"We were down there at the right time," American Angler owner skipper Brian Kiyohara said after unloading 26 passengers at Point Loma Landing December 14. "We had great fishing on 60 to 150-pound tuna; our timing was great. We got the job done in three days."

Skip Stenbro of Tiburon sponsored the trip, which brought back seven tuna over 200 pounds, including a 326.5-pound yellowfin caught on the kite.

After the crew hooked the kite up to a "double-trouble" bait, Anthony saw a small boil followed by an explosion on his two sardines.

"That's all I saw of him until he was at gaff," Anthony Foster of Long Beach said of his 326.5-pound trophy yellowfin. "I didn't know how big he'd be. I fought him for an hour and a half. Crewman Jesse Kemble was helping me the whole time."

The boat's kite rig used 8/0 hooks, 130-pound Izorline, a Penn 50 two-speed reel and a Seeker 6465 XXH rod. "My previous best fish was a 50-pounder. Yeah, this was a trip of a lifetime," continued Anthony.

Karl Khoe of San Diego took first place in the jackpot for his personal best, a 295-pound yellowfin.

"A real stubborn fish," said Karl. "It was a real fight; a knock-down, drag-out kind of fight. And the crew kept me out of tangles, I don't think I would have done it without them."

Karl fly-lined a sardine with a sinker on an 8/0 Eagle Claw 2004 ringed circle hook, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Blackwater Spectra, an Avet SDS reel and a Custom Yo's Special short rod.

On this trip last year, Steve Schneblin of Homeland, CA landed a 327-pound tuna.

This year proved Steve had the lucky stick again, catching a 272-pounder.

"We had a bigger one at gaff that got away. It was heartbreaking," Steve said laughing.

"But this one was tail-wrapped, so it took forever. He went straight out right from the start."

Steve fished a 7/0 Owner circle hook with 25 feet of 130-pound Seaguar leader and 130-pound Spectra Super-Braid, a Penn VSW 50 W reel, and a custom Calstar rod by Bluewater Tackle in Solana Beach.

"They've got the top guys down there, I promote them every chance I get."

"Brian and the crew hit it just right," continued Steve, "it was a fantastic trip. They have a Class-A Operation. ???Taro' (Crewman Todd Takeuchi) is a jackhammer."

"You just gotta keep feeding these big fish bait," said Webmaster Barry Gambarana, of Las Vegas. "Just keep the chum going.

"I handed off a big one caught on a yummee flyer. I let it sit out there, bout a 100 yards out and Boom, it hit it. Justin and Jason from the Excel showed me how to fish with the yummee's."