Another huge tuna raises the bar early, but it's probably not a record
The third tuna over 300 pounds to be weighed in during the last week was the biggest so far and has a good chance to be the biggest of the current season, as young as it is, because Greg Koonce's 379.8-pound pound taken aboard the Polaris Supreme on Lon Mikkelsen's Ocean Tackle Research charter is one of the 10 biggest tuna ever caught aboard the San Diego long range fleet.

In fact it's 3 pounds bigger the Corkey Yokoe's 130-pound IGFA line class record set aboard the Royal Polaris, but early reports of the catch seem to doom the chances of Koonce's tuna being granted record status, as the fish was essentially free gaffed at the very end of the battle. IGFA rules require a fish still be attached to a lure or hook when it is captured. More on that farther down.

Dock report Bill Roecker said Koonce doesn't care anyway and was just stoked to have caught the monster fish, winning the jackpot money for his friend and fellow Hood River, OR resident Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen put in for Koonce and will reap the rewards, along with second place money for his 294-pound yellowfin.

"It happened in the morning," Koonce told Roecker, "after I'd been out on the kite for what seemed like 20 minutes or so with a double sardine outfit. The fish boiled on the baits, and we all saw his tail, so we knew he was big.

"He made one long run away from the boat, and we went around the boat three times, and then he settled down on the bow. I wasn't moving him much, so we locked down the drags on my reel and then he started coming up. I was using my OTR standup harness, and in another 30 minutes or so we got him to color, when it got exciting. I'd like to credit deckhand Mark Clark for his help. I've been fishing for 20 years."

What happened at the end and why the fish won't qualify for a record was posted on the Polaris Supreme website by crewman Richard Elias:

"Greg Koonce's turn on the kite didn't last too long as a hole was left in the ocean by the fish that erupted on his kite baits and the battle ensued. Greg is an excellent fisherman and did everything by the book to achieve deep color on his fish. His fish was one of the more cooperative fish in recent memory as its circles were just perfect coming up on the bow of the boat. Everything was fine as the fish was just a few feet away from gaff and then, it happened.

"Just when we thought it was all good, a Guadalupe Fur Seal swam by to get a closer look at an animal four times it size and the tuna spooked, took off with a burst of speed right around the anchor line. Just like that, in a matter of two seconds, the fish was wrapped in the anchor line and to make matters worse, the second hook for the double sardine rig caught the anchor line and the weight of the fish pulling on a stationary object broke the hook in the fish's mouth.

"No more hook and line attached to the fish and our hearts and the fish were beginning to sink. The fish was just out of gaff range in front of the anchor line, diving out of sight, and as all crew members attempted to gaff the fish, not one crew member on deck were able to sink a gaff in the fish...except for one. Galley assistant/deckhand/roving patrolman/waste management supervisor/all around nice guy and super-human Mark Clark was up on the cathead, and reached with all his might, hands on the butt end of the gaff, fully extended and on his knees on the cathead, managed to grab onto its tail.

"Now, if this fish would've made one kick with his tail and dove out, Mark would've joined him in the water. By the grace of the fish gods, Mark was able to pull the fish up, tail first, and four other crewmembers sunk their hooks in this beast. The fish finally made it on board after a struggle to get over the rail and the beast was taped out at 347 pounds.

"We did many tape jobs on this fish to get the perfect measurements and bottom line, fish of 300 pounds can fluctuate 20 pounds either way, so the weight of Greg's fish will be truly told on Thursday when we arrive back in San Diego and we hang his fish on the scales at Fisherman's Landing. Congratulations to Greg and I think he owes Mark a drink when we get back in, at the least."

Roecker reported that Greg Koonce fished his sardines on Mustad 7691 7/0 hooks, on one of the boat's kite rigs. Those rigs accounted for most of the nine cows caught on the trip, and consisted of the Mustad hooks, a short length of 200-pound P-Line leader tied to 100-pound P-Line mono and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on Tiagra 50 W reels, along with Calstar 6460 XXH rods. Koonce had a 199.4-pounder as well as the trip's whopper.

Chartermaster Mikkelsen of OTR got his 294-pounder on the kite with his own rig: 7/0 Mustad 7691 hooks, 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon, 100-pound P-Line and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Lamiglass five and a half-foot rod.

John Essler of Portland, OR took a 279.9-pound tuna with a mackerel on an 8/0 ringed Gorilla hook tied to 130-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid line and 100-pound Line One Spectra on an Avet EX 30 reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod. Jim Zeder of Pomona caught a 248-pounder with a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook, 100-pound P-Line, 130-pound Izor Spectra, a Tiagra 50 reel and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod. Craig Heberer of Oceanside took a 232.6-pound tuna, his best ever and his first cow, on one the boat rigs. Lt. Commander Jonathan Musman (his USCG cutter is the Victory, out of Homer, AK) bagged a 227.8-pounder on the kite with a boat rig. It took about 20 minutes, he said, and was his best fish so far. Matt Kiesse of Cedarville brought in a 225.4-pounder with a boat rig, after it scuffled with him for an hour and a half. Clint Campbell of Bozeman, MT suckered a 220.67-pound yellowfin tuna with a sardine on a 6/0 ringed Super Mutu hook from Owner. He said he used a boat rig. Ben Meyer of Vancouver, WA took a 219.6-pound tuna with the double sardine kite rig. He said the fight lasted 40 minutes.

PHOTO CAPTION LON MIKKELSEN AND GREG KOONCE WITH THE 379.8-POUND TUNA weighed in today at Fisherman's Landing. PHOTO COURTESY BILL ROECKER