"Our weather took a big change," said the Royal Polaris report for August 29. "We had 20 knots of wind out of the northwest, but the seas were moderate. We had another excellent day of Albacore fishing. We finished off our trip limits today, and now we are headed for the beach. Roy made the decision to try for something different. Tomorrow we will try our luck at some Halibut, White Sea Bass, Calico Bass, Rock-Fish, or what ever wants to bite.

"This has been an excellent trip. We had limit-style Albacore fishing everyday and good weather until yesterday, but that's the weather. Most of the Albacore were in the 20 to 25 pound category, with a few going over the 30 pound mark."

Skipper Roy Rose docked the rig August 31 at the end of the five-day trip with 29 anglers. He weighed the best of the catch on the certified scales at Fisherman's Landing.

Mike Doughty of Costa Mesa won first place for a 43.4-pound albacore. His fish went for processing at the dock, so Mike couldn't pose for pictures.

Kevin Veal of Huntington Beach won second for a 38.2-pound albacore. The fish came "?Ķin a stupid wide-open bite," he said. "I got it in after about three minutes."

Veal used a sardine on a 3/9 Gorilla hook on 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 30-pound P-Line, with an Accurate 270 reel and a Calstar 900 M rod.

Robert Garrido of Petaluma was third, for a 37.8-pounder, and fourth-place Norm Suma of Long Beach stood in with Veal and Garrido for a lineup shot. Suma's fish weighed 37.2 pounds.

People on the docks are talking about the new bobble-head doll that bears some resemblance to Royal Polaris owner-skipper Frank LoPreste.