Kevin Osborne docked Intrepid at Pt. Loma Sportfishing December 18 following a 10-day trip with 24 anglers.

"We got the big fish from a school that was hit by at least one other boat that hooked and lost one," remarked Osborne.

He was referring to the pair of tuna his anglers caught that went over 300 pounds. The big one came in at 341.6 pounds, caught by Bill Dunn of Malibu, whose best previous tuna went about 120 pounds.

"He hit after a long soak," said Bill, "about 3:30 p.m. He seemed slow to move off, like a dorado, until the line came tight. It was just a battle. He stayed close, and at the end, after an hour and a half, he came up in the port stern, after he took me around the boat four times. This was my first opportunity on a big fish."

Dunn said he baited a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Momoi leader and 130-pound Momoi Spectra. He fished with an Avet 50 N reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod built by Bob's Sporting Goods in West LA.

Charles Pratty of Yorba Linda came the closest to matching Dunn's fish, with a 315.8-pound supercow, good for second place. Pratty, 51, runs an Ecology Auto Parts dismantling agency in Cerritos.

"I got him on my birthday, December 13," said Charles. "I wouldn't have got him without the crew. After two hours, he came up on the port corner. He took me around the boat five times."

Pratty's tuna ate a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 30 SW modified by Cal Sheets on a Calstar Super Boomer Jr. Rod.

Third place went to a 277.8-pound tuna caught by Leo Forcier of Canyon Lake, who baited a sardine on an Eagle Claw 9/0 hook on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Sheets-modified Penn 50 W reel and a Baja Boomer rod, and did the job in 35 minutes.

"My best fish," said Pratty. "The best one before was a 135-pounder."

Josh Evans of Oakland got a 227-pound tuna in 20 minutes on a sardine and a 6/0 Hayabusa ringed hook. He said he fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 SDS reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod by Whopper Stopper.

Gary Bush of Folson nabbed a 221.8-pound tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he fished with 130-pound Momoi and 130-pound Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

Kevin Fitler of Truckee ended Intrepid's cow roundup with a 210-pound yellowfin he took on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 80-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 16 VSX reel and an unknown rod. The fish fought for 45 minutes.