Justin Fleck brought Excel home from the annual Braid trip with a dozen cows for his 23 anglers. The holds were full of fish, about a dozen per fisherman, mostly tuna of 100 to 200 pounds. Justin said fishing was excellent whenever he could get the boat positioned to take advantage of the current.

Matt Kimmell of Arlington, TX won the jackpot on his first trip, for a 238-pound tuna. He also had another of 210 pounds. He fished the double sardine rig under the kite with a boat kite outfit. He said the fish came in after an hour-long fight. "My best fish before was a 44-pound tuna," he noted.

Long-time Excel rider Kenny Cirks of Orange won second place for his 223-pounder. He also had a 205-pound tuna. Cirks said he baited sardines under a balloon, on Mustad 6/0 Demon hooks tied to 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One spectra, on an Accurate ATD 30 topless reel and a Calstar X46XH rod. The big one thwarted him for an hour and a half before it came to gaff.

Alex McKeever of Long Beach won third place for a 220.8-pound tuna. He said it ate a chunk on a 7/0 Mustad Demon hook on 130-pound Seaguar Premier, 130-pound Izorline spectra, a Penn 50 SW reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar X46XH rod.

Robert Sansom of El Cajon got two cows of 239 and 205 pounds. The big one died and had to be retrieved by the crew off the bottom, and so wasn't eligible. Robert said he baited chunks on 7/0 Mustad Demon hooks tied to a Basil topshot of 130-pound Seaguar Premier and Line One 130-pound spectra. He fished with an Avet 4/0 and a Calstar 770 XXH rod, and fought that big one for two hours before it expired.

"This is the first trip when I got big ones with every method," remarked Andy Marcum of Oceanside, a long-time regular. "I got 'em with the sinker method, on the chunk and the flyline." Andy got two cows of 220 and 215 pounds. He baited sardines on 8/0 ringed Mustad Demon 4X hooks and 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He used 130-pound Line One spectra, a Penn 50 VSW reel and brought the biggest one in after a 45-minute fight.

Jerry Thergesen of Orange bagged a 208-pounder with a chunk on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to a 100-pound Basil wind-on leader on 130-pound Line One spectra, with a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Don Burnside of San Diego brought home a 206-pound tuna that bit on the double trouble sardine rig under the kite. He used an 8/0 Mustad Demon hook on 130-pound Momoi fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 70 reel by Larry Coffeen and a Calstar 760 XH rod to do the job in 45 minutes.

Todd Thergesen of Orange caught a 204-pound yellowfin tuna with a chunk on an 8/0 Mustad Demon hook on 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 130-pound Big Game line and 80-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Dennis Braid sponsored and won the release contest aboard the Excel. He released 640 pounds of tuna. Runner-up Basil Pappas (the wind-on leader builder) of New York had 350 pounds of released Hurricane Bank yellowfin tuna.