Justin Fleck docked Excel September 8 after the six-day trip with Big Al Gross, Jason Gross and Dave Geis aboard. They are three of the partners who recently bought the boat, berthed at Fisherman's Landing. It was the 14th annual Tuna Tourney, and 28 anglers made the trip, scoring near-limits on yellowtail and tuna.

The trip started at the yellowfin area some 180 miles south, said Geis, who noted that a couple of wounded warriors were invited on the trip. The soldiers had a great time, and one of them said it was the best fishing trip he ever had.

"We picked at the tuna all day, with several good stops," Geis told dock reporter Bill Roecker. "Then we went down to Benitos, which was very good for yellowtail. We looked around down south and then went to Alijos Rocks. The sharks are still bad there, but we picked up a half-dozen nice wahoo for our jackpots.

"It was the best trip in the world," said Kevin Alexander of Anaheim, who won first place for a 49-pound wahoo he decked with a gold Raider jig with a pink decal. He added that he used 40-pound Big Game line on a Trinidad 30 reel and a Calstar 765 XL rod.

Co-owner Geis won second place for a 46.2-pound wahoo, caught on another Raider jig with a red stripe. Jeff Denson of Fountain Valley won third place for a 39-pound skinny, and Big Al produced a 47-pound 'hoo on the troll with "...an ugly Marauder the crew put on."