Excel was next to dock at Fisherman's Landing February 6. Justin Fleck brought the boat home with ten cows, caught by 23 anglers on the 15-day trip.

Asked about the conditions on the lower banks, Fleck observed, "It's still beautiful down there. The water's holding up at 74 degrees. The guys who put their time in at the rail did well.

"On the way home," Fleck continued, "we had good yellowtail fishing on The Ridge. They were biting on yoyo jigs and the dropper loop with mackerel.

"One more thing that's kind of new," added Justin, "is that we had some good chunking down there on the banks."

Vince Otani of Port Hueneme won first place with a sardine-caught tuna, and also got a 222-pound cow on a chunk.

Otani's big fish weighed 243.4 pounds. He said it bit a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 130-pound Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

The fish behaved oddly, noted Vince. "He stayed on top the whole time. He never sounded. He came up in the starboard corner after an hour."

"Big Al" Scow of Rancho Palos Verdes won second place for a 212.8-pound tuna. Al said it came on the kite, on a double sardine rig.

"He pulled hard for an hour and 20 minutes," remarked Al. "He was a daytime fish."

Al used 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, a Basil wind-on leader, and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Baja Boomer rod.

Bill Sands of Valley Center won third place for a 208-pound tuna, and also got a 203-pounder. He said he got his winner with a sardine on a ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 W reel modified by Ken's Custom Reels in Oceanside, and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod.

Bob "Bubbles" Maugh of Apple Valley took an hour and a half to land a feisty 232-pound tuna. It was non-eligible because he thought it was a shark and passed it off. He said he fished with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon on 130-poundSpectra, an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar GG 6455 XXH rod.

Curt Wiesenhutter of Cour d' Alene, ID caught a 200.5-pounder. Curt remains the IGFA world record holder for yellowfin tuna, for his 388-pound giant caught back in 1977 at San Benedicto Island aboard Royal Polaris.

Wiesenhutter said he got this one on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

Al Merrick got a 205-pound yellowfin tuna. Augie Roberts had a 201-pounder.