Long time big tuna angler Ralph Mikkelsen of Northridge was aboard American Angler on a 14 1/2 ???day trip to southern waters. Skipper Brian Kiyohara docked the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing January 31 with a fine load of fish including 11 cows. Ralph got a 232-pounder on the kite.

"He fought about 20 minutes," said Ralph to dock reporter Bill Roecker. "I saw him take the bait and he looked big. There were lots of tuna boiling around us then eating our sardines. Right then all you had to do was be in the water.

"While I was fighting that one they tossed out my other rig and hooked up, but I couldn't take two fish at one time. He stayed on the surface and took me most of the way around the boat.

"I wasn't taking any prisoners," continued Ralph. "I had 42 pounds of drag. I don't like ???'em taking line off my reel."

Mikkelsen said he baited a squid on the kite on a 20/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra. He fished with a Penn 80 W reel and a Calstar 6455 XXXH rod. He posed in the honorable mention spot in the lineup and with his pal Mark Monforte of Fullerton.

Galen Steward of Simi Valley won first place in the jackpot for a 241-pound yellowfin he bagged with a chunk bait on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar 755 XXH rod.

"I've had good luck chunking," related Galen. "The crew was top notch. He ran out off the starboard corner about 300 yards and went down. I put my rod on the rail and he came up on a port corner. It was a lot of fun."

Mike Goldsmith of Valley Center won second place for a 227-pounder.

"He was a nasty fish," said Mike. "I couldn't believe it. He hit under the boat and took off to the bow. We had to use the fork to hold the line off. He kept going out after he got up there, and took about 400 yards at 39 pounds of drag.

"He was the last fish of the trip, so Brian chased him down with the boat. He went to the stern next and got tail-wrapped. Then he got unwrapped and left again. He ended up on the bow. He's my best fish, and I beat that mark three times on this trip."

Mike fished a sardine on a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 30 SW reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. Goldsmith wanted to thank deckhand Taro for his assistance.

Jake Waardenburg of Klamath Fall, OR won third place. He said it was his first trip since he fished with Bill Roecker aboard the Excel at Clarion Island, when Pat Cavanaugh was running the boat, some ten years or more ago.

Jake said his 213-pounder "?Ķcame in pretty easy, in about 20 minutes. It was a great trip!"

Waardenburg fished a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Tiagra 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Scott Olsen of Trabuco Canyon bagged a 231-pounder on the kite with a double sardine rig with 16/0 Mustad hooks on the boat rig: 130-popund Izorline and 130-popund Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 W reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

Sam Cornell of Soldotna, AK caught a 219-pound yellowfin tuna.

Matt Bruce of Mission Viejo beat a 213-pounder.

Steve Leonhart of Murrieta took a 212-pounder.

Richard Clark of San Diego got a 210-pounder in 40 minutes with a sardine on an Eagle Claw 8/0 hook and 100-pound Big Game line tied to 130-pound Power Pro Spectra. He used an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 765 H rod.

Robin Lemaster of Brawley took a 208.5-pounder on a chunk. He fished with a 7/0 ringed Super Mutu on a Ben Fraser wind-on leader of 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon tied to 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 50 SDS reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod, and said the fight lasted 50 minutes.

Charley Iwashita of Imperial Beach caught a 207-pounder on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu. He said he fished with 130-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a TLD 50 reel and a custom Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.