The long-range sportfishing vessel Independence arrived at Point Loma Sportfishing July 23 under owner-skipper Mark Pisano’s hand. Pisano was assisted by second skipper and partner Paul Strasser on the seven-day West Coast Marketing/Avet Reels trip, which visited Alijos Rocks and Cedros Island, off Baja California.

Photo by: fishingvideos.com
Wahoo Crew – Anglers pose at Point Loma Sportfishing with their wahoo catch. The group enjoyed the first good wahoo catch of the season on a seven-day trip aboard Independence.

The yellowtail from Cedros were overshadowed by the big tuna and nearly 100 wahoo caught at The Rocks. It was the first good catch of wahoo for 2010.

“We came in there and the water was 73 degrees, flat calm, and the wahoo were up finning and breezing,” Pisano said.

“The next day the wind came up a little and the water dropped to 70.5 (degrees), and the skins didn’t bite quite as fast. But everyone on the boat got a wahoo.”

Luis Sole of San Pedro won first and second place for yellowfin tuna of 119.8 and 110 pounds. He got the big one on a sardine and a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 40-pound Izorline and 65-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Avet HX reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 rod. He also caught nine wahoo.

Sole told of his fight with the winning tuna; “He bit a hot running bait, and then he went down. He took me around the boat twice, and we had a hard time getting over the anchor line, but the deckhand was a big help. In the end he came up on the starboard side, after an hour and 15 minutes.”

Steve Fry of Reno, Nev. won third place for a 109.8-pound Alijos yellowfin tuna. The wahoo weighed up to 58 pounds, and the whole group posed with their skinnies.