Excel Back From Baja
Skipper Justin Fleck brought Excel home from the eight-day Kashiki open trip October 25. There were 31 anglers aboard, and the boat fished at Guadalupe Island and on the Baja peninsula. They made a good catch of yellowtail and tuna.
Ray Tienda of Parlier had the best tuna, a 104.9-pounder. Ed Ogawa of Del Rey won second place for a 78.7-pound yellowfin, and Craig Hasagawa of Fresno took third place for a 78.1-pound yellowfin tuna.

Intrepid Comes Up Big


Intrepid Jackpot Winners
“We returned today with a fine catch of big Yellowfin Tuna,” said the report for the Intrepid October 24, “and the biggest fish of the year so far.
“We had some days of good fishing and some days of slow fishing, but overall it turned out to be a great trip. It was all smiles when we hoisted up the giants in front of Point Loma Sportfishing. We would like to give a big thanks to Catchy Tackle and Wayne Martin again for their sponsorship and all the great give away items and a fantastic trip.
“Jackpot winners are Joe Arimitsu, first place for a 272.8-pound yellowfin tuna. Richard Stokes, second place for a 245-pounder. Bob Buckland:won third place for a 242.4-pound tuna. Honorable mention goes to Mel Appell with his 264.8-pound tuna and to Gary Gillingham for a 57-pound Wahoo.
“Intrepid left again on the annual Rod and Reel Radio trip with Stan Vandenberg and the gang. On a side note we would like to congratulate Intrepid owner Ken Price and his buddies for taking 1st Place at the Bisbee Marlin Tournament in Cabo San Lucas this week on the Mi Novia.”

Royal Star Finds Foamers


Foamers from the Royal Star
“After six days of effort, we finally landed smack in the middle of a huge float combining 25 to 35-pound yellowfin tuna and 17 to 22-pound yellowtail in a maelstrom of activity that amounted to full speed action for this deserving group of anglers who earned the opportunity with admirable poise. The irony of it was in short order we were doing our best to avoid the yellowtail that did their best to disrupt the stops on yellowfin tuna a number of times showing up out of the clear blue while we drifted along catching tuna.
“When the yellows did arrive they came with knife and fork in hand annihilating everything in the water to the surprise of many anglers who thoroughly enjoyed the introduction to “potluck” style long range action. For the most part however, we quickly discerned the pattern and focused on the tuna, fat and spirited, giving anglers a thrill both at the end of their lines and on the surface.
We had several stops, but one phenomenal stop in particular found Royal Star perfectly centered in a huge foamer as the rapidly moving fish pushed a giant ball of doomed sardines to the surface and absolutely destroyed every individual as we observed with jaws agape at the genuinely amazing show described by one angler as a “National Geographic” moment.”

“Thank You to a Great Man”


Bill & Ingrid Poole
Celia Condit, Searcher Sportfishing: “Art and I would like to pay tribute to Bill Poole, the man who made Art’s career a reality. We are sad that he has left us but will be eternally grateful for his wise counsel and friendship over the years.
“And a great thank-you to Bill and Ingrid Poole for building what would become our beloved Searcher almost 40 years ago!”
In the Digital Mailbag
Likes His Calendar
Hi Bill,
I just had a chance to thumb through your new 2010 calendar, and I think it’s the best one I’ve seen to date. There is more information on next years long range boats and fishing techniques than ever. I also check your current fish reports on a daily basis and think it’s the best info on line.
Keep up the great work!”
Ger Steinberg (by email 10-20-09)
What About Wahoo?
“Hey Bill,
Perhaps, my impression is erroneous, but it seems that the size of the wahoo caught on San Diego based long range trips has decreased over the years. On my first long range trip, about ten years ago, the wahoo catch approached today’s Mexican limits and most of them were close to six feet in length.
I’m wondering how prolific and sustainable the species might be and if their numbers might be diminishing. Do you happen to know anything about their numbers, life cycles, and normal life span? I’m also wondering how feasible it might be to release the smaller ones (how small, I’m not sure). What are the odds that a wahoo with a wired hook its mouth after a strenuous fight for its life will survive and grow to a more impressive and reproductive size? And, is there any safe way to remove a hook or a jig from a wahoo’s toothy mouth?
Donald Culbertson (by email 10-19-09)
Bill’s Reply
Hi, Don: Here are my thoughts on your questions.
I don’t see any difference in the size of the wahoo coming in over the past 16 years. To be sure, some seasons may have more small fish and some seem to have larger wahoo, but the size of the fish seems more directly related to the time of year and the locality where the fish were caught.
For instance, the wahoo on The Ridge often seem bigger than the wahoo from the Hurricane Bank. No, I don’t know why. The very biggest skins seem likely to come from the deep southern banks, like the fleet’s all-time best, the 124.5-pounder hanging on the wall of Hudson’s Bay café at Pt. Loma Sportfishing, courtesy of Randy Toussaint.
Using a device like the ARC dehooker might be a feasible way to get the hook out of a wahoo, but handling the fish when they’re at all green is a no-no. I’m beginning to experiment with the dehooker (it’s promoted by Guy Harvey) and think it looks like a promising way top release long range fish.
Since wahoo are members of the mackerel family I would think they reproduce by the million, though only a few, like tuna, survive to adulthood. I don’t believe sport fishermen can hurt the population, but netters and long liners have certainly killed hundreds of thousands of wahoo that weren’t even targeted, particularly in the southern and western Pacific.