| From FishSniffer.com |
| Southern California and Long Range Report By Bill Roecker December 12, 2001 "Last possible moment" Looking for his fifth 300-pound yellowfin, Ben Kita found a big tuna at Sue's Hole at San Benedicto Island, "...at the last possible moment," he said, just returned from a Red Rooster III 18-day, 18-passenger trip with Andy Cates as skipper. "I fished a mackerel on a 2/0 commercial tuna hook by Mustad," Kita noted, "on Jin Kai 100-pound line, with 130-pound Spectra backing. I didn't even get into the Spectra. I had a Penn 80S reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod, and got the fish in about 20 minutes." Cates weighed the tuna at 260 pounds, big enough for first place and the best of the new season. Dennis Bidigare of Oscoda, MI took a second cow, a 209-pounder. He said he fished a mackerel on the kite, using a 10/0 Mustad hook, 100-pound clear Izorline backed by 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50SW reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod. "It's my best fish ever," said Bidigare, "and I got it with a very helpful crew." Lucy Lawless, the "Xena" heroine of television, was at the dock to meet hubby Rob Tapert. Her little boy Julius, two, was showing off a plastic skirted squid, and happily joined Rob and Ben and Dennis for pictures, as did Daisy Lawless, 13. "Fishing's all he cares about," said Lucy, as the boy hustled about the fish with his colorful prize. Dad Rob Tapert weighed a hefty tuna in the 170-pound class, and posed with his family. Mike Yamamoto of Hemet was third, for a 195-pound yellowfin tuna. Many of the tuna were stout, noted Cates. The catch was made unusual, said anglers, by large numbers of dorado, not much seen in the islands. "There were so many dorado they were pests," said Ben Kita. |
