on the bank. We ended up with nine fish. The smallest was one eighty pounder and the biggest was two hundred and seven pounds. We ended up with three or four over two for the day. Tomorrow we will be fishing the flathead bank to try and get some more fish to round the trip out nicely. We will report back later.
Joe and crew RR3
Dec. 30, 2009
Good Evening Folks. We arrived at the three hundred pound bank at eleven o'clock. We got the anchor down at one. It took a little while for the fish to get on us but at three we where busy. We ended up with eight fish, one maybe over two, the rest where one hundred and twenty pounds to one hundred and ninety pounds. We had a few casualties and lost one big one at gaff. We are staying here tonight and will be here tomorrow. Wish us luck. Will report back tomorrow.
Joe and Crew RR3
Dec. 29, 2009
Good Afternoon Folks. We started out great this morning on forty pound fish with a handful of better ones. This afternoon the current changed and the fish all moved off the edge. We are now heading into to the lower banks in hopes of trophies. Wish us luck.
Joe and RR3 crew
Dec. 28, 2009
Good evening folks, We got down to the rocks at ten and started to fish. When we first started it looked really good and then the current died. We didn't get our current back all day till dark. We scratched during the afternoon on that forty to fifty pound fish. Which was average for the day with an occasional twenty five pounder or seventy pounder. We will be here tomorrow wish us luck. The weather is beautiful, grease calm.
Joe and crew RR 3
Dec. 27, 2009
Good morning folks
We are heading out on our annual 10 new years with a great group of anglers. We are planning to go to Alijos Rocks first to get some filler fish and then go down to cow town from there. We will be at the rocks tomorrow. Wish us luck and we will report back later.
Joe and crew RR3
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update
December 21, 2009
Rooster Gets Supercow
Andy Cates brought Red Rooster III home to H&M Landing December 21 after a ten-day trip with 23 anglers sponsored by Izorline and Accurate. The H&M building was flattened when he left, but on his return there was already a shell up for the new landing offices. Both Fisherman’s Landing and H&M will have new quarters next summer.
The big fish caught on the Rooster was a 332-pound giant yellowfin caught by Dana Sterling, a retired angler now working in the marine coating industry.
"Remember that," he told Bill Roecker at the scales. "You’ll be seeing something about it pretty soon."
Sterling only needed 45 minutes to quell his trophy. "My best fish before this one was only 126 pounds," he remarked.
Dana used a sardine on a 4/0 ringed gorilla hook, which he tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. He fished with an Avet VX 50 reel and a Calstar 765 H rod.
Bill Falls of Las Vegas got the trip’s other cow, a 237-pound tuna taken on a sardine and a ringed Super Mutu 7/0 hook dangled from a fishing kite. He used the boat’s kite gear: 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Accurate 80 reel (the anglers call it "the tractor," and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.
The two cow catchers posed with Farrey Flessender of Santa Rosa, who got a 180-pound tuna, good for third place. Bruno Buzinskis of La Crescenta got honorable mention and the trolling jackpot for a 135-pounder.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11TH – MONDAY, DECEMBER 21st 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 10 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: MAG BAY, ALIJOS ROCKS
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: TRIP 27S09/IZORLINE/CALSTAR SPONSOR 2009
FISH COUNT: 270 YELLOWFIN TUNA 105 YELLOWTAIL 1 WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 332.0 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY DANA STERLING OF LOS ANGELES, CA.
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 237.9 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BILL FALLS OF LAS VEGAS, NV,
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 180.0 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY FARREN FESSEDEN OF SANTA ROSA, CA.
ETA 8 AM MONDAY
Dec. 19, 2009
Good evening folks. We finished off here this evening at Cedros. Pretty poor here today, just not much sign of yellowtail of any size much less big ones. We had a dozen small fish in the morning at Natividad end didn't stop until the North end of Cedros. We scratched at mostly small yellows with a few decent ones mixed in. Guys got to keep a few for the RSW but that was about the extent of it. Better than nothing. The weather is really nice and it looks like a nice ride home tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Dec. 18, 2009
Good afternoon folks. We are going to take off soon and head up to Cedros to see if we can finish off with some nice size yellows. The action is not as red hot as yesterday but still good flurries to put together a nice day. So far an 85 pounder has won the daily Jack pot being a Accurate Boss Reel. Thanks Jack. That guy is stoked. We have great weather for the ride up. We are all looking forward to getting in and then coming back down for another shot at this great action at Alijos and the possibility of a lifetime cow on the Lower Banks. Give the office a call and we will see you on the 26th.
Andy Cates
Dec. 17, 2009
Good afternoon folks. After yesterday with more non biting fish, this is a great change. Nice fishing on 40 pound fish with a few bigger. We are still hoping for an afternoon shot on possibly a few better grade fish. This is great filler fish and after the slow fishing for big one the last three days this has got everyone smiling and having a great time. The sign of big fish on the beach is good but we are at a point where we need to catch something and this so far has worked out. The big fish may bite after Christmas that Moon phase was good last time. If you are interested at a shot at a big one we do have some spots and the trip after Christmas is a go. Call the office and book for what might be the Moon phase we are waiting for. Like I said very good sign of big ones just have to be there at the right time.
Three days of fishing in there got us 21 tuna and a real big one over 300 pounds .
We plan on doing this tomorrow for half a day and let everyone have fish for the RSW tank to take home. Thinking about Cedros for the last day to finish off on Yellows. We will see.
Andy Cates
Dec. 16, 2009
Good morning folks, yesterday was long. Fish boiling around the boat with very few bites. Most of what we hooked we lost. We did manage to catch 7 tuna throughout the entire day. Two biggest fish were a 310 and a 225. Yah that was nice but a lot of people never got a bite.
This morning there was no sign and now we are driving around looking for anything to catch.
Andy Cates
Dec. 15, 2009
Good morning folks, pretty tough day yesterday. The medium grade fish on the upper end was our first stop. We picked off 7 fish nothing big. They did not bite and we proceeded down to try for bigger fish only to have 25 knots of wind and spend all afternoon dragging anchor. Very frustrating. Needless to say we didn't catch anything in the evening. So far this morning we have hooked about 10 fish and lost everything but two. A couple of fish around 100 pounds. The bigger ones we had on didn't work out. Oh and we got a wahoo this morning. Stoked. We have fish on us right now but the main hit is over hopefully we can pick throughout the day.
We will report again tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Dec. 13, 2009
Good morning folks.
Another day of travel and everyone is ready to go. Just a few last things to rig up and then a few days on the Lower Banks. The prospects sound good with a few more big fish caught yesterday and hopefully more sign today as the moon goes down. We will be on the grounds early tomorrow morning.
Andy Cates
Dec. 12, 2009
Good morning folks.
