Indy Challenge = Plenty Of Prizes

Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing after a dandy seven-day trip October 1. His 31 anglers found lots of Dorado and Yellowtail, and took home a plethora of prizes, as the top seven places got awards. The big one was a $1,000 certificate from the boat. "We fished on The Ridge and offshore," Jeff told Roecker. "We had great Dorado and Yellowtail fishing, got some fat Wahoo and some small Yellowfin."

The big winner was John Branum of Selma, TX, who won first place and the $1,000 award for his 31.6-pound Dorado. "Jeff and the crew were awesome," said Branum, who got his winner with a mackerel on a 3/0 Mustad 91450 hook on 40-pound Izorline, a Trinidad 30 reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 H rod.

The prizes were awarded as follows: Benny Le, Scott Ocheltree and William Tally got three Avet reels. Tim Ryan, Jay Love and Steve Johnson won three Seeker rods.

The First of Many

Well, here is our first fishing report of the trip. Today was very good fishing for yellowtail, tuna, and some Dorado made it into the mix as well. The weather is good, hot and sunny. We are going to try another spot for tomorrow, so please wish us luck, the Indy crew

Independence Reports a Good First Day

"Well, here is our first fishing report of the trip," said the report from Independence October 3. "Today was very good fishing for yellowtail, tuna, and some Dorado made it into the mix as well. The weather is good, hot and sunny. We are going to try another spot for tomorrow, so please wish us luck, the Indy crew."

Action Packed

Action packed day. Today was a busy day from sun up to sun down, as we were in catch mode, with yellowtail, Dorado, and a few Wahoo making up the day. We are going to go on a road trip down to the tuna grounds in search of tuna. They have to be around here somewhere, so here we go. The weather is not as good as we have had, but that is the breaks. Please wish us luck, Jeff and the Indy crew

Looking for Tuna

Today was spent trying for tuna, and we had some heartbreaks as well as some good ones up to 100 lbs. The weather is suitable for looking around, so we are going to keep looking for tomorrows plan. the Indy crew

Great Action Today

Great action today. Today we found an area that had some Wahoo, and more of that good grade tuna 70 to 120 lb. stuff. There was some Dorado in the mix as well. As usual there were some heartbreaks, but that's part of the game. The weather is still good, a bit of breeze, but not too overwhelming. Everyone had a great time watching the show, and pulling on them. We are going to start the long trek up, as we have a long way to go to San Diego. Thanks for checking in, Jeff and the Indy crew

Independence Report 10-5-11

"Today was spent trying for tuna, and we had some heartbreaks as well as some good ones up to 100 lbs. The weather is suitable for looking around, so we are going to keep looking for tomorrow's plan."

Independence Lands Some Big Boy Yellowfin

"Today we picked away at nice yellowfin all day long," observed the report from Independence November 5. "Most of the fish were 90 to 170 pounds with two that were up around the 200-pound mark. We also had a few heartbreaks, but that just goes with the territory when you are fishing bigger tuna. The weather is nice but we did have about 10 to 14 knots of wind, with a mild sea state to go with it. Tomorrow will be the same menu trying to hook and land these bigger yellowfin tuna. The water is 82 degrees with the air temps also in the 80's, very pleasant to be out on deck fishing. Check back in a day or two to see how things are going."

Fishing Our Way Home!

Hello again from the Indy. We spent yesterday traveling, and fishing our way up the beach. The weather was a bit breezy, but today things have gotten better. We have had an awesome trip, and lots of great times for all to remember. We will be back to San Diego tomorrow at approx. 0530am. Sea you all then, the Indy crew

Independence Report 10-6-11

"Great action today: we found an area that had some Wahoo, and more of that good grade tuna 70 to 120-pound stuff. There was some Dorado in the mix as well. As usual there were some heartbreaks, but that's part of the game. The weather is still good, a bit of breeze, but not too overwhelming. Everyone had a great time watching the show, and pulling on them. We are going to start the long trek up, as we have a long way to go to San Diego."

The Independence lands Four Over 100

Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 9 after a successful eight-day trip, the "Chi-Chis Arriba" charter with Pete Walker as chartermaster. There 32 anglers aboard. Skipper DeBuys told dock reporter Bill Roecker he found good fishing on The Ridge for yellowtail and dorado, with a few wahoo. He fished two days at Alijos Rocks, one of which was, "Pretty good for better tuna and wahoo, with some bigger yellowtail. We got four tuna over 100 pounds." While DeBuys was weighing his catch, Independence owners Mark Pisano and Paul Strasser were making an appearance on Let's Talk Hookup with Pete Gray.

