Bill Roecker's Southern California and Baja Long Range Fishing Report, May 15, 2001, The Fish Sniffer Online

Bill Roecker's 2001 Sportfishing Calendar, FishingVideos.com

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Jim DiPippo of El Sobrante weighed in this yellowfin tuna to the tune of 307 pounds caught aboard the Qualifier.

Jim DiPippo's 307# tuna caught aboard the Qualifier

Southern California and Baja Longrange Report

By: Bill Roecker
May 15, 2001

Previous Report

White Seabass, Yellowtail Bite
That white seabass bite off LA is full-blown now, according to anglers limiting out at Catalina. The limit is one per day, of course, but the fish are usually sizable, from 10 to 30 pounds. They're also biting for inshore anglers, and some have been reported on plastic baits and even rigs trolled for threshers. San Clemente Island also has whites, even larger ones, but they're not biting with the same predictability.

Skipper Buzz Brizendine reported to Oceanic Productions and Point Loma Sportfishing confirmed that the Grande 85, fishing on the first full day of a two and a half-day trip off Colnett, had 115 yellowtail aboard the boat by 9:00 a.m. on May 11. The Shogun was scheduled to arrive there the next day. Look for the yellowtail bite to go off soon, and for some word of albacore to arrive shortly.

"Is He Under, Or Is He Over?"
Jim DiPippo of El Sobrante weighed in the ninth yellowfin tuna to make the 300-pound mark this season at Point Loma Sportfishing May 10, when Rodney Okimoto of the Qualifier 105 hung Jim's tuna to the tune of 307 pounds on the scales.

"He spooled me in five minutes," said DiPippo. "I got in the skiff, and fought the fish. He went past the bow of the Excel, so close we had to ask them, 'Is he under or is he over the anchor line?'

"He was over. I put a lot of pressure on him with the twin drags on my Accurate 50, and the fish pulled the skiff quite a bit. Rodney was my boatman, and he was the man. The fish came up, and Rodney gave him the flying gaff, and we tied him off and went back about a mile to the 105.

"He was hooked in the corner of the mouth. It was the first day we were at Clarion, and I was glad to get the big one early, get it out of the way."

DiPippo said he baited a chunk of salami mackerel on a Super Mutu 9/0 hook, with a Tide Runner 130-pound, loop-to-loop leader of fluorocarbon, 100-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Izorline backing. He fished an Accurate 50W reel (and won a brand new one, with an optional "Big Dog" handle for his effort, said Accurate owner Jack Nilsen as he posed with DiPippo), and a Calstar Boomer Jr. rod.

"We had beautiful weather," said skipper Jack Webster, "with only one day that was overcast and breezy."

Joe Green of San Pedro was second, for a 202-pound tuna. He said he used an Accurate 50W reel and a Calstar 760 from the Rusty Hook in San PedfHHH H rod wrapped by the Rusty Hook in San Pedro. Green posed with his tuna and a 73-pound wahoo caught by Ken Buzzell of San Pedro, on a black and purple Marauder. Wahoo were plentiful and large at Clarion Island and Hurricane Bank, said anglers on the trip.

Bill Roecker owns Oceanic Productions and provides promotional services for the San Diego Sportfishing Council.