As boats assembled near the Marina del Rey Harbor entrance in the predawn hours of July 10, few could anticipate the varied stories that would arise from the fourth stop on the 2010 Salt Water Bass Anglers (SWBA) tour.

Photo by: Bryan Sheehy
Big Fish, Big Win -- Eric Johnson and Rick Trujillo of Team Walls Out brought in the big fish of the tournament and a winning bag, weighing in at a new SWBA record all-time daytime weight of 31.54 pounds.

The decision to turn right or left or just stay put would ultimately be the hot topic later at the scale. Santa Monica Bay’s diverse fishery, coupled with a team’s ability to make long runs, made this event anyone’s game.

Plagued with red tide, the areas above Point Dume were left out of the equation by most, but the waters from Santa Monica to Paradise Cove kicked out nice limits for teams who knew the right zones. Down along the Palos Verdes coast, teams were experiencing a 6-degree drop in water temperature from the previous day. Although some limits were taken there, most teams who fished Palos Verdes wished they had gone elsewhere.

A few teams made some longer runs, but in the end, it was the teams who stayed close who stole the show.

Tom and Val Handzus of Team Reef Runners did not burn 1 gallon of gas as they stayed on the breakwater all day, to weigh in a bag at 23.17 pounds and take third place.

In second place with a 24.21-pound bag were Mike Dumalski and Mike Nguyen of Team Oh Son! They also started on the breakwater, catching more than 20 pounds before the sun came up. They decided to travel to Palos Verdes, which worked out for them as they upgraded their catch with a 4-pounder later in the day.

But the story of the day would come from Team Walls Out.

Coming off a record win in Long Beach, Eric Johnson and Rick Trujillo traveled south to fish the artificial reefs of Huntington Beach. They reported “quality over quantity,” which was evident by their winning bag of 31.54 pounds. The bag reset the all-time record SWBA daytime weight, which the team had set the month prior.

Team Walls Out also took the Kaenon Big Fish award, with a 7.67-pound sand bass. This is the first time in SWBA history a team has had back-to-back victories in the same season.

For more information, visit www.saltwaterbassanglers.com.