Amanda Bennett of Arlington, TN made her first-ever long range trip with her dad aboard the American Angler with skipper Sam Patella, and outfished most of the boys, coming up with the third-place yellowtail on the seven-day trip. Her dad told dock reporter Bill Roecker that Amanda is 16 and a class valedictorian who'll get a scholarship ride to college, where she plans to study nuclear engineering. "She was up in the wheelhouse, learning how to read the instruments," said the senior Bennett. "You've cost me thousands of dollars," he kidded Roecker. "Yeah, but look at all the money you saved with those scholarships," I replied.

The trip with 22 anglers was the annual Uesugi/Kimura charter, and took a quick look at Alijos Rocks before coming up to the top of The Ridge and the current tuna grounds about 150 miles south of San Diego. They made a good catch of yellowtail and yellowfin tuna, with a few dorado and other fish included.

Barrett Johnson of Folsom won first place jackpot for a 30.8-pound yellowtail, a fish we bagged with a Catchy Tackle Sea Strike 33 jig in guacamole color. He said he fished with 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon and 50-pound Line One spectra on an Avet HX reel and a Calstar 765 ML rod.

Russ Fujizawa of Gardena won second place for a 30-pound 'tail. Amanda's yellowtail weighed 28.6 pounds. "It was my first time for everything," she said, with a wide grin.