Nine Over 300: "Even My Hair Hurt"
"I feel excellent," remarked Royal Polaris skipper Billy Santiago Jr. to dock reporter Bill Roecker on the way from the boat to the Fisherman's Landing office April 1. He wasn't joking. He'd just brought in nine yellowfin tuna over 300 pounds, fish he weighed on the boat near Clarion Island, where the catch was made.

"I learned a lot from Frank (LoPreste) and Steve Loomis over the years," continued Billy. "We got one more that I'll weigh to see if it makes 300 (it didn't). "Six of the nine we got came on the kite with salami mackerel baits. We only had a few flying fish frozen baits, and they were really after those. They bit every one that went out. They were bitin'!"

Santiago has worked hard for many years on the RP, and now has the best catch of 300-pounders since Steve Loomis got ten in 1978.

Charter master Jerry Brown, distributor of Line One Spectra, told Roecker and reporter Ed Zieralski, "There's nine people on the boat who can tell a better story than I can. I'm almost 82, and I've been long range fishing since the Red Rooster III made her first trip with me and my wife aboard. I've been making this trip on the Royal Polaris for about 10years."

It was an expensive trip for Brown, as he paid $300 to each angler who used Line One to take a 300-pounder or better, and $200 for tuna of 200 or better. There were about 26 of those. Brown said this was his last trip, but may have had a twinkle in his eye when he made the statement -- on the first day of April.

Rocky Opliger of Cherry Valley won first place in the jackpot for a 333-pound yellowfin, and posed at the left end of the lineup shot with it. He said it bit a mackerel under the kite, on a 20/0 Mustad circle hook tied to 130-pound Line One spectra. He used a Penn 80 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod he wrapped himself. "My best fish," he told Roecker. "I got him after a two-hour, 12-minute fight, most of it outside and up both sides of the boat. At the end I had the drag screwed down to 60 pounds."

Ron Lewis of San Francisco won second place for a 318-pounder, and stood next to Opliger. He got his fish with a flying fish under the kite, on a 20/0 Mustad circle hook and 130-pound Line One spectra. He fished with a Penn 80 reel modified by Baker and Sheets, and a 6465 XXH rod, and beat the fish in an hour. "This is my second-ever tuna over 200 pounds," he remarked. "I got four total over the mark this trip! I've been fishing long range since 1985."

Kirk McCoy of Long Beach won third place for a 314-pound tuna. He baited a salami mackerel on an Owner 12/0 Super Mutu hook under the kite. He used 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 tuned by Cal Sheets, and a 770 XH rod. He decked his prize in an hour and a half. "This is my first long range trip in 36 years, and my best fish ever," he said. "I got four over 200 pounds. I couldn't have done it without the crew. They were terrific. Aaron Barnhill even went over the side to save a fish."

Tom Blohm of Yuma caught a 325-pounder on a salami mackerel under the kite. It was pinned to a 20/0 Mustad circle hook and came in on 130-pound Line One Spectra on a modified Shimano 50 LRS reel and a Calstar 6460 XXXH rod.

Steve Chambless of Long Beach popped a 310-pounder on a sardine bait and a 7/0 Mustad Demon circle hook on 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Accurate ATD 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Phenix 700 XXX rod he wrapped himself to take the fish in two hours. "Even my hair hurt afterward," he said.

Ken Shaleen of Wonder Lake, IL took a 307-pound tuna. "The walleyes I'm gonna catch next won't even pull as hard as my mackerel baits," he commented.

Shaleen fished with a mackerel under the kite on a 20/0 Mustad circle hook on 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra, with a Tiburon 50 W reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXXH rod.

Clarence Becker of Victorville bagged a 303-pounder on a sardine, after an hour-long tussle. He fished a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 6470 XH rod.

"It's my best fish, and my first 300-pounder on a sardine," said Clarence.

Steve Emmert of Dublin also had a 303-pounder, on a mackerel under the kite. He fished with a 20/0 Mustad circle hook on 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 80 reel by Baker and Sheets and a new Super Seeker 3 X 5 rod.

"He took drag up to 65 pounds at the end," said Emmert. "He took it like crazy. He had big sickle fins and he took me around the boat once and up and down the sides. He came up on the bow."

Chris Petersen of Castaic was another who caught a 303-pound tuna. His came on a mackerel on a 9/09 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel modified by Sheets, and a Calstar 760 H AFTCO all-roller rod to bag that baby in 45 minutes.

The boat's published list of cow catchers: Don Burnside (223 and 225), Bob Garber (240 and 250), Frank Harbin (209), Tom Blohm (258 and 325), Ron Lewis (205, 223, 240 and 318), Kirk McCoy (234, 252, 314), Ken Sodoma (252), Clarence Becker (202 and 304), Ted Patrick (267), Sam Lewis (200, 249, 278 and 294), Steve Chambless (250, 262 and 310), Joe Cruz (287), Ken Shaleen (204 and 307), Chris Petersen (303), Rocky Opliger (333), and finally, Steve Emmert (222, 248 and 303).