The first spring multi-day expedition south of Cedros Island has returned with a great catch. Norm Kagawa docked his Shogun April 11 after an eight-day trip to Alijos Rocks. There were 15 anglers aboard, and they had limits of yellowtail when Norm tied up at Fisherman's Landing about six a.m.

"We had good tuna fishing that improved through the trip," said Norm to dock reporter Bill Roecker. "On the first day we got about nine, and we had 43 the next day and 49 the next. They seemed like they were just moving in."

"What was the water temperature?"

"It was 64.5 to 65 degrees," continued Kagawa. "The yellowtail were everywhere! We got ???em on the bank, too. Most of the tuna came on the flyline, and a couple on surface iron.

"The best fishing methods were with egg sinkers, on the yoyo iron and the surface iron. We didn't get much on the dropper loop. The yoyo iron was the best for yellows, in blue and white and the usual brown and yellow.

The weather was exceptional for early in the season. The wind never blew over 15 knots until the last day. We had some chop on the way home. Our chef, Randy Fickes (also known as "Lurch") got the best yellowfin tuna. It weighed 90.2 pounds, and hurt him on the 40-pound for quite a while."

Randy and deckhand Tommy Miles posed with the big tuna.
Harry Mauras of Pebble Beach won first place for a 52.4-pound tuna.
"I'm 86," he said to Roecker. "You've taken my picture before."

Mauras said he fished a sardine on a 2/0 Mutu hook, with 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 50-pound Izorline and 60-pound Izor Spectra backing on a TLD 309 reel and a Seeker 6460 XH Black Steel rod. He added that the fight took 20 minutes.

Paul Vochner of Reedsport, OR won second place for a 51.8-pound tuna. Todd Perry of West Hills won third place for a 49.4-pound yellowfin, and Phil Castillo of Newport Beach won the Rollo jackpot with a 36.2-pound yellowtail.