We left yesterday on a 10 day Izorline, Accurate, Calstar sponsored trip. We had a nice giveaway and raffle provided by the sponsors.
A lot of new faces this year, we are hoping that the New Moon has an impact on the big fish and they make a showing this week. We have the weather for it and coverage by other boats in the fleet. I hope our timing is good and we can put together another nice trip.
Andy Cates
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update
December 11, 2009
Two-Week Rooster Trip
Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing December 11 after the 14-day Rod & Reel Radio trip with 21 anglers. He had three cows aboard, although anglers remarked that sharks ate several big tuna that might have otherwise qualified.
Two of the cows nearly made super cow class. Todd Cameron, who works for Southern California Edison, had the jackpot winner, a 296.5-pounder.
“I’ve been fishing long range for four years,” he told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and my best one before this was a 232-pounder.”
Cameron said he baited a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 50 reel and a Shimano TLT 660 H rod.
“He bit like a shark,” said Cameron. “then he took all my line, all but about 50 yards, and then he went down, for an hour and a half.”
Jim Ballard of San Jose won second place for a 282.3-pound tuna. He bagged it with a sardine on an 87/0 Eagle Claw hook on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 VSW reel and an Oceanmaster five and a half-foot rod.
“My best fish before this was about a 50-pounder,” he said with a grin.
Veteran angler Ray Bolduc of Placerville rounded out the jackpot with a 222.4-pound tuna. He flylined a sardine on a 4/0 Gamakatsu J hook tied to 130-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Izorline, with 130-pound Magic Braid Spectra backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a “…four-foot Sabre rod.”
Archie Irion won the trolling trophy for a 77-pounder. Cates reported the trip fished at Clarion and the lower banks, for about 200 tuna and a dozen wahoo.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 14 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: LOWER BANKS, CLARION
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: ROD & REEL RADIO 2009
FISH COUNT: 196 YELLOWFIN TUNA 10 WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 296.5 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY TODD CAMERON OF LONG BEACH, CA.
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 282.3 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY JIMMY BALLARD OF SAN JOSE, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 220.4 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY RAY BOLDIC OF KELSEY, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 77.0 LB. YELLOWFIN TUNA LBS CAUGHT BY ARCHIE IRION OF ESCONDIDO, CA
ETA 6 AM Dec. 11
Dec. 8, 2009
Good evening folks. We finished off right at dark with a school that bit a little. No big fish, biggest around 150 pounds but none the less a nice way to finish off. The weather is nice down here and we are hoping it stays for another day. We are going to try and get in early Friday morning and will have an updated ETA on Thursday.
We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Dec. 7, 2009
Good morning folks. Another day of decent fishing. Mostly stock grade fish being 80 to 100 pounds with one big one at 285 pounds. Action throughout the day and good weather.
We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Dec. 5, 2009
We had a nice day of fishing today. Flat calm weather and fish from 130 to 190 pounds. Seemed to have at least 1 or 2 on throughout the day. One Jack pot fish that goes 270. A few other chances on bigger fish but didn't work out.
We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Dec. 3, 2009
Great day of fishing today. Excellent action on 75 to 100 pound fish. A few bigger ones mixed in to keep the challenge up. Biggest fish about 200 pounds. We needed that. Hopefully tomorrow is another great day.
Andy Cates
Dec. 1, 2009
Good morning folks. Yesterday we were plagued with rough weather and caught absolutely nothing. More of the same this morning but it does seem to be settling down a little. We will see how it goes here today and decide if we go to the outside or sit in here on the beach and pray for change. We will report again tonight.
Andy Cates
Nov. 29, 2009
Good morning folks. The weather has started to come down. Boy, yesterday was cold and windy , now that we are further south it is starting to warm up. We will be on the grounds tomorrow morning and excited about the day. Another day of rigging and we should be all set.
We will report tomorrow on our progress
Andy Cates
Nov. 28, 2009
Good morning folks. We left yesterday on our annual Rod and Reel radio 14 day trip. We got a nice load of sardines and right now we are headed to the lower Banks. This group is very excited at the prospects and hopefully we see the sign that was around last week. I would like to thank Rod &Reel for the great giveaways including a Seeker custom wrapped certificate for a brand new rod. Nice way to start your trip. Five Star fish processing for 150 dollars worth of certificates and other sponsors. Izorline , Catchy tackle, with some more great items.
We are in the wind here today but looks like it will pass in a couple of days. Hopefully we can get some chances at big fish here this week.
Andy Cates
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 12/9 DAYS
AREA FISHED: CLARION AREA
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: ACCURATE FISHING PRODUCTS 2009
FISH COUNT: 250 YELLOWFIN TUNA 58 WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 258.0 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY MILES YAMAGUCHI OF RIVERSIDE, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 212.8 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA\CAUGHT BY STEVE ROMAK OF, LINCOLN, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 186.6 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY DAVID BRILHANTE OF SAN DIEGO, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 39.3 LBS WAHOO CAUGHT BY CHARLIE MARTINEZ OF LAKEWOOD, CO
Additional notable catches: 220.0 LBS CAUGHT BY MILES YAMAGUCHI
Nov. 20th, 2009
Good morning folks. We had another great day of fishing yesterday. Worn out anglers after 3 days of non stop pulling on fish. Biggest fish yesterday was about 180 pounds but the action on the 70 to 120 was excellent.
We are headed up to finish off on the beach. Hopefully we can get a shot on big ones to finish off with . A few Jack pot fish would be nice. Great weather today. Enjoying a nice day of travel.
We will report again tomorrow,
Andy Cates
Nov. 19th, 2009
Good morning folks. Yesterday was another great day of fishing. Nice weather with plenty of action on 70 to 120 pound fish. Biggest fish landed was 180 pounds. No chances at big ones but what a great caliber of fishing.
So far this morning similar results, maybe not quite like yesterday, just yet.
Andy Cates
Nov. 17th, 2009
Good evening folks. Great day of fishing here today on 80 to 120 pound fish with one stand out fish a 225. Nice weather and good fishing we will report again tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Nov. 16th, 2009
Good evening folks. Alijos was slow and not much sign. We are headed down and the weather is getting better by the hour. Tomorrow we will be fishing and hoping it goes well. We will report again tomorrow. Andy Cates
Nov. 15th, 2009
Good morning folks. We are making our first stop at Alijos Rocks. We will be there at lunch time and give it the afternoon. If we see good sign and stay I will be all for that. The weather is a little choppy but will be fine on the anchor. We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Nov. 14th, 2009
Good morning folks. We just left on our annual 12 day fly home Accurate trip This morning we went over a few things and proceeded to hand out some 50 different rods and reels brought by Jack and Leo. We all miss Del Marsh and know he is with us on this voyage. Plenty of laughs and stories about the man. We will miss him.
