Shawn Steward docked Excel at Fisherman's landing January 21 after a 15-day trip with 25 anglers, who offloaded 40 cows, or tuna over 200 pounds.

On January 18, Steward wrote: "After a slow day yesterday and today being our last day we were hoping for the banner ending to our adventurous trip. We covered a lot of miles of water looking for these giants and we saw good scattered sign of fish but they were very squirrelly and uncooperative for us.

"Around 1500 we headed for the area that had been good to us early in the trip and we found what we were looking for. There were straight 170 to 260-pound yellowfin crashing around the boat and free swimming everywhere like we were not even there. They were so aggressive I saw a fish of about 240 pounds come out of the water and try to get a bait away from a bird that was just above the water, quite the sight.

"If you could imagine the best albacore bite you have ever seen, with fish coming from under the corner of the boat to get your bait, just imagine the fish being all 170 to 250 plus pounds, just incredible. In the initial hit when we first stopped we hooked 18 fish but we did not fare too well because they were all bit at the same time and you can imagine the chaos that took place. When we got established in our drift we kept 4 to 8 big ones going at once until dark when they finally left us.

"We finished up our bite with 32 fish and 8 to 11 from 200 to 260 pounds. We could not ask for a better way to end the trip than with the best bite we have seen this year. There is still really good sign of quality fish in the area and I think there is still going to be some really good catches to be made down in this zone."

"That drift the last day we were there; that's the best I've seen," remarked Steward at the dock. "We got all our big ones on four stops."

Newport CPA Art Green won first place for the best eligible tuna, a 270-pounder. "I got him in 45 minutes," said Green. "You've got to dream if you want to catch big fish. If you stop dreaming, then what?"

Green baited a mackerel on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. He said he used 130-pound Suffix line and 130-pound Spectra backing on a Shimano 80 reel and a Seeker 6364 XXH rod. He also had a 228 and a 203-pounder.

Dale Dargatz of Anaheim won second place for a 267-pounder. "My personal best," he said. "It took an hour."

Dale dropped a sardine over the side on an 8/0 Mustad hook tied to 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used a Penn 30 W reel and a Calstar 46 XH rod.

Carl Dorton of Tarzana undertook a three-hour battle to land his 263-pound tuna, good for third place.

"He was a mean fish," said Carl, who still couldn't get over that fight. "I've had bigger ones, but this one was a bad fish. He messed up everybody on the boat. He took me around the boat five times. He took me from the stern to the bow six times. He was meaner than hell."

Carl said he fished a mackerel on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, tied to 100-pound Big Game line, 130-pound leader and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used a Penn 30 W reel and "an old Sabre" rod.

Carl's son Mark Dorton of Woodland Hills got five cows. The best one was a 233-pounder, and gave Mark a half-hour fight. He also had tuna of 219, 214, 213 and 210 pounds. Mark said he fished sardines on 8/0 Eagle Claw hooks, and used 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Calstar 7455 XH rod.

Al Shakespeare of Glendale got an ineligible 276-pounder, a 273 and a 229. He said he fished with sardines on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook after a half-hour fight. He used 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 50 S reel blueprinted by Cal Sheets, and a Calstar 755 XXH rod.

Braida Giovanni of San Dimas got a triple with mackerel; a 228, a 209 and a 202-pound yellowfin. He said he fished mackerel on 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks, and used 100-pound Soft Steel Ultra line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra backing on a 50 SW reel and a 6455 XXH rod.

Excel will be in port until January 25, when the big rig will depart on another 15-day expedition to the tuna grounds several hundred miles south of San Diego.