Joe Pfister of Seeker Rods chartermastered a four-day Seeker/Soft Steel trip aboard Spirit of Adventure with skipper Brian Evans that returned September 21 with some big tuna from Guadalupe Island. The trip fished for a day at the island and spent the last day outside, dealing with rough weather.

Mark Kwiatkowski of Lodi managed an exceptional tuna that wasn't eligible for the jackpot. The tusker tuna weighed 134 pounds at the H&M scales. Mark said it bit on a sardine and a 3/0 Gamakatsu ringed hook. He used 40-poundSeaguar fluorocarbon and 40-pound P-Line on a Penn 4/0 Baja Special reel and a Seeker Classic 670 rod. His feat won his the Seeker Trophy for the best fish on a Seeker rod, awarded at the scales by Joe Pfister.

"We were drifting when he picked it up," said Mark, "and he made two long runs. I had to use my thumb because I was out of line and drag pressure. He swam around the boat for 45 minutes with his sickle out of the water. He's easily my best fish; the best one before was a 35-pound albacore."

Seeker pro-staffer Roy Casey of Seal Beach won the jackpot for a 95.5-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook and 70-pound Soft Steel backed with 80-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet reel and a Super Seeker 6470 rod.

"He was a mean fish," commented Casey.

Craig Honkanen of Carlsbad won second place for an 81-pound tuna, and Joe Rodriguez of Torrance won third place for a 55.6-pound yellowfin tuna.