Offshore Bluefin, Ridge Yellowfin and Cedros, YT, WSB & Halibut- very exciting

Net Update by Bill Roecker  ---  

For FishingVideos.com & San Diego Sportfishing Council

July 6, 2012

American Angler Winners

"The guys returned from an open four-day trip this morning with sushi for all. Thanks to everyone for coming fishing and we’ll see you next time! Congrats to jackpot winners pictured below:

"1st place Tom Regner 31.4-pound bluefin tuna; 2nd place David Karlin 30.6-pound bft; 3rd place Donavan D’Souza 30.4-pound bft. Good Luck Charm: Bill Schade

"The guys departed on another 4 day, sponsored by the one and only Matt Salas and Al Tokunaga. Check back!! If you want to come fishing in August on a shorter trip, we just opened 2 new trips up this afternoon: a four-day trip departing Tues Aug 21 to Sat Aug 25; 1.5 day trip departing Sat. Aug 25 to Mon Aug 27: call the office."

Excel Jackpot Winners

Excel docked at fisherman’s Landing July 5 under skipper Justin Fleck’s hand.  The boat had the biggest bluefin tuna brought in so far this young season. Here are the jackpot numbers:

1st - Edward Collins, Bellingham, WA 95.8-pound Bluefin Tuna

2nd - Steven Kenney, Las Vegas, NV 83.2-pound Bluefin Tuna

3rd - Roland Reesby, San Clemente, CA 68.0-pound Bluefin Tuna

Honorable Mention - Michael Hines, Tucson, AZ 54.8-pound Halibut

"Wow" Fishing

"Wow, what a nice day we had today," remarked Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys July 5. "There were many biting schools of 25 to 35-pound bluefin tuna for all to enjoy. We had a wonderful time watching the show, as well as pulling and yanking, sun up into the dark. We easily caught our limits for the day. We are going to try for 'em again in the morning, please wish us luck, Jeff and the Indy crew."

Today’s Action

 Early Bluefin," enthused Intrepid skipper Kevin Osbourne July 6. "We departed yesterday with our Bob Douglas / Baja Fish Gear group. Picked up a nice load of Sardine and started making our way south. After an in-depth fishing seminar and going over our game plan for this nine-day adventure we spent the rest of the afternoon rigging up tackle and catching up with our Friends. This morning we got on a spot of fish at 5:30 a.m. and boated our first Bluefin of the trip 15 minutes later. We then drifted along for a couple of handfuls of nice Tuna before they stopped biting. A short move and we have been drifting now for another 45 minutes and are enjoying a mix bag of Bluefin and Yellowfin."

4th Fireworks

"Happy fourth to everybody," wrote Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates on the holiday. "Today our fireworks began with a nice school of biting bluefin. When that school wasn't biting any longer we were able to find another. We were able to stay busy all day long with biting fish. The real fireworks were around lunchtime. We pulled up to a small breezer of fish and it was the better grade fish 60 to 85 pounds. They came to the boat chewing on whatever we threw at them. It looked like everybody had one on, at least for a little while. The hooked tuna did what they do best, which is fight like heck to get away, and a fair number of them succeeded. But when we were done with that stop, we had ten of those beautiful fish on the deck. We are going to be in this area tomorrow, and we are looking forward to another fantastic day of fishing."

Stellar Bluefin Day

"Another stellar day of bluefin tuna angling in flat calm weather," said the report from Royal Star July 5. "Once again we had our daily limits and spent the bulk of the afternoon looking for the bigger models. The bulk of the catch was 25 to 35 pounds with a few standout 65-pounders mixed in. We are going to try a different area tomorrow hoping for a school of the 60-pounders.

"Jeff Cox is in today's shot with a 65-pound bluefin tuna."

July 11, 2012

"Epic Yellowfin Fishing"

"We left the grounds after epic offshore Yellowfin fishing," recalled Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates July 10. We caught 22 to 30-pound fish absolutely wide open. Bread and butter, we call them and what a great day it was. There were fish up to 40 pounds but not many, just a few, but the bulk of the fish are 25 to 30 pounds. It was classic ridge grade fish.

"After yesterday with the yellows and now the school-size fish, we are in the market for a few Jackpot fish. Alijos Rocks sounds like the most practical move and nobody has been there in a while so, why not? We will be there first thing in the morning and see if some fish have moved in there as well. Great weather and great fishing. Nice! No pictures today, we were way too busy."

Biscuits Bite

"Weather today was beautiful," observed the report from Royal Polaris July 10 to 11, "with a slight breeze out of the northwest, sunny, and warm. But let’s talk about fishing. It was a tough day for Bluefin, but the Yellowtail kept our anglers busy for most of the day. The Yellowtail we kept were in the 18 to 25-pound range, with many of the smaller ones being released.

"We are now headed for Cedros Island. We will arrive in the early morning hours; hopefully the White Sea Bass will bite for us. Guess what? As I was typing this report we landed three white seabass, so I must get back on deck. Wish us luck."

Steady Action

"Today we had good weather," said the report from Royal Star July 10, "good yellowtail fishing and beautiful scenery. We caught fish from the surface to the bottom on both bait and artificials. The action was steady, giving the crew just enough time to give a little one on one instruction, ensuring everyone got in on the action. Today Alex Nekoranec gets the photo honors with a 22-pound, yo-yo-caught yellowtail."