"It was another wonderful day aboard the Royal Polaris," wrote Royal Polaris owner-skipper Frank LoPreste August 13. "At daybreak we only had one angler fishing and that was Jimmy Lew. When he got bit I threw a bait and also got bit. It was 20 minutes before we could get anyone else to fish. Eventually we had 5 guys fishing and they all had a Yellowfin on the end of their line.

"We caught 50 Yellowfin tuna in the 40 to 65-pound range, except that first one Jimmy Lew hooked, which was about 85 pounds. We also had 16 Wahoo, a few Dorado, and a few Yellowtail."

After leaving Alijos Rocks, the seven-day Blackwater charter with chartermaster Don Kuroye and 14 anglers ended at the Fisherman's Landing dock August 16. LoPreste tried fishing at Cedros Island and San Martin Island on the way home.

"This Blackwater trip has been one of the most fun and relaxing trips I have ever run," wrote Frank. "It was also quite delightful for the crew."

Jimmy Lew of Yo's Tackle won the jackpot for his 88-pound tuna. He said he bagged it with a big squid on a 4/0 Gorilla hook, with 60-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader on a Penn 16 reel and a Calstar 765 ML rod made by Yo's.

Sam Yoneda of Escondido was second for an 82-pound tuna, and Corky Yokoe won third place for a 72-pound yellowfin tuna.

"They bit all day," said Corky, who holds a world record for a 376-pound tuna. "And we had a good current at the rocks."