Mike Lackey brought his Vagabond home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing after a ten-day trip. One of the five cows he found for his anglers nearly made the magic 300-pound mark. The 297-pound whopper yellowfin was caught by John Bounds of Peyton, CA on a mackerel pinned to a 6/0 Gamakatsu hook.

"He ran out to 350 yards on me," said Bounds, "and then he stopped and rushed the boat. I had to reel as fast as I could. He fought for an hour and 40 minutes."

John said he used 100-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Tiagra 30 reel and a Seeker five and a half-foot Black Steel rod.

Kirk Drickman of Westlake Village, a Vagabond regular angler, got a 285-pounder for second place. Kirk said he baited a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle claw ringed hook to get his best-ever fish. He tied the hook to 100-pound Jin Kai leader and 130-pound Izorline Spectra, on a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

Mike Toetter of San Diego won third place for a 246-pounder that cleaned his clock for two hours and ten minutes.

"It was the hardest fish I ever got," he remarked at the scales.

Mike baited a mackerel on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used Sato crimps, a Penn 30 reel by Baker and Cal Sheets, and an M&M rod, a Calstar 7465 M.

Steve Meinster of Van Nuys caught a 229-pounder on a 9/0 ringed Super Mutu hook holding a mackerel bait. He used 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 S reel by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 655 XXXH rod, and got the job done in an hour and 15 minutes.

Jack Coons of San Diego will turn 80 in March, he said. He caught a 205-pounder on a sardine and an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He fished with 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a TLD 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6465 XXH rod.