Frank LoPreste docked his Royal Polaris at Fisherman's Landing December 6 following the 13-day Bob Sands Tackle trip with Sal Valone as chartermaster. There were six cows aboard with 29 anglers. "We had a wonderful time," said Valone. "I don't know if we had more fish or more laughs! Frank and his crew were excellent."

One angler, Brandon Stevens, pictured above of San Diego, had three of those cows. He won first and second for two of them. His tuna weights: 271, 236 and 210 pounds, according to Scotty Shintaku of the RP's office. Brandon said he fished sardines on Owner 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks. He used 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Power Pro spectra, a Talica 25 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod wrapped by Squidco.

Jerry Nguyen of Alhambra won third place for a 188-pounder. He also won the Rollo jackpot for a wahoo.

Roman Ramos of Oxnard played his 267-pounder for two and a half hours. He said it bit on a sardine and a 7/0 Mustad Demon circle hook and pink Izorline 130-pound fluorocarbon. He used 130-pound Line One spectra, an Avet 30 W reel and a Calstar 770 XXH rod. "He was a hard one," said Ramos. "My best before was a 185. This one wrapped me on the anchor line twice and took me around the boat twice."

Art Fagan, Photo #1 of Cypress got a 221-pounder with a flying fish on one of the boat's kite rigs featuring 130-pound Line One spectra on an Accurate ATD 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod.

John Halcrow of Bismark, ND, a Black Angus rancher, used a sardine and an Accurate 30 reel to land a 203-pounder. He wasn't available to interview, as he was doing a turnaround, going right back out on the RP.