The daily Jackpots will include accurate reels and other items to keep things interesting throughout the trip. Nice to see some new faces on the trip and of course the return guys that have made this an annual vacation.
So far the weather is nice, a little wind but we are going with it on our way down.
Another day of travel tomorrow with another seminar and raffle .
We will report again
Andy Cates
Fish Of The Year? Already?
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 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 256.5-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.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18TH – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 14 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: HURRICANE BANK, CLARION
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: WINTER WANDERLUST 2009
FISH COUNT: 215 YELLOWFIN TUNA & 77 WAHOO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 351.2 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BOB PETERS OF MEDFORD, OR
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 294.6 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA\CAUGHT BY JIM KOKESH OF EL GRANADA, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 277.2 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY JOHN NELSON OF ESCONDIDO, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 54.6 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY LYNN FREED OF CANOGA PARK, CA
258.1 LBS CAUGHT BY JOHN WICHMAN
256.8 LBS CAUGHT BY CHARLES TANAKA
256.5 LBS CAUGHT BY LARRY MARTIN
236.2 LBS CAUGHT BY JOHN WICHMAN
235.8 LBS CAUGHT BY MIKE BUTLER
226.5 LBS CAUGHT BY JOE DAVIDSON
220.4 LBS CAUGHT BY DAVE SNYDER
211.9 LBS CAUGHT BY FRED WAKEFIELD
Oct. 31st, 2009
Good afternoon folks.
It looks like 8:30 AM ETA at the dock tomorrow, Nov 1, 2009
Andy Cates
Oct. 29th, 2009
Good morning folks. Yesterday we finished off with great action on 60 to 90 pound tuna with a few bigger ones mixed in. We picked off a really nice fish in the afternoon, and then not much before dark. A nice way to finish the trip. The weather was nice last night. We will have an updated ETA on Saturday for our arrival on Sunday.
Andy Cates
Oct. 27th, 2009
Good evening folks. We ended up leaving the Bank after a day with virtually no sign.
Today was our first day at the Island. Really a lot of small fish and sharks. The water is cooler so our bait stopped dying, so that's good. We did manage to get three nice fish today mixed with the small fish and sharks off the Island. The day was ok but a lot of work weeding through sharks and little tuna.
We have one more day and we are hoping to finish off with a bang,
Andy Cates
Oct. 25th, 2009
Good morning folks. Yesterday was even slower and things seem to be slowly going down the tubes. 24 tuna and 10 wahoo. The day brought two big fish a 270 in the morning and a260 in the evening. It looks like we hooked two other big fish the entire day unfortunately they fell off. With so few chances at big ones you really don't get much, you can't expect to get everyone you hook.
This morning we have one fish. 195 in the dark on a skip jack.
The weather is great, a little hot but very little wind.
Andy Cates
Oct. 24th, 2009
Good morning folks. Yesterday was a bit slower. a scratch in the morning with one fish 225 and then a big dead time and another shot in the evening. One more big fish a 250 in the afternoon. 32 tuna and 12 wahoo for the day.
So far this morning one bite one fish. A 270 in the gray and nothing to go with. It sure seems like less and less every day.
Andy Cates
Oct. 22nd, 2009
Good evening folks. We started off with a bang here today with 53 tuna and a handful of wahoo. We had a few chances on cows but first day jitters got the best of us. Biggest fish was a 233 and other were 80 to 160 pounds some fish bigger than 160 but not many. It was great action and got us started nicely. We will report again tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Good morning folks. We will be at the Bank this morning just after breakfast and get the trip started. The weather is great which is different and hoping it stays. We will report tonight on our day.
Andy Cates
Oct. 19th, 2009
Good morning folks. We left yesterday and are on our way down on our first extended day trip. 14 days to the Hurricane Bank. We have a nice load of bait and spread the bait out anticipating the hot water below. Last report was 83 degrees and the bait needs plenty of room in those conditions. So far things look good. The hurricane has moved up to the North east and gives us a clear path to the Bank.
A short stop tonight to try for squid and then proceed down. We will report as we go Andy Cates
Net Update October 18, 2009
By Colin Sarfeh for FishingVideos.comOctober calls. In my past years, October has brought images to mind of Halloween, pumpkins, colorful leaves, and changing winds. Oh, and one other thing: the collapse of the summer fishing season. But after my first 10-day long range fishing adventure, I will now imagine epic battles with 100-pound Yellowfin Tuna, water-ripping tussles with Lamborghini-laced Wahoo, and one on one fisticuffs with high-flying Dorado or mossback Yellowtail.
On October 7th I boarded the Red Rooster III, skippered by Andy Cates. I had been anticipating this trip for over nine months (this was a college graduation present given to me by my parents; I consider it the gift of all gifts). Our generous sponsors from Newell, Yo-Zuri, Seaguar, and WestCostAngler.Com donated many prizes, including reels, fluorocarbon, lures, hooks, bait rigs, T-shirts, and much more.
After rigging and tackle seminars and much anticipation, we arrived at The Rocks at 10:30 AM on Friday morning. For those of you who have never been to Alijos, but have always wanted to go, the three rocks stand above the water as the pinnacle of an under-water mountain. For the first-timer, this is just amazing. I’m sure any angler who has been to the rocks can attest to this.
We spent four full days at the rocks, with steady fishing on the 60 to 100-pound Yellowfin Tuna, as well as a pick on the Dorado, Yellowtail, and Wahoo. The Wahoo were few and far in between, but those who put in the time casting bombs and jigs got their chance at 40-60 pound ‘hoos. The hot jig seemed to be either the chrome and blue or gold and blue Catchy Tackle Sea Strike 33’s. There were many Wahoo bite-offs when fishing straight mono for tuna, but whenever anyone tried the wire for the ‘hoos, the picky fish wouldn’t come anywhere near the bait.
As far as tuna fishing goes, during the first two days the fish seemed finicky, and many anglers had to drop to 40-pound gear to get bit, which resulted in longer battles. This author caught two of the 70 to 80-pound class tuna on a single-speed Avet LX loaded with 40-pound mono and got absolutely worked by the fish before finally getting them in. After that, it was 50-pound mono and 2-speed reels for me, which worked out nicely as the fish were biting on the 50 and 60-pound gear on days three and four. Fluorocarbon was a big help in getting bit, as most of the fish were striking after a long soak (thanks again to our generous friends from Seaguar).
After the sunset on our fourth day of fishing, we pulled anchor and headed towards the ridge where we hoped for a better bite on Wahoo. On our way closer to the beach, skipper Cates found a floating kelp patty that was absolutely loaded with 10 to 30-pound Dorado, which all anglers took advantage of. This bite was like nothing I have seen before, but is common to long-range ventures. The hungry Mahi were eager to bite bait, jigs, or anything we threw at them. After a couple re-drifts on the patty, our RSW hold was satisfied with limits of healthy “flapjacks.”
