"We have nine tuna over 200 pounds," American Angler owner-skipper Sam Patella said February 17, 2011 after returning from a 14-day Ken's Custom Reels charter, "and as you can see by looking at our catch, the wahoo fishing was great!" Jack Esson of Arleta, CA won first place with a 283.5-pound tuna. "Sailor" Jack fished a big salami on a 9/0 Owner Super Mutu hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound hollow spectra, a Shimano Triton 50 wide reel, and a custom-wrapped Calstar 655 XH rod. First time long ranger Kambiz Moradi of West Hills, CA won second place with a 243.5-pound tuna. "I used a three-pound salami," he joked, "on a 9/0 Gamakatsu hook, 130-pound Blackwater line, 130-pound Jerry Brown hollow spectra, a Tiagra 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets, and a Calstar 770 XXH rod." Kevin Barnell of Aurora, CO won third place for a 243-pound yellowfin. Kevin fished a salami on an 18/0 Eagle Claw hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Blackwater Spectra, a Penn 50 wide reel, and a Calstar 7465 H extended rod. Long Range regular Joe Skinner of San Diego caught to cows of identical weight: 227 pounds. He stood in with the jackpot winners. Joe fished a salami on a 10/0 7691 Mustad hook, 130-pound Blackwater hollow spectra, a Penn 30 reel with Baker frame modified by Cal Sheets, and a Seeker 2x4 rod. "On the other cow," Joe said, "my topshot busted on a fish, so I just grabbed any rod with a hook on it. I think it was a 6/0 Owner Super Mutu with an Avet 50 SDS reel." Harrison Blackburn of Jacksonville, FL caught a 219-pound yellowfin tuna, a personal best. Harrison fished a 5/0 Owner Super Mutu hook, on 100-pound Blackwater line, an Avet 50 reel, and a Calstar rod. Bill Miller, of Wilmington, DE caught a 213-pound tuna. He fished a 18/0 Mustad circle hook, 130-pound Blackwater line, 130-pound Jerry Brown spectra, an Accurate 50 reel, and a Calstar 7465 custom-wrapped by himself. Chartermaster Ken Corwin caught a 213-pound yellowfin to go with a big wahoo catch. Ken fished a sardine on a 5/0 Owner Super Mutu hook, 100-pound Blackwater line, a Penn 30 International reel with Baker Frame, and a Calstar 7465 M rod. Ken remarked on fishing the skins early in the trip: "I was catching wahoo all day long that first day, all on the same hook too. The next day, I went through 18 hooks! I didn't change my approach at all, that's just how it goes." Dale Puett of Oceanside has spent 12 years fishing trying to catch a cow. He succeeded with a 210-pounder caught using a rod raffled off by Ken. Dale fished a salami on an 11/0 7691 Mustad hook, 130-pound Blackwater line, a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets, and the Calstar 770 XXX H rod he won in the raffle. Chris Munroe, a former marine from Sheridan, WY caught a whopper 68-pound wahoo, the biggest of the trip.