"Today we had good action on yellowtail down the beach," wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck August 31. "Everyone was able to get their fair share on the 15 to 25-pounders. They were biting fly-line baits and sardines on the dropper loop but the hot ticket was a Salas 6x Jr. (jig) in a scrambled eggs pattern or blue and white."

At Fisherman's Landing September 3, Fleck weighed the fish on certified scales. Trevor Kredell of Seal Beach won first place, after a backbreaker fight with a 68-pound yellowfin tuna.

"I was using a long rod," said Trevor. "I fought him for over an hour."

He said he fished a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook, tied to 30-pound Big Game line. He fished with an old Daiwa 350 reel and a Seeker 6480 glass rod.

Joel Silverton of Las Vegas won second place for a 63.4-pounder, and Scott Schell of Santa Barbara was hot on his heels, taking third with a 63.2-pound yellowfin tuna.

The San Benitos islands provided near-limits of yellowtail for Excel's anglers.