"We went looking," said Excel skipper Justin Fleck at Fisherman's Landing July 22, "and we found scattered breaking bluefin of 30 to 50 pounds. We also found jumbo albacore of 25 to 45 pounds."

Jan Howard was charter mistress on the five-day Braid trip with 21 anglers.

"The bluefin came and boiled on the corner," she told dock reporter Bill Roecker, "in flat calm conditions. This was a very mellow group."

Robert Zane of Rancho Palos Verdes won first place for a 42.4-pound bluefin tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader. He fished with 30-pound monofilament mainline, an Accurate B-270 reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.

Miles Yamaguchi of Riverside won second place for a 41.2-pounder, and Lyle Burkhart of Claremont won third place for his 40.8-pound bluefin.