After a day of pick fishing on yellowtail, grouper, and rockfish, along with some snotty weather on the ridge, we finished the trip targeting some heavier yellowtail in Turtle Bay and later at Cedros Island. At Turtle Bay, the Yellowtail were thick, biting on yo-yo and surface iron, as well as on dropper-loop and fly-lined sardines. These fish were in the 10 to 20-pound category, nice fish to play with on lighter gear, but Capt. Andy wanted the bigger fish. After a quick jaunt to Cedros Island, we anchored up in a weather-free bay where the bigger 30 to 40-pound yellows started biting on both the fly-line or a sliding sinker rig with a greenback Mackerel pinned on. Forty or fifty-pound gear was the standard here and still meant a tough fight with these homeguards.
All good things have to come to an end. “Time to break down the gear and prepare for the ride home,” said skipper Cates. As quickly as the trip came, it ended. It’s a sad time when you have to finally stow away the rods and reels until it comes time for the next adventure. The travel day home is spent reminiscing on the good times, friendly pranks, and great fishing spent with newly acquainted friends. That’s what its all about – just being out there away from everything and sharing the rail with great people (the awesome fishing helps too!).
Red Rooster III docked October 17 at Lee Palm Sportfishers to unload our catch, the final chapter of this young angler’s first true long-range voyage. It couldn’t have ended any better as I ended up taking third place honors in the Jackpot for an 83.7 yellowfin tuna I caught with a sardine pinned on a 2/0 Hayabusa circle hook while using an Avet LX 6/3 with 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 50-pound clear Izor mono, and 65-pound Izor spectra and a Seeker 6465H Rod.
Chris Natividad took second-place with an 88-pounder, just shy of the first place 92-pound YFT Kelly Harlow caught. Kelly seemed to be the hot stick of the trip, but a quick mishap with a fighting belt got him a fun nickname (which my new buds from the trip should all remember, but can’t be repeated online) and that stuck for the remaining days of fishing.
As the next summer’s fishing season comes to a close, I will no longer look to pack away my tuna gear, but will embrace the changing of the season with a smile on my face, knowing that the potential for epic fishing is only a few hundred miles south of the border. New friends, beautiful scenery, and awesome fishing await our waters below. I want to thank Bob Peterson and friends from WestCoastAngler.com and Richard Hightower from Newell Reels as well as Andy Cates and the crew from Red Rooster III and many other experienced anglers aboard for “taking me under their wing” for my first long-range trip.
I couldn’t have asked for better people to fish with and would advise any who are looking to embark on their first trip to fish with any of these generous anglers. So, the next time October calls, there’s no doubt I’ll answer. But what happens when December or January arrives and the cows start calling? That’s soon to be answered.
 |
 |
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH – SATRUDAY, OCTOBER 17TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 10 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: ALIJOS ROCK, CEDROS
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: NEWELL/YO-ZURI SPONSOR
FISH COUNT: 171 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 210 YELLOWTAIL, 26 GROUPER, 17 WAHOO
LIMITS OF DORADO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 92.9 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY KELLY HARLOW OF ALOINE, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 88.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA\CAUGHT BY CHRIS NATIVIDAD OF SAN JOSE, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 83.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY COLIN SARFEH OF LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 32.00 LBS WAHOO CAUGHT BY RICHARD HIGHTOWER OF LA MIRADA, CA
ETA 7-8 AM Saturday Oct. 17th
Oct. 15th, 2009
Good evening folks. We finished the trip with great fishing on yellowtail. Good action in the morning and then a move up to Cedros paid off with chances at yellows from 25 to 40 pounds. The morning fish were mostly 15 to 18 pounds. We are breaking down the gear and headed up tonight. It looks like we will be in a little early, shooting for a 7:00 AM arrival at the landing. Great 10 day trip thanks to West Coast Anglers, Newell Hayabusa and Seaguar.
Andy Cates
Oct. 14th, 2009
Good evening folks. We started on the upper end of the ridge, we got caught in some choppy weather and only spent half a day there. Only one wahoo, although it did seal the trolling Jack Pot and a few smaller grade tuna and yellows here and there. Most of which were released.
The weather is much better now and we are looking forward to fishing yellows tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Oct. 13th, 2009
Good afternoon folks. We had a long morning looking for kelps. We finally found a nice kelp with enough Dorado to finish us off for the trip. Nice fish also. 10 to 25 pound dorado included as usual good action. We have not seen sign of wahoo and kelps are few and far between. Tomorrow we will try the ridge in hopes of at least settling the troll Jack Pot.
Andy Cates
Good morning folks. The morning ended up being best yesterday. Up until lunch we had steady fishing and then all afternoon just picked at best. 44 tuna 3 wahoo a few yellows and a few dorado.
With the great weather we have we decided to head east and spend a day looking for kelps. The big hope is to find sign of wahoo but we will take some dorado for the RSW tank as well. Depending on how today goes will impact our next move . We are finished with the Rocks and we'll be looking elsewhere.
Andy Cates
Oct. 12th, 2009
Good morning folks. Yesterday we started off well and seemed right on schedule. The afternoon shut us down with only a few tuna for our efforts. 25 tuna 4 wahoo and a handful of yellows. Very little after lunch.
So far this morning seems to be better with 23 tuna and 1 wahoo, few yellows . The weather is great, almost no wind. Hopefully we can keep it rolling today and not fall on our face like yesterday.
Andy Cates
Oct.11th, 2009
Good morning folks.
Good fishing yesterday on 70 to 90 pound tuna. Good fly-line action with a few flurries on the Kite. 50 and 60 pound seem to be the ticket. Took us a while to get that figured out with heavy casualties in the beginning . Not much wahoo around with just a few mixed in a day for that dedicated angler that will focus on the jig. Nice weather today with just a slight breeze, enough for the kite.
We will report again tomorrow
Andy Cates
Oct. 10th, 2009
Good morning folks, yesterday was a bit slower than it has been . We were still able to keep interest with 25 tuna and 7 wahoo. There is Dorado mixed in to keep things interesting as well. The tuna are decent size 60 to 100 pounds and quite challenging on the light line. Still hard to get a bite on 50 pound and not to much on the Kite, it make for long epic battles.
We will report again tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Oct. 9th, 2009
Good morning folks. We had a nice travel day and will be at the Rocks at 1030 in the morning. Everyone is ready to go and waiting for the arrival. Looks to be decent weather just hope the fish are biting today.
We will report tonight
Andy Cates
Oct. 7th, 2008
Good evening folks.
