Hurricane ???Hoo Hits Heavy Hook Hard

The Loftus & Martin charter aboard Red Rooster III with skipper Andy Cates returned to H&M Landing February 25 after a 15-day trip with 19 anglers. Eight tuna aver 200 pounds were in the catch, along with smaller tuna and several dozen wahoo.

One of the wahoo came to chartermaster Larry Martin after he lost his skipjack bait and was reeling in a bare 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook when a wahoo bit it and became captured on the heavy tuna gear Martin employed to fish the skippie.

"We got to the Hurricane Bank at the end of things," said skipper Cates as he weighed tuna in the rain. "We made the move to Clarion and were surprised with a good catch the first day. The tuna ran from 50 pounds up to 230 pounds. It was explosive action, the kind we get off Mag Bay in the fall.

"The fish stuck with us," Cates continued, "and on the last day we had three cows up to 280 pounds. The best rig was a 6/0 Super Mutu with 130-pound line and a two-ounce sinker. It doesn't seem like much, but that weight was the key."

At the scales, Mark Moffett of San Diego learned his tuna weighed 285.7 pounds and won first place.

In his own words, Mark "?Ķwas put into one of the skiffs with Captain Julio Ochoa, and the pair were towed away from the Rooster by the fish. After an hour, the fish was brought to color and gaffed with a flying gaff. The hook ripped out, straightened by the power of the fish.

"After another long battle the fish was brought to the surface a second time, and was successfully gaffed. The time total was about an hour and a half, and the fish was brought onboard the skiff by Julio and Mark."

Mark said his sardine bait was pinned to a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu on 130-pound Maxima fluorocarbon leader, 130-pound Maxima line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. Mark fished with a Tiagra 50 wide reel and a Daiwa 6460 XXH rod.

Chartermaster John Loftus of Irvine won second place for a 245.4-pound tuna that took a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu on 100-pound Maxima fluorocarbon and 100-pound Maxima line, with 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

John Aviles of Tracy won third place for a 235.2-pounder that bit a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod, which he won on the boat. Aviles also had a 233.9-pound tuna.

"The big one took 45 minutes," said John, "and these are my best two fish ever."

Al Babashoff got a 234.4-pound tuna, but wasn't available for comment.

There was a hat trick on the boat. Rich Rose of Manhattan Beach trounced a triple, a 204 and a 201.5-pounder. He said he fished with chunks on a ringed Super Mutu hook, with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Maxima line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.