At the end, there were four giant yellowfin tuna over 300 pounds, and a total of 38 tuna over 200 pounds, an all-time record. There have been trips with more 300-pounders, to be sure, but never any with more over 200; at least, not that anyone at the docks June 6 could remember.

It left LoPreste jubilant, his crew stoked and his passengers more than satisfied. "I was concerned when the sardines died," said Dan Manelli of San Anselmo. "But we had some caballitos, and the skipjack saved the day for us."

Manelli used a sardine to take one of the top four fish, a 301-pounder. He pinned it on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 80-pound blue Izorline on a Shimano Tiagra 50 reel and a Seeker 66465XXH rod. It was only Manelli's second long range trip, and he also caught tuna of 276 and 217 pounds. "Could I be any more lucky?" he asked.

Ken Verderame of Melbourne, FL pulled in the best fish of the season. Ken had Fish of the Year in 1998 with a 325-pounder, and apparently pulled the feat off again this year with a 331-pound yellowfin.

"I got it with a five-pound skipjack tuna," said Ken, who is leaving the US Space Plane project to head up another in Australia that will allow him flying time. "This one was a lot tougher. Frank (LoPreste) says these Clipperton fish are 25 percent stronger that the tuna we catch in other places."

Verderame put an 11/0 Mustad hook in the skipjack, and fished 130-pound Izorline on 135-pound Spectra, with a Penn 50SW reel and a Calstar 6460XH rod.

Stas Velonakis of LA and Jerry Brown of Gold Hill, OR took second and third places with tuna of 309.7 and 303 pounds, becoming the fifth and sixth members of the season's elite group to take a 300-pound yellowfin.

Stas got his on a skipjack with a 12/0 Mustad hook, 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50SW and a Calstar 6460XXH rod. He just missed the monster mark with another tuna of 294.6 pounds and one more of 230 pounds.

Jerry Brown distributes his own line of Spectra, and used it with an eight-pound skipjack, and 11/0 Mustad hook, 130-pound Soft Steel Ultra and 130-pound Brown Spectra on a Penn 50SW reel and a Calstar 6460XXH rod. He also took a 272-pounder.

Jim Aljin of Santa Rosa had an incredible four fish over 200 pounds, weighing 278, 234, 217 and 213 pounds respectively. He said he fished with skipjack on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook, 130-pound Brown Spectra, a Penn 50SW reel and a Seeker 6460 XH rod, taking the smallest one in a quick 20 minutes.

No other trip has ever produced such a catch, either at the tiny distant Clipperton Atoll where these tuna were caught, or at the more usual places off the coast of Baja and at the Revillagigedos archipelago. Royal Polaris will be in for paint, polish and other boat work before she travels out again this summer looking for bluefin, albacore and other game species much closer to home.