Qualifier 105 arrived at Point Loma Sportfishing after lunch May 14, having been delayed, "by eight-foot swells at five seconds," said skipper Brian Sims, "beginning at The Ridge."

Those who had ridden the boat joined those who'd come home by air three days earlier and unloaded all the gear anglers take on 16-day big tuna trips. The afternoon was breezy in a bright sun, much cooler than the breeze in the tropics some 76 hours past.

Chartermaster Jack Nilsen brought some $75,000 worth of rods and Accurate reels for anglers to borrow. Nilsen has been on the Q-105 many times, and has a following of talented anglers. Long-time long ranger and union carpet layer Allen Lemberg of San Diego had a wonderful trip, bagging two cows. He also pulled off an almost impossible task: using no wire, he bagged four wahoo on bait and straight monofilament line in one day.

"I love those J-hooks," said Allen, "and that's why I think I got ???em; but I was really lucky. I just like those 6/0 Mustad 91450 hooks; they're cheap, and they're strong."

Allen's feat one-upped another unlikely feat. Earlier the same day, Jim Kirk of Los Alamitos (no relation to the former starship commander) took three ???skins on bait and monofilament line. He had no idea of how he'd done the feat, but he was more than happy with the results.

Another good fisherman who's been out with Accurate before was Peter Corselli of Whittier, who fished hard and well, bagging numerous wahoo and plenty of small fish for release at the Hurricane. At Clarion Island he mustered two yellowfin over 200 pounds. Beth Smith of San Diego was also aboard. She has several big tuna to her credit, including a bluefin of over 200 pounds.

Sims was cheered by the results at the scales, however, as he weighed nine fish over 200 pounds.

Chak Chow's giant yellowfin stretched the certified scales to 310.8 pounds. He got the first place award. The Singapore angler got his monster tuna with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw ringed circle hook, tied to 100-pound P-Line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He fished with an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 M rod after a two-hour fight.

Alvin Lim, Singapore pro shop owner, took second place for a 282.4-pound yellowfin. He bagged it after an hour-long battle. It took a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, and he also used 100-pound P-Line, 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on an Accurate 50 W reel, with a 760 H rod he wrapped himself.

Hot stick Peter Corselli had two cows, at 202.6 and 243.4 pounds. He won third place for that one. Corselli pumps iron for exercise, and it showed on the time for his tuna: 30 minutes, and twice around the boat, thank you. Pete also won a couple of prizes, including an Accurate Boss 665 reel along the way, by catching the first or the largest of several species, in the "Daily Double" challenges posted by Accurate's jack Nilsen.

Corselli fished sardines with a 4/0 ringed Super Mutu hook on 130-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Beth Smith of San Diego pulled in a 242.8-pound tuna with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. She used Gary Teraoka's outfit: 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XH rod built by Yo's.

Ted Crane of Costa Mesa weighed his first cow, a sleek 225.8-pounder; the fish that required four outfits to bring to bay.

"It was two hours and ten minutes," Ted said of the time. "We had two miles of line out."

Crane fished a sardine on a 9/0 Mustad circle hook, tied to 130-pound P-Line and 130-pound Izor Spectra on a Tiagra 30 W reel, with a Shimano Talus six-foot, six-inch rod.

Allen Lemberg of San Diego had two cows and a four-wahoo-on-mono day. His first cow went 204.4 pounds and ate a sardine on an 8/0 Gorilla hook, tied to 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Line One Spectra backing. He used a Beastmaster reel and a Seeker 6465 XXH rod, and got that one in an hour.

Lemberg's second cow came on the kite with a flying fish bait, with the boat's kite rig: an Eagle Claw 10/0 hook, 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Trilene line, an Accurate 50 W reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

FishingVideos.com sponsors put up about $3,000 worth of prizes for Qualifier anglers. Patrick Kemp, a Scotia logger, won the Seeker 6465 XH rod offered by company president Joe Pfister. Each angler won a drawing prize of jigs or line or fishing pliers put up by Mustad, Salas, Tady, Catchy, Fish Trap and Sumo Tackle. Every angler also got a goodie bag packed with jigs (including Zucker's trolling lures and a big Salas Super 6 iron), Mustad hooks, line and a six-pack of Flexx-Rap finger tape, among other items. Each angler got a new Accurate Boss 270-C reel from Qualifier owner John Klein

Virtually every angler had several shots at hooking a big tuna on the trip. Only one angler didn't get one over 100 pounds, and he refused any hand-offs. Most of us, including myself, got to experience what it feels like to hook a cow yellowfin, and how it feels to hang on as it departs, muy rapido, for pastures elsewhere. None of us will forget that.

For a longer version of this story and many more photos, go to www.fishingvideos.com/news.htm.