Excel arrived at dawn to Fisherman's Landing November 20 after a wonderful 10-day trip to southern Baja with 29 fishermen. Justin Fleck skippered the trip for Carl and Mark Dorton and their Team Hoo charter. He backed the boat in as the sun was popping up, making a pretty waterfront scene. "Justin made perfect decisions," said chartermaster Mark Dorton to dock reporter Bill Roecker. "We had some remarkable dorado fishing." The wahoo fishing was perhaps even more remarkable, with about seven skins per angler, and near-limits on tuna and dorado. It appeared that all anglers were well-satisfied with the catch. "It was awesome," agreed skipper Fleck. "We had fantastic fall fishing." He said the weather was perfectly agreeable, at least until the last day, when eager yellowtail were encountered along the northern Baja coast.

"We had to leave 'em biting," remarked Fleck. A spinning outfit produced the best fish. Stephen Ruiter of Toronto, Canada won first place for his 61.6-pound wahoo. He said he fooled it with a gold Raider jig on a Basil Pappas topshot of 130-pound fluorocarbon and 100-pound Line One spectra. He said he used a Stella 2000 reel on a Black Devil 300 rod. Dean Jefferies of Paso Robles won second place for a 60.4-pound yellowfin tuna. Tony Lott of Jacksonville, FL won third place for a 58.4-pound yellowfin.