We just left on The Yo-Zuri , Newell 10 day trip. Co sponsored with West Coast Anglers and started the trip with a great raffle and giveaway. Newell reels Catchy tackle and other great items. We have a great load of bait and right now we are headed to Alijos Rocks, Tomorrow will be a travel day with seminars and rigging . Nice weather so far.
Andy Cates
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update September 27, 2009
Big Opah Dives Out
Opah aren’t commonly seen on the docks, and most caught by the long range fleet seem to get hooked near dawn or dusk, so the 102.9-pound moonfish caught by Rob Pennell of Pt. Loma on the five-day Pennell trip aboard Red Rooster III with skipper Andy Cates was a mite unusual.
Cates brought the boat home to H&M Landing September 27 with a load of mixed fish. He said he’d fished as far south as Turtle Bay and had spent a good deal of time fishing offshore.
“I thought I had a bluefin on when he almost spooled me at first, and then went straight down,” said Pennell of his opah. “It took about 30 minutes to get him in, and I credit the crew for it.”
He said it bit on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 30-pound Izorline and 65-pound Izorline Spectra backing on an Avet LX reel and a Kencor seven-foot rod.
The big opah won first place in the jackpot. Pennell said it bit around three in the afternoon, and that it was associated with a school of albacore.
Ed Blinks of San Diego won second place for a 36.7-pound albacore. Grant Morgan of Pauma Valley won third place for a 29.3-pound albie.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: TURTLE BAY OFF SHORE
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: FREELANCE TUNA FISHING 2009
FISH COUNT: LIMITS OF YELLOWTAIL, 90 DORADO, 116 YELLOWFIN TUNA ,9 ALBACORE, 1 OPAH
1st PLACE JACKPOT 103.00 LBS OPAH CAUGHT BY ROB PENNELL OF SAN DIEGO, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 36.7 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY ED BLINKS OF SAN DIEGO, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 29.3 ALBACORE CAUGHT BY GRANT MORGAN OF FALLBROOK, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 28.7 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY PETER LANG OF SANTA ROSA, CA
Sept. 26th, 2009
Good evening folks.
We finished the trip with a few albacore and Yellowfin. Also a nice Opah that was a real surprise. Yesterday was another day of kelp fishing with great action once again. Nice weather added to a great trip.
Andy Cates
Sept. 25th, 2009
Good morning folks. Great yellowtail fishing yesterday. 15 -18 pound fish with a few bigger and great surface action. Nice weather today heading out offshore looking for tuna. Hopefully we get the right lucky kelp.
Andy Cates
Sept. 23rd, 2009
Good evening folks.
We started off the trip with great action on Dorado and small yellowfin tuna. Nice grade of Dorado 10 to 30 pound fish. Mostly 20 pounders. The kelps were few and far between but we managed to pick off three lucky ones with good fish.
Tomorrow we try for yellows. Nice weather and looking forward to more action tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
Net Update September 21, 2009
Mr. Izorline Shows ‘Em How
An Izorline trip of five days aboard the Red Rooster III with skipper Andy Cates and 27 anglers ended at H&M Landing September 21.
“We fished dorado and small yellowfin the first day,” related Cates to dock reporter Bill Roecker.
“On the second day we had some excellent yellowtail fishing off Natividad Island. Then we went over to Guadalupe Island and fished a day and a half for trophies and sharks.”
Anglers aboard said they saw one huge white shark come up and clear the rail height, flipping over. They were mightily impressed.
Izorline owner Steve Ichinokuchi caught several large tuna at the big island. One of them weighed 93.9 pounds and won first place for Steve.
“I got him right out of the middle of Shark City,” said Ichinokuchi. “It took about 30 minutes.”
Steve said he used a small new Accurate B2-30 Xtreme reel with 500 yards of Izorline Spectra and some 30 yards of Izorline fluorocarbon leader on the front end to take his tuna. He baited a sardine on a 1/0 Mutu hook and used a Calstar 700 M rod.
Roland Tittle of Fallbrook won second place for a 71-pound tuna. He won the Izorline trophy for the best fish (other than Ichinokuchi’s) caught on (50-pound) Izorline. Scott Peterson of Las Vegas won third place for a 65-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin tuna. He also won the coveted trolling jacket for the best trollfish, a small wahoo caught at the big island.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: GUADALUPE, CLAM BAY, OFF SHORE
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: IZORLINE--2009
FISH COUNT: LIMITS OF DORADO, 315 YELLOWTAIL 105 YELLOWFIN TUNA
1st PLACE JACKPOT 93.9 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY STEVE ICHINOKUCHI OF LAKEWOOD, CA.
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 71.0 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY ROLAND TITTLE OF FALLBROOK, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 65.0 YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY SCOTT PETERSON OF LAS VEGAS, NV
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 27.6 LBS WAHOO CAUGHT BY SCOTT PETERSON OF LAS VEGAS, NV
Sept. 20th, 2009
Good afternoon folks.
We left the Island after 6 good size tuna and a dozen yellows. No current this morning but a few fish before heading home. It looks like great weather for the way home. We should be in at 800 in the morning.
See you then
Andy Cates
Good morning folks.
Yesterday we successfully managed our Jackpot fish with 14 tuna and 1 wahoo . We took care of 1-3 and the trolling Jackpot. Same thing as it has been . Lots of sharks and casualties. Good enough for JP but that's about it. It would be vey hard to make a catch here. We are on the north end this morning hoping for a few yellows before we head up for home.
Andy Cates
Sept. 18th, 2009
Good evening folks.
Great yellowtail fishing today. With what we were hoping for by 200 we decided to head out Guadalupe and try and settle the Jack Pots. The weather is great and we are having a pleasant crossing.
Hopefully the sharks don't beat us up to bad tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Sept. 17th, 2009
Good evening folks.
We had a great first day offshore. Great action on Dorado and smaller grade yellowfin . The dorado were nice grade and some of the tuna were good but a big percentage were little. Quite a bit of release size tuna. The weather is epic and we are headed in for yellowtail action. We will report again tomorrow.
Andy Cates
Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council
"In The Weeds"
Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing September 16 after the four-day Charkbait charter with Charkbait owner Mark Smith as chartermaster. He said he took his 30 anglers to San Pablo, where yellowtail were thicker than flies.
George Kosmos of San Diego won first place for a 32.6-pound yellowtail. Kosmos said he baited a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad hook to take his forktail. He used 30-pound Big Game line and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Newell 332 reel and a Seeker 665 rod.
