It's all good for rockfish, long range
If you check out the long range reports, the fishing is phenomenal for a great medium grade of 100-plus-pounders, with the occasional cow to disrupt the lives of those who dropped down in line test to get bit. Nothing new with that situation, just the fact the bigger the gear, the better your chances.

Most of the time you lose when you go too light, but you definitely can beat the other anglers to a biter if you go light. So the question is, are you a better angler if you go light or if you can get bit anyway on the tackle the crew recommends?

My thought processes and credibility are tinged by the fact I have never caught a tuna over 200 pounds despite 14 trips deep in the heart of cow town. But a long time ago I started fishing for something bigger, even though I have to admit that some smaller fish than my goal still blew me up.

I've seen dozens of first timers catch huge fish. I've caught a score of fish over 180 pounds and never got more than a few pounds from 200 pounds. I lent my reel to my friend and he caught the biggest tuna ever, a record that stood for 20 years. I rigged up my boss for his first trip and he used the outfit to catch a 237. Frank LoPreste goes out on his first trip as an angler and catches one over 300. I do believe he put in the time.

I really don't think it will ever happen for me - but I don't care. If you go enough, you will catch a cow yellowfin tuna. I just haven't gone enough and I don't know that I will ever be able to to put in that much time. If you look at it, I have only made one trip every couple years since I started writing about long range fishing. Counting some phenomenal bluefin years, I've caught hundreds of tuna over 100 pounds. I've been elbow to elbow with the only other angler at the rail and he's caught a 297. And you know what? I loved every minute of it.

I just need to fish more.

So do you.

And if you can't jump on a long range boat, the fishing for rockfish over the Mexican border is a great option. Fishing "above the line" is only a fair mix of what is still open, with all the squid around not a help now that seabass supposedly have gone. Gone where? Ah, there's the rub. We don't know squat about the fish we fish, other than you find a lot more of them where millions of people don't live. We wait for them to come here if we have to, but the best bet is to go to the fish. While you can. What are you waiting for?