Wahoo were so thick on the Hurricane Bank that they became pests to the anglers trying for big tuna, said the crew and 22 fishermen aboard the Excel's 17-day Ralph Mikkelsen trip. They bit all day long, and snipped off the leaders meant for yellowfin tuna. Summer tuna were spotted on the way home, offering promise of some good fishing to come for the short trips beginning soon. Eight cows came home with the anglers. "Tuna fishing on the bank was unique," said skipper Justin Fleck to dock reporter Bill Roecker at Pt. Loma Sportfishing May 5. He offloaded his catch there, a process that took a couple of hours, since the Excel's holds were full of tuna and wahoo, with a few large yellowtail from Alijos Rocks, visited on the way home. "The tuna were night fish," continued Fleck, "and the wahoo were prevalent during the day. We had no wind or sharks until the last day. The water was 76 degrees."

Fleck said he looked for fish on the way home with some success. He saw plenty of yellowtail on the kelp floating offshore, even this early in the season.

"It's a good setup down there about 280 miles," remarked Justin. "It looks like it did last year, with albacore and bluefin in the area." "The Hurricane Bank was too good to leave," said one angler. "We got wahoo on everything you can think of. I got one on a popper!" Mike Holliday of Placitas, NM won first place for the trip's best fish, a 246-pounder.

"It's my best fish ever," he said. "It stayed up on the surface most of the time, with its sickles out of the water."

Mike said he baited a flying fish on a 20/0 Mustad circle hook under the kite. He used 130-pound Izorline on a Penn 50 W reel and a Baja Boomer rod to take the fish in an hour.

Skipper Fleck mustered in a big tuna in the dark, which he gave to angler Pat Gallagher. Had it been eligible it would have taken second place. It weighed in the 240's when it was caught. Allan Goldman of Toronto won second place for a 224-pounder, his first cow. He said it took him around the boat once and around the anchor four times. He said he got it with a flyer under the kite on a 20/0 Mustad circle hook. He used 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 130-pound Spectra on an 80 W Penn reel and a Calstar CT 555 XXXH rod to take his prize in 45 minutes.

Marc Monforte of Fullerton won third place for a 223-pounder, and also caught a 201-pound tuna. He said the big one came on a skipjack and a 16/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 125-pound Ande line. He fished with a Penn 80 W reel modified by Cal Sheets and got the fish in 35 minutes. "He came over green, still splashing," said Marc. I got a lot of 'hoos' on bombs, with chrome heads and multi-colored skirts."

Wayne Newman of Saugus bagged a 219-pounder with a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook. It was his first trip and his first tuna, and it fought for an hour and a half, taking him around the boat four times. He said he used 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets, on a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Larry Hengsteler of Buckeye, AZ caught a 214-pound tuna on a mackerel and a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 130-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 100-pound blue Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod.

John VanDeventer of Canyon Country took a 202-pound tuna with a mackerel on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook tied to 100-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Sheets-treated Penn 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. "It took about 45 minutes," said John. "Those night fish were crazy around the boat on the last night because of the sharks."