On April 2, Toussaint noted, "Once again the tuna let us down, but the wahoo provided good action most of the day. We did hook a very heavy fish at daylight on the kite, but unfortunately it rocked us. You don't associate losing fish on the bottom while angling for tuna, but it is a common occurrence with big fish at these islands. This is what prompted me to put the first chase skiff on the Excel in '92 which has enabled us to land a lot of these fish that would have otherwise been lost on the bottom. We worked both ends of the island for a dozen tuna, most of which were 70 to 90 pounds. If we don't get a shot at some bigger fish in the morning I plan to finish up on the inside. Our beautiful weather continues."

When Royal Star moored April 9, angler Bill Grimsley of Corporate Network Professionals raved about the wahoo fishing. "I went through three topshots of 80-pound," he said. "And about 30 or 40 circle hooks. I got all my wahoo on mono." The boat's 19 anglers had limits of the "skinnies" on the ten-day, fly down fly back trip.

"There were lots of wahoo around," said skipper Toussaint, "and Clarion Island was corroded with yellowfin, but they were plugged full of red crabs. The tuna were showing at the surface and acting weird and not biting." The skipper posed with a wahoo, with his top three anglers.

Mark Paul of Laguna Niguel had the best cow, a 286-pound yellowfin that swallowed a salami mackerel on an 8/0 Mustad 7691 hook on 135-pound Izorline, 135-pound Spectra backing, an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 765H rod. He said the fight lasted 40 minutes, and that he finished the tuna off from the skiff.

Hank Blatnik of Tustin was second, for a 214-pound tuna. His prize came on a squid baited under the kite. He fished with a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook, with 135-pound clear Izorline and 135-pound Spectra, a Penn 80W reel and a Calstar 665XXH rod. Blatnik stayed on the boat to bring his tuna to gaff, after an hour and 45-minute fight. John Stewart of Orange was third, for a 186-pound yellowfin.