"There were times on this trip when you could throw a plug (jig) and get a 30 or 40-pounder whenever you wanted," said Independence skipper Jeff DeBuys at Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 9.

"It was a plugger's paradise at Benitos, for very good yellowtail fishing. We also got some dorado off the kelps.

The Indy's trip was for five days, with 31 anglers aboard. David Brown of Markleville won first place for his 36.6-pound yellowtail. He said he got it with a sardine on a dropper loop sunk by a 16-ounce weight. He used a 2/0 gorilla ringed hook and 80-pound Blackwater line on an Accurate 665 two-speed reel and a six and a half-foot Offshore rod.