Kevin Osborne docked Intrepid at Pt. Loma Sportfishing December 19 after an 11-day Avet-Larry Brown trip with 22 passengers to the southern banks. She was packing 14 cows, one of which was just short of supercow status.

The big 289.6-pound tuna was caught by Harris Miller of San Diego. He got it after a fight of an hour and 45 minutes. It bit a double sardine rig under the kite on a boat outfit: 8/0 Super Mutu ringed hooks on 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

"This is my second cow trip," he told dock reporter Bill Roecker. "I only wanted to get one over 100 pounds. This one bit as dusk on the last day of fishing. I'd like to thank the crew for their help."

John Whiteside of Oregon got a 246-pounder on a squid under the same kite rig. "That rod was hell-bent for stout," said John. "It really put the wood to it." He won second place in the jackpot.

Tom Hoskins of Oregon took 45 minutes to bag a 221-pounder, caught when he flylined a sardine on a ringed Super Mutu 6/0 hook on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He said he used an Accurate 50 reel and a new Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

"An excellent rod," comment Hoskins, who won third place. "This fish just wouldn't come to the boat. He was all over the place out there."

Fred Best handed off a 274-pound tuna, due to a physical problem. He hooked it on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a G. Loomis six-foot rod.

John Toninato of British Columbia, Canada got a 243-pound tuna on a sardine and an 8/0 ringed Super Mutu. He fished with 130-poundSeaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Charles Pratty of Yorba Linda got a 204-pound yellowfin with a Sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu and 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 30 reel tuned by Cal Sheets and a Calstar Boomer Jr. rod.

Jeff Clark of Wildomar found a 214-pound tuna (his best fish) with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 50 VSX reel and a Talus six-foot rod.

Chris Minnick of Pasadena caught a 222-pound tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu tied on 100-popund Blackwater fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet HX Raptor reel and a Super Seeker 2 x 4 rod.

"The new rod was fabulous," he said. "The recoil worked the fish, and it was light to carry around all day."

Larry Johnson of Whidbey Island, WA got a 202-pounder on a sardine and a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He fished with 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 30 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Kevin Cosca of Mesa, AZ got a 207-pound tuna.

"Our best day was the first one, but we had good fishing on porpoise on day four," remarked skipper Osborne, "on 20 to 200-pounders! And we got near-limits of yellowtail off bird schools near Turtle Bay."