Mike Keating docked his Spirit of Adventure at H&M Landing June 17 after a five-day trip with 17 anglers. Matt Salas of Salas Lures was aboard. He gave all the anglers jigs and a 2009 Sportfishing Calendar.

"We fished offshore on the way down," said Matt. "We fished two days at Cedros Island. It was windy, but the yellows bit. Big Jim was on fire.

"They bit the yoyo jig, mostly," continued Salas. "That's how I got most of mine, on the 6X Jr. They bit the surface jig some, too. It didn't matter what color."

Randy Bathauer of Torrance won first place for a 43.6-pound yellowfin tuna. He caught it with a sardine on a 2/0 Mustad 94150 hook on 60-pound Izorline, with an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 700 H rod.

Jim Boyle of El Cajon won second place for a 36.3-pound yellowfin, and Felix Gomez of Santa Barbara took third place with the trip's best yellowtail, a 35.6-pounder that ate his Salas 6X jig in "bleeding sardine" color.

Skipper Mike Keating said it was a bit rough on the outside. Someone asked if he ever got seasick, and Mike remarked, "I never get seasick. I just get hungry. My dad was a fighter pilot. I think artistic people are more likely to get seasick. I'm just out there working.

"It was nice fishing at Cedros," continued Keating. "I saw good schools of tuna deep, and I thought they were bluefin, but everything we caught off them was yellowfin. It looks good outside. I think the next moon phase is likely when they'll go off."

Keating said he made about six stops on yellowfin, but the fish weren't really willing, and didn't stay with the boat long. At least one albacore was also caught, in the same area about 200 miles, down, where passengers said they could see Guadalupe Island in the distance.