Juan Cintron, of New York, took first place December 14 on a ten-day Qualifier 105 trip with skipper Brian Sims for his 303.4-pound yellowfin caught off Mag Bay. He said he fished with a mackerel baited on a 7/0 Super Mutu hook. He used 100-pound Izorline and 125-pound fluorocarbon backing on an Avet Baja reel on an unknown make of rod from Florida.

"The fight lasted over an hour and a half," said Citron. "It kept doing these crazy dives after I'd get him up to the boat. This happened four or five times. I was going back and forth from low gear to high gear, just crankin' and crankin', saying to myself, ???Here we go again!'"

"This is my first time long-range fishing," added Cintron. "I'm from New York; I'm not used to this! I commend this boat and their crew. Everything was excellent, I can't say anything more. The service out here compares in no way to the boats on the East Coast."

Paul Berinson of Temecula got a 294.8-pound tuna for second place on a Penn 80 with 135 Big Game sardine Eagle Claw 8/0 in 35 minutes. Ken Kuhn of Moreno Valley took a 247.4-pound tuna, good for third place. He used a Penn 50W reel and 100-pound Big Game line.

"We had beautiful weather," remarked skipper Sims, "that truly helped us on those big fish. The bite looks good; maybe it will last through February. We'll be back out January 10, and we still have just a couple of spots left. If you want to go, call the office at (619) 223-2786."