Indy 5-day

"We really did well on the yellowtail," said Independence regular Terry Sandoval of Anaheim. "Yesterday, we got into the bluefin and the yellowfin; they were jumpin' around for two hours. It was gorgeous; the sea was flat as a pancake. It was a great trip. You should have seen the calico bite we had! Every cast at Cedros was a hookup!"

Roger Phelps of Ojai, CA took first place with his 49.6-pound yellowfin he took on a 2/0 Super Mutu hook and 30-pound Berkeley Big Game line. He used a TLD 30 reel and a Black Saber rod that he built himself 12 years ago.

"It was fun watching that pole bend," said Roger, a long range veteran who took his brother Brian Phelps of Centennial, CO on his first trip. "Brian out fished me two to one, but I was lucky to get the jackpot."

Dick Schaffer of Purfield's Pro Tackle in Los Angeles was second with his 48-pound yellowfin. He used a 2/0 Flyliner hook and a Pro Gear Albacore Special reel on a Truline rod.

Tom Thompson of Los Alamitos was third for his 47.6-pound yellowfin. He fished a 2/0 gorilla hook, with 25-pound Big Game line and a Penn 259 reel "...that's about "50 years old."

Dan Seddon of Alta Loma stood in with his 33.8-pound white seabass he bagged at Cedros Island. Shane Hindle of El Segundo also stood in with his 46.6-pound yellowfin.

This is what it's all about!! Captain Mark Pisano owner/captain of the Independence beams with pride as he helps his 7 year old son Mark show off his first Bluefin tuna. A 50lb whopper!! Little Mark landed this fish on his own during a Father/Son 3 day trip aboard the Independence. We offer trips of all lengths and welcome fisherman of all ages.

All Day Drift

Independence arrived at Pt. Loma Sportfishing under Jeff DeBuys' hand July 9, after a five-day trip with 32 anglers.

"Our first day was an all-day drift," said Jeff, "on bluefin and yellowfin tuna to 75 pounds. At Cedros Island we had excellent yellowtail fishing on 20 to 30-pounders. They were biting on everything."

Ron Jacobson of Laguna Woods won first place for a 70-pound bluefin. He said he took it with a sardine on a 3/0 Aki hook, with 20-pound P-Line on a Trinidad 20 reel and a 765 L rod.

Jeff Wityak of Huntington Beach tied with Doug Mets of "Tuna Town" (San Diego) for second and third places, as each had a 69-pound bluefin.

Good Success Offshore

Jeff DeBuys, skipper of the Independence, brought the boat in to Pt. Loma Sportfishing July 14 after a five-day trip with 31 anglers.

"We had good success offshore," remarked Jeff, "on albacore, yellowfin tuna and some dorado. There was a full-speed yellowtail bite at the islands."

Mike Myers of Mission Viejo won first place with a 52-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he bagged that beauty with a sardine on a 4/0 Gorilla hook tied to Big Game 40-pound line, and he used a Penn 535 GS reel and a Penn Stroker eight-foot rod.

Bob Hunt of Oceanside was second for a 49.4-pound tuna, and Chad Henderson of Bellflower was third, for a 43-pound yellowfin tuna

Good evening. We had a very good day of fishing on big fat albacore, yellowfin tuna and yellowtail. The albacore are mostly 20 to 40 lbs. and at times bit everything that hit the water. The weather started out choppy but by afternoon it has gotten very nice. We plan to do this again tomorrow but right now the squid are biting full speed so we are loading up for later in the trip. Good night, Mark and the boys.

Good day to all, Fishing was slower for us today as the albacore were on a down cycle for most of the fleet. We did however pick away at yellowtail, yellowfin tuna and dorado off and on and though out the day. The weather was a slice of heaven with very little wind and flat seas. We are headed to Guadalupe Island for tomorrow to give everyone a shot at something bigger. See ya soon, Mark and the guys.