Levi Hostetler of Centerville, MI is a retired cabinet maker. He worked in the RV building industry in Vanguard, IN, where Palomino Campers were constructed. Levi wanted to go fishing this fall, and he wanted to take a three or four-day trip.

When Hostetler called the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, they referred him to the Excel. There were no spots available at first, but when one opened up on a ten-day trip, Levi bought a ticket. He rode the train and the bus, and then he rode the boat to the area below Mag Bay they call "The Cow Pasture," among other names.

Excel skipper Justin Fleck found some good fishing for Levi and the other anglers. At the end of the trip they had tallied an excellent catch of big tuna, some 27 cows or tuna over 200 pounds, and Levi's was the biggest, at 316.8 pounds! He was pleased he'd been talked into joining the jackpot, because he was the clear winner.

No one was more surprised than Hostetler, who borrowed or rented his tackle.

"This is once in my lifetime," he said at Fisherman's Landing December 22, where the fish were weighed on certified scales. "It was a blind stab."

"I was fishing on the kite with two sardines," he related. "I saw the big boil he made when he bit. I worked on him for about 45 minutes. He came in a little easier than I thought he would. When he got close, I could see he was hooked in two spots: the mouth and back by the tail.

"At first I had a hard time, but I borrowed a seat harness and that really helped. I wanted to get the feel of it. The crew was very busy, but they helped me a lot."

Levi got the feel, and he got his giant yellowfin with one of the boat's kite rigs: 8/0 Eagle Claw circle hooks, 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Neil Peters of Long Beach won second place for a 286.2-pound yellowfin. He said he bagged it on the kite with the twin sardine baits pinned to 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks. He fished with his own rig: 100-pound Big Game line, 130-pound Stren Spectra backing on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Steve Gentry of Dana Point won third place for his 284.2-pound tuna. He said it bit a mackerel baited on a 7/0 Eagle Claw hook, tied to 130-pound Jin Kai leader and 100-pound Spectra backing. He used a TLD 50 LRS reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod. He also got a 228-pounder.

"It wasn't a very long fight," said Gentry, "maybe 40 minutes. I had a great bait; he went straight down off the stern. It was a quick bite. Then he tail-wrapped himself going down. I went up to the bow with him and that's where he came up. He's my best fish ever."

The trip produced an excellent catch of tuna, some yellowtail and dorado, a grouper and five marlin. All marlin were released. When Excel arrived in San Diego it was just starting to rain, and during the weigh-in there were some moderate showers, which made it difficult to interview anglers or take pictures. Following is a list of anglers who took 200-pounders on this exceptional trip: Bill Johnson, Norwalk, 280.6 and 229 pounds Talmadge Baker, Oceanside, 278, 276, 226 217 pounds Walt Boza, Oceanside, 274 pounds Robert Neal, Huntington Beach, 269 pounds John Gonzales, Placerville, 267 pounds James Duncan, Lancaster, 263 pounds Chris Dodder, Yucaipa, 258 pounds Wirt Nelson, Bullhead City, AZ, 256, 240, 220 pounds Mark Rock, Bullhead City, 256 and 218 pounds Michael Day, Lake Elizabeth, 255 and 242 pounds Larry Ward, San Diego, 254 pounds Ken Phillips, Redondo Beach, 235, 218 pounds Brannon Forhan, Escondido, 226 pounds Dave Rock, Bullhead City, AZ, 218 pounds

Excel is the last boat to return for Christmas. The long range fleet will resume fishing the day after that Holiday.