With high hopes after an incredible 3 day trip returned the morning we boarded the Red Rooster III out of San Diego. We loaded with high anticipation for the Jumbo So Cal Bluefin. Everyone that boarded the boat was greeted with an abundance of Pelagic Gear Items. The trip was Gangbusters and the crew did not disappoint! Captain Ethan standing in for Captain Andy Cates had us on the fish the first night. We fished the gap between Catalina and San Clemente Island for a nice nighttime score on 18 Big Bluefin all coming on Heavy Jigs mostly Nomad Knife jigs which were red and glow in the 300-400 gram range. Frank started it off with a nice 150 and was immediately followed up by husband and wife team Lannah and Quan who boated a 185 and a 210 side by side. We scored 2 Big Tuna over 200 lbs. Captain Ethan is a master at locating the schools and most importantly the approach to said Bluefin which is crucial to success on these nighttime giants, he did a magnificent job! The Morning found us on a picky but productive Yellowtail bite at several SCI locations with several fun giveaways of Pelagic gear though out the day. Come four o’ clock we steamed back to the Bluefin Zone. As we passed the end of SCI the weather started to pick up and we battled rough seas and 20 knots of wind and big wind swells. With Bluefin fever running strong the crew and passengers worked hard and strong to battle these quality Bluefin and tough weather. We ended that evening with a total of 23 for the night! It’s no joke and hard work to stay the course and fish hard and late for these beasts but those who persisted were rewarded greatly. The entire trip was filled with Pelagic Gear giveaways, in addition the top three jackpots all received a pair of Pelagic Sunglasses in addition to their winnings. Once again the morning found us in the lee of SCI where second captain Kevin on watch and down on deck at daybreak hooked a yellowtail on a slow wind Nomad surface iron. He promptly handed the fish to a passenger and jumped up on the tank. After brailing several scoops and alerting passengers we were in a full speed yellowtail bit for about an hour which he ran solo for the first half hour. We spent the rest of the day fishing many yellowtail spots for yellows and bass with good success. About 5 PM Kevin noticed some spots of breaking tuna on the way to the tuna grounds and immediately called for the crew to ready the kites and Flyers. We caught 7 kite fish from 100-180 lbs. in the 2 hours before dark! We only had a couple hours before we had to depart back to San Diego and finished off the night with another quality Bluefin on the big Nomad knife jig. As the dust settled over half of the Red Rooster III Pelagic 3 day Tuna Special passengers had their personal best tuna! I would be amiss if I did not give full props to the entire crew. Mike and Fernando knocked it out of the park in the galley with everything from Prime Rib to full cut Pork Chops. Andrew Cates Jr, Spider and Anthony were amazing on deck with Ethan and Kevin at the helm and on the hunt. We had a little help on some yellowtail gaff shots from 12 year old Cody Olson aspiring Pro Staffer. These trips are a great way to break into the long range fleet and check out the difference in being able to spend enough time to have a much better chance at a trophy than an overnight or 1.5 day trip. The trip is nearly sold out for next year as most passengers have already put down deposits for next year so if you’re interested call the RRIII office ASAP. I am already looking forward to fishing with this group next year to build more friendships and memories.

Signing off, Captain Bob Woodard / Pelagic Pro Team San Diego