Shawn Steward docked Bill Poole's 124-foot Excel December 10 after a choppy 16-day trip to the Hurricane Bank with 22 anglers, on the Braid Products Charter. Eleven cows were weighed along with a 176-pound tuna caught on 40-pound line by Patrick Gallagher of Ventura, who got honorable mention for the feat.

"We sat on the shallows the whole time," remarked Steward at the certified scales at Fisherman's Landing. "It worked out fine. Some days were slow, but some were good. On the best day we got five fish over 200 pounds."

Michael Stiny of Goleta won first place for a 292-pound yellowfin.

"He bit, and he ran about 250 yards," said Stiny. "Then he was just straight up and down. Skipper Justin Fleck said he looked like a pretty good-sized fish."

Stiny hooked his giant on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw ringed hook. He used a 40-foot topshot and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar X46XH rod wrapped by Yo's.

Braid rep Jan Howard won second place with her lifetime-best 258-pound tuna. She also got a 230.9-pounder. The big one bit a sardine on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook dangling below a bobber balloon. Jan ringed her own hook, and fished with 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 130-pund Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 SW modified by Cal Sheets. Her rod was a cut-down to five-foot, two-inch Calstar 6455 XXH. It fought her for an hour and a half. She said the smaller fish was caught in 30 to 40 knots of wind, an even greater challenge.

"It was a lot of fun," she said. "It was a normal trip in a normal year. Dennis Braid ran a wine tasting session."

Dan Felger of Thousand Oaks won third place for a 255.9-pound tuna. He said the fight went 40 minutes. He fished a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, with a 130-pound Momoi topshot by Basil, 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7455 XXH rod.

Ken Cirks of Orange was close, with a 249.6-pounder. He owns KDC Construction, specializing in interiors. He fished a sardine on an 8/0 Mustad Demon hook he ringed himself.

"It's the same style the commercials use," he noted. "The barb is larger and longer. Once it's in the corner of the mouth, it's not coming out."

Cirks fished with a balloon, 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He used a Penn 50 TW reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar X46XH rod by Yo's.

Grover Sinsley of Saratoga, NY bagged a 239-pounder. He's 79 years old. He fished a sardine on an Eagle Claw 8/0 hook, and used 100-pound Big Game line on a Penn 50 W reel. He broke his old glass rod during the fight of 40 minutes.

Patrick Gallagher of Ventura stuck a 237-pounder after 45 minutes. He said he fished with a sardine on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook, and used 100-pound P-Line and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar 6455 XH rod.

Jamie Massion of Calabasas took a 233-pounder on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with a 130-pound Basil topshot on 130-pound Line One Spectra from Jerry Brown. He said he used an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 755 XXH rod.

Tom Howe of Las Vegas caught a 228-pounder with a squid on the kite. The "squish" was pinned on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to a 130-pound Basil topshot and 130-pound Spectra, on aBeastmaster reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Ben Frazier of Oxnard popped a 217-pounder with a double sardine on the kite. He used 9/0 Mustad hooks on 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 130-pound Line One Spectra, with an Avet 50 T-Rex reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Jim Carlisle of Long Beach caught a 212.7-pounder with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished a 130-pound Basil topshot of Momoi line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod. His tuna fought for 45 minutes.