An 18-day Accurate trip aboard Royal Polaris with owner Frank LoPreste arrived at Fisherman's Landing February 26 with an excellent catch of tuna that included 15 cows, or fish over 200 pounds, including two that weighed over 300 pounds.

Chartermaster Jack Nilsen was pleased. "It really was a very good trip," he said. "We may have nearly plugged the boat. I didn't get a cow this time, but I had a 250-pounder up to the boat, when he took off again and dived 150 yards. I got him back up after a while, and they were reaching for him with the gaffs when the (130-pound) line popped."

Pete Heimbach of La Mesa had the best fish, a 304.6-pounder, but he caught it on the kite, so it wasn't eligible for the jackpot. Pete said the catch came on a double sardine kite rig, on 130-pound Blackwater Spectra, a Penn 80 STW reel and a Seeker 6460 XXXH rod.

"It took an hour," said Pete on the dock. "He's my best fish. I saw him roll, then come back and crash on the bait. He ran off 150 yards right away. He went down, and when I got him up it was on the port side under the wheelhouse. They used four gaffs, and a fifth one to get him through the gate.

"My best one before was a 243-pounder," continued Heimbach. "It was two years ago on the same trip."

Mark Frankenberger of Dalton, GA was on his second long range trip. He got a 300-pounder, a supercow, on the first one, and he tied himself on his second trip with another. This one came in at 301.2 pounds, much to LoPreste's relief. That was about what it weighed on the boat, but conditions for weighing were bad, said the skipper.

Mark said he used a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Blackwater Spectra. He fished with an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 7465 H rod.

"It was about 40 minutes," recalled Frankenberger. It was almost dark when he bit. He ran straight out for at least 600 yards before he went down. That last 100 yards was the toughest I ever pulled. He came up on the port side aft. It was beyond my wildest dreams."

Frankenberger also had two cows. The yellowfin weighed 205 and 201 pounds.

French fisherman Francois Mangeot won second place for a 228.2-pound tuna. He wasn't available at the dock, having flown home from Cabo.

Chris Petersen of Castaic won third place for a 227.8-pound tuna. He also had one at 211.6 pounds. He said he fished with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu, on 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod. The larger fish fought for 45 minutes.

Roger Hawtree of Kamuela, HI caught a 244-pound tuna on a flying fish under the kite. The flyer was pinned to a 20/0 Mustad circle hook, tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 W reel and a new Calstar 770 H rod.

"A nice rod," said Roger. "It works good, and it has great recoil."

Jeff ("Holie Mackerel") Shapiro of Rancho Santa Margarita bagged a brace of cows at 236 and 239 pounds. The pair came within a pound each of the weight obtained on the boat. Jeff baited sardines on 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 130-pound Line One Spectra, a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod. He said the bigger fish fought for 30 minutes.

Gary Cotter of Santa Barbara took a 224-pounder. Gary fished a sardine on a ringed Super Mutu in the 6/0 size. He fished with 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 765 XH rod to do the job in 25 minutes.

Tom Neuman of Del Mar got a 209-pounder on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu on 100-pound Blackwater and 130-pound Line One Spectra, with an Accurate ATD 30 open frame reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

"That reel masters fish," said Tom. "I melted the drags on another make of reel on another cow."