Joe Flewelling of Phoenix, AZ won second place for a 32.4-pounder, and Gabriel Lopez of LA won third place for a 31.4-pound yellowtail.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 4 DAYS
AREAS FISHED:
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: CHARKBAIT TRIP 2009
FISH COUNT: 392 YELLOWTAIL, 80 DORADO & 62 YELLOWFIN TUNA
1st PLACE JACKPOT 32.6 LBS YELLOWTAIL CAUGHT BY GEORGE KOSMOS OF SAN DIEGO, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 32.4 LBS YELLOWTAIL CAUGHT BY JOE FLEWELLING OF LAVEEN. CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 31.4 LBS YELLOWTAIL CAUGHT BY GABRIEL LOPEZ OF LOS ANGELES, CA
Sept. 14th, 2009
Great day today with action on yellows and tuna. Wide open on yellows 15 to 25 pounds and a pick on a few 12 to 25 pound tuna. Tomorrow we will look for kelps in the morning offshore and then head it for home before lunch
Andy Cates
Sept. 13th, 2009
Good evening folks.
We had pretty good action today on mostly dorado but one stop on 18 to 30 pound tuna. Fishing kelps throughout the day with 120 mixed fish with the dorado being decent 10 to 30 pounds. Tomorrow we will be trying for yellowtail.
Andy Cates
Sept. 11, 2009
Good evening folks. We had a nice day today. a 1.5 day trip that found great action on yellowfin tuna, dorado, yellowtail and a few nice size albacore for Jack pot. Tomorrow we leave on a four day trip see you then.
Andy Cates
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH –TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 4 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: 60 MILES INNER BAY
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: LABOR DAY TRIP 2009
FISH COUNT: 90 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 42 BLUEFIN TUNA, 28 DORADO & 4 YELLOWTAIL
1st PLACE JACKPOT 50.5 LBS BLUEFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BENNY HOURANI OF BONITA, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 42.1 LBS BLUEFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY KARL YOUNG OF CORONA, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 40.6 LBS BLUEFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY AL BABASHOFF OF MONTEBELLO, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 27.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT DR. ERIC BLUESTONE OF SHILLINGTON, PA
Sept. 6th, 2009
Good evening folks.
Well today was better was a better day than a day of "working" but not by much. The only reason being is most of the yellowfin were pretty small. We did get some nice dorado mixed in so the variety was nice. A little over 100 mixed fish with some releases made for decent action, once again small fish. The weather looks to be improving so we will be out west again in search of Bluefin. Hopefully we can find a school that bites.
Andy Cates
Sept. 5th, 2009
Good evening folks.
The weather picked up in a big way and made things pretty tough. We did manage to pick 40 bluefin and a couple of albacore. Anchored worked best for us and made it more enjoyable with the weather.
Tomorrow we will be inside fishing yellowfin with hopefully better weather.
Andy Cates
CAPTAIN: JOE D’AQCUISTO
DATE OF TRIP: SUNDAY, AUGUST 30TH –FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH
LENGTH OF TRIP: 5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: GUADALUPE ISLAND 80-112 MILES OFF SHORE
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: ARNIE COHEN CHARTER
FISH COUNT: 123 ALBACORE 79 YELLOWFIN 38 BLUEFIN 7 YELLOWTAIL 7 WAHOO 1 OPA (98.8 LBS)
1st PLACE JACKPOT 71.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY WAYNE SEBERN OF GROVER BEACH, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 69.4 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY ED SCHEENSTRA OF ONTARIO, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 69.2 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY SAM LEWIN OF PRESCOTT, AZ
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 50.1 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY DON SHAPEN “Gidget” OF WINNETTA, CA. ALSO TROLLING JACKPOT 50.1 LBS WAHOO CAUGHT BY RICK WEBB OF SIMI VALLEY, CA
ETA is Friday @ 8:30 AM
Sept. 4th, 2009
Good Evening Folks
We finished our trip offshore and had excellent fishing. We had a mix of twenty five to forty pound yellowfin and bluefin. The morning started of slow and the afternoon was great. What a way to end a great five day trip .We will be heading home tonight and back at the dock between eight and eight thirty. The group had a great time and enjoyed themselves. Thanks to all and have a great night.
Joe and RR 3 Crew
Sept. 2nd, 2009
Good Evening Folks
We fished the island today and had good fishing in the morning. We had good grade tuna and a handful of nice grade yellowtail. We have left the island because the south swell from the hurricane has rolled the water over and will take a couple days to recover. We are on our way to finish offshore to try for more variety and to get some more good quality. We have a great catch at this point in the trip and the folks are happy. We are hoping for more good things to come tomorrow. Wish us luck. Will report tomorrow with hopefully good news from the offshore grounds.
Thanks
Joe and Crew RR 3
Sept. 1st, 2009
Good Evening Folks
We had a good day at the island with thirty one trophy size tuna and seven surprise wahoo to end our day. We are going to try this again tomorrow. Wish us luck and we will report back later.
Joe and Crew RR 3
Aug. 31, 2009
We fished offshore today and had an excellent day on albacore, yellowfin, and an opa. The grade is beautiful. We had a stop late on twenty five to forty pound yellowfin tuna and are on our way to Guadalupe Island. We will be there in the morning and are looking forward to the chance at catching some trophy's. Wish us luck.
Joe and RR 3 crew
Aug. 29, 2009 Good evening folks
We had an excellent day on albacore, bluefin, yellowfin and dorado. The grade is beautiful. There are big schools mixed with the majority being albacore. We had a fun day of steady action and are looking forward to coming back on a five day. Will be back at the dock tomorrow at 8:00 or 8:30.
thanks
Joe and Crew RR3
CAPTAIN: JOE D’ACQUISTO
DATE OF TRIP: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26TH – FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 1.5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: 87 TO 100 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAN DIEGO
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: FREELANCE
FISH COUNT: 12 ALBACORE 8 BLUEFIN
1st PLACE JACKPOT 40.3 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY ROSS CURTIS OF FALLBROOK, CA
August 27, 2009
Good evening folks Today was a tuff day for the entire fleet as a whole not much was caught. We saw lots of fish just couldn't get them to bite. We had bluefin tuna 30 to 50 pounds maybe a couple bigger and had albacore 18 to 30 pounds. Will be back at the dock at 7 o'clock and leave tomorrow night on another day and a half.
thanks
Joe and crew RR 3
CAPTAIN: JOHN GRABOWSKI
DATE OF TRIP: SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 2.5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: OFF SHORE
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: FREELANCE
FISH COUNT: 237 ALBACORE, 19 YELLOWFIN, 3 BLUEFIN, 2 DORADO - TOTAL: 261 MIXED TUNA
1st PLACE JACKPOT 54.5 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY DAVE SUMMERS OF PHOENIX, AZ
2nd PLACE JACKPOT 48.7 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY BOB MICHENER OF OXNARD, CA
3rd PLACE JACKPOT 45.1 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY AARON MATSON OF RIVERSIDE, CA
We just returned this morning from a 2.5 day trip that departed 1800 Sunday September23,2009. Our fishing consisted of two days of offshore Albacore, Bluefin and Yellowfin Tuna fishing. The weather was picture perfect and the distance we fished for this length trip ideal. Very good Albacore fishing with a sprinkling of both Bluefin and Yellowfin Tuna. It was typical Albacore style fishing with stop and go short stops throughout the day with the occasional wide open biting heavy line type fishing. It was a very good trip for these fortunate anglers, we hit it just right. We are very fortunate to have had excellent timing on this trip AND we are very thankful for our good fortune.
