A light load of 23 anglers returned aboard the Royal Polaris with owner Frank LoPreste August 9, following a five-day trip to Cedros Island and offshore waters.

"Today our weather changed and we had a bit of wind," said the RP's report for August 7, "and then sometimes more than just a little. We spent our morning at the south end of the island, and then we moved up the lee of the island for the afternoon. We caught our daily limit of yellowtail for the passengers aboard, and some of our yellowtail were up to 35 pounds."

The scales showed John Cagle's albacore to be the best fish. The 41-pound longfin ate a sardine, said Cagle, who lives in San Luis Opisbo. He used a 4/0 hook from ringedhooks.com, 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and 50-pound Line One Spectra, a Trinidad 40 reel and a six-foot Calstar rod.

Asked for remarks, Cagle rolled his eyes skyward and said, "Thank you."

John Hastwick of Laguna beach was second, for a 37.8-pound yellowtail, and Paul Carnes of Erie, PA tied for third with Ted Foster of Placerville; both anglers had 36.6-pound yellowtail.