Red Rooster III arrived at H&M Landing February 28 after a 16-day Izorline trip with a fly back option. Andy Cates skippered the trip, which garnered four tuna over 200 pounds.

"We had nice days until the end of the trip," said Cates, "when the wind came up. Most of our fishing was drifting, after we found 'em on bird schools."

Izorline rep Ernie Seko fished aboard, winning the jacket given by the boat for the biggest fish caught on the troll. In Ernie's case, it was a 59.7-pound yellowfin that beat out Nick Montilepre's 48-pound wahoo. Both fish took trolled Marauders.

The trip's best fish was ineligible, as it proved to be a toughie, hooked by Jin S. Chang of Koreatown in Los Angeles. Jin said the 258.8-pound yellowfin bit a sardine on a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar Baby Boomer rod.

"It fought for about an hour and 45 minutes," said Chang, and it went around the boat three times. Two other people helped me to land it."

Chang stood in with the winners as honorable mention, and gave Bill Roecker a written report of the adventure, portions of which will follow this report.

Joe Cho of Fontana and Cosmos Sports of LAA Tackle Store won first place for a 245.6-pound tuna he bagged with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He said he used 130-pound Izorline fluorocarbon, 130-pound Izorline mono and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Boomer Jr. rod.

Joe, a regular on fly back trips, said he brought the big tuna to gaff in about 30 minutes.

Mike Zakar of San Diego won second place for a 206.6-pounder that stayed up on the surface and fought him for about 20 minutes. Mike said he got it with a sardine on 130-pound Izorline fluorocarbon, 100-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel and a Boomer Jr. rod.

Isto Pollanen of San Diego won third place for a 202.1-pound tuna. He hooked it after a long soak on a sardine and a rig borrowed from the boat: 130-pound Izorline fluorocarbon and Spectra on an Accurate 80 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Bill Wirth of Bonsall was awarded the Izorline Sportsman's Trophy.

Joe Cho told Roecker that next year's trip will run from February 11 to 27, and will be sponsored by Cosmos Sports of LA. It will be limited to 23 anglers. The first 16 to book with full payment will each receive a new Penn 50 VSW reel.

The following is extracted from Jin S. Chang's account of the trip, which he provided at the dock:

"While my friend Joe was fishing, his line became entangled. A deckhand helped him untangle his line. But as the deckhand was handing back Joe's rod, Joe's hand slipped off and let go of it. As it fell into the ocean Joe's quick hands grabbed the line. But since his reel was in freespool, Joe had to keep pulling until it reached the end of the reel. He was then able to get his rod back, after a lot of hard work and effort.

"Among the Korean community Joe is the leading long range angler. He rounds up anglers within the community to encourage us to go fishing. His skills are superior and his knowledge is vast. This was evidenced by the fact he won the jackpot.

"Here is a once in a blue moon story. Bong hooked a fish. As he put on his harness, his rod and reel went overboard. Bong's lost fishing gear probably cost well over a thousand dollars. But there's no crying in fishing, and the show must go on.

"About 20 minutes later, Bruce hooked something. He thought it was a fish. When he finally pulled his catch up, lo and behold, Bruce's two-ounce weight was caught on Bong's reel. Bruce not only caught Bong's rig but also the fish that was still attached.

"Bruce, a former NFL player, got a two for one special. Bong was so happy to get his gear back he bought a round of drinks for all."

Jin Chang's story ended with a hearty thank you to the Red Rooster III, its helpful crew and skipper Andy Cates, "...for his tireless effort in making sure we had a good time and a great catch!"