Danny Ilustre of San Pedro has been cooking aboard the Pursuit for the last seven years. He had the best eligible tuna, a 115-pounder. He said he got it with a sardine on the dropper loop. He pinned his bait on a 2/0 Owner Gorilla hook, 40-pound Izorline fluorocarbon, 40-pound Izorline XXX mono and 80-pound Izorline spectra. He used an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 760 M rod. "I had to downsize to get bit," he remembered. "the fish fought for about 50 minutes, and he took me from corner to corner. I got the best tuna, the best wahoo and best yellowtail of my life on this trip."

Buck Henry of Del Mar won second place for a 105-pound yellowfin, and Alan Carter of Long Beach won third place for a 95.8-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna.

Rocks producing some 100 pound tuna

Captain Mark Pisano co-owner of the Independence called in this morning with a Long Range Fishing Update.

Its a Stellar Day

Off to a great start. Today was well received, as we had an absolutely stellar day on Wahoo, tuna, and yellowtail, as well as a couple of grouper. We are going to give this try for tomorrow. The weather is as good as one could want, typical fall weather, and fishing to go with it. Sea you all tomorrow, Jeff and the Indy crew

Independence Report 10-14-11

"We're off to a great start. Today was well received, as we had an absolutely stellar day on Wahoo, tuna, and yellowtail, as well as a couple of grouper. We are going to give this try for tomorrow. The weather is as good as one could want, typical fall weather, and fishing to go with it."

Super day

Rolling right along. Today we had another great day with most of the yellowtail released, and some Dorado and Wahoo in the mix. The tuna were hard to come by, as they were all show and no go, only a few for us. The weather is really nice fishing weather. We are going to look for some tuna for the next couple of days, so please wish us luck trying to find them, Jeff and the Indy crew

Looking For Tuna

Today we spent looking around for tuna, Dorado, or anything else that wanted to join the party. We did have really good luck on Dorado fishing, big BULL Dorado, and plenty of them for all. We are going to keep trying to locate some tuna, and will be back at it tomorrow. The weather is still favorable, so we hope that it stays this way. Jeff and the Indy crew

Saw the Signs

Open water tuna. Today we again covered lots of water, and saw some sign of tuna, but caught only 5 fish 60 to 75 lbs. for our efforts. With decent weather we are going to keep working at it again tomorrow, Thanks for checking in with us. The Indy crew

The Quest Continues

Quest for tuna continues. We gave it another try for tuna today, only to come up with a hand full of fish for our efforts. I hope things change in a hurry, as we are running out of options. We made a move last night, and are going to try one more spot for some tuna today. Jeff and the Indy crew

Steady Tuna Action.

Today was a mix of blue fin and yellowfin tuna fishing from sun up till afternoon. There were some good grade yellows in the mix that we released, and a few Dorado. The weather has begun to freshen up, as there is lots of wind for now. That is all we know for now, the Indy crew

Bull Bass Fishing

Check out that bass. Today we finished up our trip along the coast and were surprised by the conditions along the beach. There was yellowtail, which we bypassed, but the calico bass action was off the charts, lots of big bull bass. It was a great way to spend our last day fishing. All had a great time. We will dock in San Diego tomorrow at 0545. Sea you then, Jeff and the Indy crew (bring in your passports for verification)

Indy Returns to Point Loma

The Indy called in with an ETA of 5:45am for Saturday 10/22. Next trip departing on this day sign in will begin at 7am, Bring in your Passport for verification.

Strike Force Tackle Whack

Jeff DeBuys docked Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing October 22 after a ten-day charter with Alex Mobile as chartermaster and 25 fishermen. The trip was excellent for fish and for prizes like the dozen copies of At The Rail that Mobile gave his anglers. "We fished down The Ridge, went out to Alijos Rocks, looked at the Potato Bank, came up The Ridge and stopped a bit at Cedros Island for some bass," said Mobile. "We had a great variety, with some wahoo, bull dorado and even some bluefin. I'd give it a 10 rating," DeBuys agreed.

Physics prof Valerie Otero of Boulder, CO (University of Colorado) won first place for her 76.6-pound yellowfin tuna. Mark Bush of Telluride, CO won second place for a 76.2-pounder, and Dwayne Ueda of Chino Hills won third place for a 61.2-pound Alijos Rocks yellowfin tuna. Terry Sandoval of Anaheim got a 51.8-pound wahoo on a Yo-Zuri Marauder in Tony The Tiger motif.

