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The Lucky Horseshoe Makes Number Ten "While we had to outrun Hurricane Adolph, which limited our fishing time to 5 days, we were rewarded with great wahoo fishing, but very limited opportunities on tuna. At last, after trying for 17 years, I got my 300-pounder. I think this is about my 30th trip, and I finally got the lucky horseshoe. On the first day fishing I caught a 230-pound yellowfin on straight 100-pound line, fished with a sardine. My Taka Tanaka 655XXH custom-wrapped Calstar and 50 SW tuned by Cal did the job nicely. By the way, I fished Soft Steel Ultra; what a wonderful line. Several days later, it was my turn on the kite and Jeff DeBuys pinned on a puffer fish. I was fishing another Taka custom 655XXH rod, a 130-pound Ultra, and a Mustad 7691 12/0 hook. I didn't know until later that my friend Steve Burke of Carlsbad had used the same puffer for about a half an hour and returned it to the bait tank. As luck would have it I got bit after about one minute, and in no time I was into the 135-pound Spectra. |
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Ralph Cox And The Lucky Horseshoe!
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It was then time to go for my second lucky skiff ride. After about an hour, skipper Andy Cates gaffed the fish and neither one of us thought it was very large, maybe a deuce (200-pounder). Returning to the Rooster, five gaffs loaded the cow on the boat and it was then that we realized that I had caught a potential 300-pounder! Andy measured and calculated the weight at 297, but later at the docks when weighed, the fish tugged at the scales at 302 pounds.
Many years of dreaming, practicing and perfecting knots and various techniques finally worked as today I finally got the fish of a lifetime. I also realized that Calstar Rods (wrapped by Taka's in Anaheim), Soft Steel Ultra, Mustad and Owner Hooks and most importantly Taka Tanaka himself spending patient hours with me practicing connections on Spectra had all aided me to realize my dream.
On our final day of fishing at Socorro, I hooked another heavy, got into the skiff for the third time, but within one minute was burned off by another angler's tuna. I guess my lucky horseshoe had finally been spent; however, I couldn't get angry, as I had a ball. Many thanks go to Andy, Jeff, Shawn and others at the Lee Palm operation for a wonderful trip and I will continue to be a 'regular' on the Red Rooster III. I hope I haven't bored you with another fish story, but after so many years of trying, I had to share this with you. See you at the docks!" Ralph Cox , Cypress CA
Her Third Trip
"It was on a wahoo jig," she said. "A chrome and red Tady 9/0. This is only my third trip. I got it on 40-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid line, with a 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader. The reel was a Daiwa 50HV and I had a custom rod made by Larry Whatley. It's a Seeker CJBF70. The fight took 25 minutes."
Run 'N Gun
"Whew," wrote skipper Moore, "We had a great day of Albie fishing. We ended up with limits for the day. It was all day action, with our biggest stop being 13 fish. So, we're talking about a whole lot of stops."
The albacore caught by bait anglers were nearly all caught on light tackle. I fished with 12 and 20-pound line, and the 12-pound got bit better. A small hook and a prime anchovy were other needed factors. Several times albacore bit my sardines, and once I hooked one, but poorly so, and it came off. The sardines often came back with tooth holes but few albacore.
Four Gets Albacore
Bill Roecker owns Oceanic Productions and provides promotional services for the San Diego Sportfishing Council.
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Cox's 302-pounder was the tenth yellowfin to make the 300-pound mark. The previous two seasons produced eight 300-pounders each.
Stops were frequent on the first day of fishing on a six by three-mile area some 80 miles from Point Loma. The only problem was that many stops produced only one, two or three fish. The albacore came as quickly as they appeared, apparently going on about their business of eating small sardines, saury and squid. That's what they were chasing as they puddled on the surface, and the three-inch critters were in their stomachs. Many stops were made on puddlers, and on meter marks. At the end of the day, however, the boat had five-fish limits.
Polaris Supreme returned from her three-day trip with an excellent catch of albacore and a good bonus catch of kelp paddy yellowtail, averaging between 8 to 18 pounds. Paul Johnson of Bonita won first place for an albacore of 23 pounds. He nabbed his longfin with a sardine on a Comstock ringed 1/0 Gorilla hook, 20-pound P-Line, and Accurate 270 reel and a Calstar 700L rod, a Yo's custom. Guy Kellener of Pittsburgh, PA was second for a 21-pounder, and David Best of Redondo Beach was third, for a 19-pound albacore.
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