"Things have changed again," noted Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys at the scales on Pt. Loma Sportfishing's dock September 8. "We caught the tail end of the cycle, both weather and fish-wise. We had one good day of fishing on bluefin of 30 to 45 pounds."

DeBuys was just back from a five-day trip with 30 anglers.

A University of California at Irvine econ major, 20-year-old Sean Dowsing of San Diego told Bill Roecker how he took his first-place 94.8-pound bluefin on his spinning outfit.

"I dropped down 240 feet with a Salas 6X blue and white jig," he said, "and got bit as soon as I started to grind. He hit so hard he set the hook on himself, then he ran out all me line but maybe 25 yards. It took an hour, with a lot of short-stroking and advice from the crew to get him up.

"He was deep-hooked, in the throat. My best tuna before was an 86-pound yellowfin I got last year on this same trip."

Dowsing got his prize-winner on a blue and white Salas 6X jig tied to 30-pound line on a Shimano 6500 Baitrunner reel and a Californian 900 MH rod.

Patrick Newton of West Linn, OR won second place for a 63-pound yellowfin, and Sam Lewis of Chino won third place for a 62-pound yellowfin tuna.