Strike force returns

We have returned from our annual strike Force tackle 10 day charter with a happy load of anglers and fish. We want to Thank everyone who made the trip and send a special thanks to Our long time charter master Alex mobile for all the work he put into making this a wonderful trip. Everyone made out during the raffle with Seeker rods,Shimano reels, gift certificates from Mario at Sportmans seafood and five star fish processing along with copies of Bill Roeckers book At The Rail. Bill was more than happy to autograph them. Bruce Dodd was the lucky angler who captured the grand prize of a beautiful SFT hand made tackle box. What a great time! With beautiful weather the trip took in loads of Dorado,yellowtail and scratched out some Wahoo, Bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna. A stop for calicos at the end rounded out the trip. Jackpot winners for the trip were Valerie Otero who took top honors with a 76.6 yellowfin tuna, Mark Bush took 2nd place with a 76.2 yellowfin tuna and 3rd went to Dwanye Uyeda with a 61,2 yellowfin tuna. Three XL wahoo were taken by Alex Mobile at 64.5, Ruben Brasil 62.8 and Terry Sandoval 51.8 on the Yo-Zuri Marauders. Everyone is looking fopward to next years trips already.

Back out

We turned around and departed on another 10 day extravaganza, this one sponsored by our good friend, Dennis Evans. There are sooo many great give aways, I dont have time to list them all. After traveling for a few days, we arrived at
our destination, and were busy as soon as we slowed down. We had good fishing on yellowtail, blue fin tuna, pargo, and a few grouper. With a boat load of eager anglers, we are going to give this another try tomorrow. The weathter is
great as well. Thanks for checking in on us,
Jeff and the Indy Crew

Fall fishing at it's best

Fun in the sun, today was a blast. That pretty much sums it up. We had good fishing and hot sunny weather. We caught lots of yellowtail, blue fin
tuna, yellowfin,pargo,grouper, and 1 wahoo for our efforts. We are going to try another area for tomorrow so please wish us luck.
jeff and the Indy Crew

Another Great day

Another great day, today we spent covering water and had a good day on yellowtail, dorado, and 6 big wahoo. The weather was not as good as the beginning of the trip, as the wind was up for most of the day. We are going to keep working at it out here, so please wish us luck,
Jeff and the Indy Crew

Tough day

We see sign, today we went looking offshore for porpoise, and tuna, we found a area that looked good, and we worked it for a couple of hours. We hooked a total of 9 big tuna, and landed 2 fish. lots of heart aches. we are going to re
group and try this again tomorrow. the weather is great. wish us luck, jeff and
the indy crew.

Oh Boy!!!

WOW, WHAT A DAY! today was like yesterday, but we won most of the battles
today. things look good down here right now, as we were pulling and yanking on
these beauties from sun up till sun down. when the dust settled, we had 33 of
these bigguns in the hatch. 75 percent of these fish were 170 to 237 lbs., yes
thats right, and the rest were around 100 to 165 lbs.. needless to say we are
stoked with things out here. everyone had a chance to catch one, or two for
some lucky ones. again the weather is just perfect, hot and sunny. we are going
to make a move up tonight to another area for tomorrow. thanks for checking in
on us, jeff and the indy crew

Bonanza fishing

Another fun day. We spent today fishing for yellowtail, wahoo, and Dorado, and had a really good time while doing it. After yesterdays big fish bonanza, which I might add, 13 people caught their personal best, some just relaxed, and some enjoyed the sun & fun. The weather has been as good as it gets. As for tomorrow, we are going to travel, and stop somewhere along the coast for bass, or what ever we see. Thanks for checking in on Jeff, the Indy crew and us

Cow Catching: What A Day Aboard the Independence!

"Today was like yesterday," said the report from Independence October 28, "but we won most of the battles today. Things look good down here right now, as we were pulling and yanking on these beauties from sun up till sun down. When the dust settled, we had 33 of these big'uns in the hatch. 75 percent were 170 to 237 pounds, yes that's right, and the rest were around 100 to 165 pounds. We are stoked with things out here. Everyone had a chance to catch one, or two, for some lucky ones. Again the weather is just perfect, hot and sunny. We are going to make a move up tonight to another area for tomorrow."

Off the Coast

Jumping bass everywhere. Again today was a fun day on the coast catching, and releasing big calico bass in the warm sun. We did keep enough for a lunch tomorrow. Some of our passengers just watched football, and enjoyed the day to rest. We are going to travel up to San Diego, and will have an E T A tomorrow for our arrival on Tuesday morning. Sea you all then, Jeff and the Indy crew. I'm back from my South Dakota trip all reports should be posted on a regular basis now. Sorry for any delays this past trip. Judy

Wrapping it up

Wrapping up another great trip. We are headed up the line to San Diego, under cloud cover and cooler weather. Dennis Evans, and the Tunaholics again proved to be one of our premier fishing groups. From the first day of fishing, great bluefin tuna, and yellowtail, to the wahoo and pargo, to the dorado and spectacular big fish tuna fishing we experienced, I have to congratulate every one of them who were on this trip. I'm not sure how many fish we have over the 200 lb. mark, but we will find out tomorrow when we arrive at 0600. For those of you with a fall trip in the future, I would pack some heavy gear for the chance to get in on this. Thanks for checking in on Jeff, the Indy crew and us