John Grabowski and the Crew of the Red Rooster III
Net Update August 23, 2009
Paul Sweeney Reports
Great Variety, Great Group
The Red Rooster III docked August 23 at H & M Landing after a five-day Arnie Cohen charter to Guadalupe and Cedros Islands. Skipper Andy Cates was at the helm.
"We had a great variety and a great group of guys," Cates said after weighing the jackpot fish. "We finished up the trip fishing albacore."
Todd Olson of Northridge won first place with a 54.3-pound yellowfin he caught at Guadalupe Island. Todd fly-lined a sardine on a 2/0 circle hook, 40-pound Izorline, a Shimano TLD reel and an old Saber rod.
Tom Jenkins of El Monte was second with a 53.6-pound tuna and first time long ranger Rachel Bleau of Oak Park took third with a 51.7-pound yellowfin.
"I loved it!" Rachel said. "I want to come back soon, so I'm saving money now, and I'm starting with the jackpot money!"
Captain John Grabowski leaves on a three-day trip later today.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: TUESDAY, AUGUST 18TH –SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: OFF SHORE, GUADALUPE, CEDROS
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: ARNIE COHEN CHARTER
FISH COUNT: 150 YELLOWTAIL, 50 YELLOWFIN, 38 ALBACORE, 3 DORADO
1st PLACE JACKPOT 54.3 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY TODD OLSON OF NORTHRIDGE, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 53.6 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY TOM JENKINS OF EL MONTE, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 51.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY RACHEL BLEU OF OAK PARK, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 28.3 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY RANDY MARK OF WEST HILLS, CA
Thanks Andy and crew for a great time...hope you enjoy the "action photos"
sorry youre getting all of them.
Gino Tomasino
|
August 22nd, 2009
Good morning folks.
After a day of getting violated by the white sharks, we are heading up and finishing offshore. About all we ended up with was the Jack pot and some heads of tuna and yellowtail. a very frustrating day for all. Oh we did get some good pictures of sharks though. Nice.
Andy Cates
August 20th, 2009
Good evening folks. We had a decent day of yellowtail fishing today. Average size fish was a little better, with more fish in the 25 to 30 pound range. Steady fishing most of the day with long drifts keeping 2 to 5 fish going. Actually a nice pace for the group.
We left after the guys lost interest and are now heading out to Guadalupe for a chance at trophies. The fishing hasn't been red hot out there but they still want a chance. Offshore scene still sounds tough but maybe our last day.
Andy Cates
August 20th, 2009
Good morning folks, yesterday was very tough offshore. Very little sign of keeper size tuna and spotty on kelps. The weather was nice and we covered a lot of area to the south. The results were the same with small tuna. We decided to head down to the Island in hopes of some yellowtail action to get the trip started. Tough start here so far.
Andy Cates
Eight-Footer, Long Soak
Bob Peterson charter mastered the West Coast Anglers five-day trip on Red Rooster III with skipper Andy Cates. He thanked FishingVideos.com, Avet and Five Star Fish Processing for their sponsorships of the trip, which docked at H&M Landing August 18.
Brian Crill won the jackpot for a 60-pound yellowfin tuna he got at Guadalupe Island.
“It was a 30-minute fight,” said Bob. “He bit after a long soak.”
Crill baited his ‘dine on a 3/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate 665 reel and a Seeker eight-foot rod.
Rudy Morfin of Carson won second place for a 59-pounder, and Bob Boyce of San Diego got third place for a 57-pound yellowfin tuna.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH – TUESDAY, AUGUST 18TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: OFF SHORE, GUADALUPE, CEDROS, SAN BENITOS
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: WESTCOASTANGLER.COM
FISH COUNT: 210 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 150 YELLOWTAIL, 53 DORADO, 15 BLUEFIN, 14 ALBACORE
1st PLACE JACKPOT 60.0 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BRIAN CRILL OF SANTA BARBARA, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 59.0 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY RUDY MARTIN OF CARSON, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 57.1 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BOB BOYCE OF SAN DIEGO, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 32.7 LBS ALBACORE CAUGHT BY WENDELL FOX OF FOSTER CITY, CA
ETA 8:00 AM Aug. 18
August 16th, 2009
Just finishing off here and heading up the line. A little scratchy for yellows today but we still managed 130 fish. Stopping and going most of the day with a couple of nice drifts in the morning. Offshore tomorrow.
Andy Cates
August 15th, 2009
Good afternoon folks. We left the Island after a slow day of watching tuna and not catching much tuna. The Jack pot was settled but only 14 tuna made for a long day. We are going in for hopes of a day of yellowtail fishing and then spend the last day offshore,
Andy Cates
August 14th, 2009
Good morning folks.
A great day of fishing yesterday. Offshore action with Yellowfin tuna, Albacore, Dorado, yellowtail and Bluefin. Flat calm weather, just a classic day. Today we will be at the Island trying for a few trophies.
Andy Cates
CAPTAIN: JOE D’ AQCUISTO
DATE OF TRIP: TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH – THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 1.5 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: 80 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAN DIEGO
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: FREELANCE
FISH COUNT: 31 – YELLOWFIN TUNA
Aug
17- ALBACORE
2 YELLOWTAIL
1st PLACE JACKPOT 39.3 LBS BLUEFIN CAUGHT BY PHIL GROSSMAN OF LOS ANGELES, CA
August 12th, 2009
Good evening folks
We had a good day and half. We had a mix bag of bluefin, albacore, yellowtail, yellowfin, and yellowtail. Great weather and good fishing. we'll be in at 8:00 to unload and will be turning around for a five day. Wish us luck.
thanks Joe and RR3 crew
Aug. 10th, 2009
Good afternoon folks. We had a little action on decent size yellows this morning 15 to 25 pound fish. It shut off after the Giant Squid got on us leaving us with 46 yellows for the day. It was fun while it lasted. So far our plan has worked on the weather, With a nice ride up the beach and looking to have a comfortable dinner tonight . Lets hope it holds.
Tomorrow night we leave on 1.5 day trip. Lets hope this weather comes down even more.
Andy Cates
August 9, 2009
Good evening folks.
Spent most of the day drifting and picking at Bluefin. We also through in 8 albacore with 77 Bluefin. Nice weather made for a nice 1.5 day trip. We will be in tomorrow and heading out the day after on another 1.5
Andy Cates
Dandy Guadalupe Tuna
A four-day trip with 30 anglers returned to H&M Landing August 8. Andy Cates skippered the trip. His anglers caught a lot of fish offshore the first day and got some high-quality yellowfin at Guadalupe Island. They also took some nice yellowtail at San Martin.
Lisa Kenny of Pt. Loma took her first tuna, a 53-pounder, at the island with advice and assistance from skipper Cates. She said the fight left her stoked but tired.
Charles Seifert of Newbury Park won first place for a 63.7-pounder. He bagged that yellowfin with a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad 91450 hook on 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Avet HX 5-2 reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.
Don Cox of Costa Mesa won second place for a 63.1-pound tuna. Terry Ekstrom of Algonquin, IL won third place for a 59.3-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin tuna.
CAPTAIN: ANDY CATES
DATE OF TRIP: TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH –SATURDAY, AUGUST 8TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 4 DAYS
AREAS FISHED: GUADALUPE, SAN MARTIN
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: JACKSON/BEKENDAM
FISH COUNT: 145 YELLOWFIN TUNA 125 YELLOWTAIL 25 DORADO & 6 BLUEFIN TUNA
1st PLACE JACKPOT 63.7 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY CHARLES SEIFERT OF NEWBURY PARK, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 63.1 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY DON COX OF COSTA MESA, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 59.3 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY TERRY EKSTROM OF ALGONQUIN, IL
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 16.6 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY CHUCK JACKSON OF CRYSTAL LAKE, IL.
August 6, 2009
Good evening folks.
We had a nice day at Guadalupe and nice it was to get out of the weather. 53 tuna and 2 yellowtail for the day. All day in the same spot with good fish boiling around. Tomorrow we are heading into the beach to get out of the weather Andy Cates
August 5, 2009
Good evening folks.
Through the rough weather we managed to stay busy all day. Starting the morning with a couple our drifts on school size tuna and then getting a variety on kelps. The yellowfin were a bit smaller than we like but with the conditions we were happy to be catching fish. we will be at the Island tomorrow in hopes of getting a few trophies. The weather outlook does not look real good so we might be finishing up at the Island.
WE WILL REPORT AGAIN TOMORROW
Andy Cates
August 4, 2009
Offshore & Guadalupe
Joe D’Aquisto had the Red Rooster III for a four-day trip, so he took his 31 anglers offshore for a day and then to the big island. They ended up with a respectable trip, catching over 100 yellowfin and 60-plus yellowtail, as well as an assortment of other fish, including some bluefin and albacore.
Henry Cortez of Orange County won first place in the jackpot for a 61.9-pound tuna. He said he bagged it with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 40-pound blue Izorline on a Trinidad 20 reel and a Calstar nine-foot rod.
Steve Hiramatsu of Orange won second place for a 59.5-pounder, and Ryan Scott of Huntington Beach got third place for a 57.9-pound yellowfin tuna.
CAPTAIN: JOE D’ACQUISTO
DATE OF TRIP: FRIDAY JULY 31- TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH 2009
LENGTH OF TRIP: 4DAYS
AREAS FISHED: 140 MILES SOUTH OF SAN DIEGO & GUADALUPE ISLAND
TRIP/CHARTER MASTERS: BLUEFINJIM 2009
FISH COUNT: 101YELLOWFIN TUNA, 63 YELLOWTAIL, 48 DORADO, 7 BLUEFIN TUNA & 4 ALBACORE
1st PLACE JACKPOT 61.9 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY HENRY CORTEZ OF ORANGE, CA
2ND PLACE JACKPOT 59.2 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY STEVE HIRAMATSU OF ORANGE, CA
3RD PLACE JACKPOT 57.9 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY RYAN SCOTT OF SANTA ANA, CA
REMARKS: TROLLING JACKPOT 36.4 LBS YELLOWFIN TUNA CAUGHT BY BILL CAMPBELL OF ANAHEIM , CA
Aug. 3, 2009
Good afternoon folks
We are just leaving the island and heading home. We had an ok morning with 15 more of that nice grade Tuna and one 30 pound Yellowtail. We saw a lot of fish, it just wasn't in the biting mood yet. We'd like to thank Bluefin Jim and all the sponsor for a great trip and also a great raffle. Thanks to Owner Hooks Salas Jigs ,Lead masters, Fish Trap Jigs, Whopper Stopper Rods, Izorline, Tim Baily and associates, and last but not lease Fisherman's Wholesale. Once again thank you very much and we should be back at the dock between 9:00 and 10:00 all depends on weather and what kind of speed we make.
Thanks Joe and the Crew RR3
Aug 2, 2009
Good evening folks
Today we had a great day at Guadalupe. We had 30 to 60 pound yellowfin tuna and 18 to 30 pound yellowtail. We are spending the night at Guadalupe in hopes that the great grade of tuna decides to bite in the morning our time here is limited so wish us luck. Will report back tomorrow.
Thanks Joe and crew
Aug 1, 2009
Good evening folks
Today we fished offshore on kelps and had 120 mixed fish. A Mixed bag of dorado, Bluefin, Yellowtail, Albacore and yellowfin. We had steady action on kelps. Tonight we are heading to Guadalupe island to try for some trophy tuna and yellowtail. Wish us luck. will report tomorrow.
thanks Joe and crew
JULY 31, 2009
Good evening folks
We just left on a four day bluefin Jim. Bait is in good shape and by the sounds of the fishing it is looking to be in good shape as well. Tomorrow we will be fishing offshore and going from there. Wish us luck and we will report later.
Joe and crew
Boy & Kite: Winning combo
Andy Cates brought Red Rooster III home to H&M Landing July 31, after a four-day trip, the Mahoney Charter, with 29 anglers. They had a mixed catch that included some quality yellowfin from Guadalupe Island.
Frank Lo Galbo of Rancho Palos Verdes is 15, and goes to the Army-Navy Academy in Carlsbad. He won the jackpot for his 83.3-pound tuna, on his first trip ever.
"I wasn’t expecting any fish this big," he said at the scales. "And I didn’t think they were as strong as they are, either."
Frank took his winner on the double trouble sardine rig under a fishing kite on the boat’s kite rig.
Steve Blakeley won second place for a 67.2-pound tuna, and Stefani Merli got third place for a 63.7-pound yellowfin.
239.0 LBS CAUGHT BY STEVE KNEIP
208.4 LBS. CAUGHT BY STEVE KNEIP
