Andy Cates took his 24 Red Rooster III anglers on a long 14-day trip to the Hurricane Bank for the first such adventure of the season, and as he has the several past years, opened it up with a good catch of tuna over 200 pounds. There were 12 cows, according to his notes at the scales October 28.

"They bit good the whole time! We released as many fish as we kept on the boat," he told me. "The water was 80 degrees with no sharks around. The best baits were sardines and Spanish mackerel (we picked up a box of mackerel on the way down), and fishing on the kite was good.

"The weather was so good we called it ???Calendar Days.' We got the big fish mostly on two days, and one day they put on a great show all over the bank. The fish averaged 130 to 190 pounds."

Three of Cates' log entries were of interest. The first was dated October 20: "Yesterday was another good day with seven fish over 200 pounds and good action on the 140 to 180-pound fish. We were selective yesterday and looking to stretch out at least two more days of fishing, at this rate, probably three more. Today there was less sign of the bigger fish, with just one fish over 200 but still plenty of action on the mid grade fish. We made a tour of the bank today and only had one jig strike so hopefully some wahoo move in by the end of the trip.

On October 22, he wrote: "Yesterday was another great day down here. We trolled up 22 wahoo in the morning, and were pleased to see a little bit moved in to the bank. The afternoon was one of those classic days. Things don't come together like that very often but when they do it is truly enjoyable. Perfect weather, nice downhill current and 140 to 190-pound fish jumping and boiling as far as you could see. We got one fish in the 200-pound class but plenty of action. It was one of those days to mark down on the calendar."

The following day skipper Cates wrote: "We finished off yesterday afternoon with one more fish over 200 pounds and another 10 fish from 175 to 198 pounds. We trolled around and picked up a few wahoo and with no room left for tuna we decided to head up and fish offshore in hopes of wahoo on kelps. Once again the weather was great and another classic day at the Bank. If you are looking for a trip to get in on this epic fishing we have another extended day trip leaving the day after Thanksgiving that does have spots available."

John Loftus of Irvine won first place with a 271.5-pound tuna. "I got it on a squid with the kite," he said.

Loftus used a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook, 130-pound Maxima line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 70 VS reel and a Calstar 755 XXH rod by M&M.

Bob "Scrappy" Michener of Oxnard won second place for a 263.7-pounder he caught with a squid on a balloon. He used a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Accurate 80 W reel and a Calstar 760H rod. Bob also had a 217-pound yellowfin.

Art Caballero of Temple City took third place for a 228-pounder. He said he used a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu ringed hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra backing on a Penn 50 T reel modified by Cal Sheets, and a Calstar 760 H rod.

Dennis Bidigare of Oscoda, MI caught a 223.9-pound tuna with a sardine on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod.

Ron Haro of Huntington Beach got a brace of cows at 210.8 and 216.7 pounds. He baited sardines on 9/0 Gorilla hooks. He said he used 130-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Power Pro Spectra on a Penn 50 VSW reel and a Calstar 6455 XXXH rod.

Al Jackson of Buena Park only needed 40 minutes to beat a 216.4-pounder that took a squid on the kite. The "Squish" was pinned to a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izor Spectra.

John Wichmann of Oceanside finished with a 209 and a 201-pound tuna. He got those with sardines, he said. He used 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hooks, 130-pound Soft Steel line and 130-pound Spectra on an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 7465 XXH rod wrapped for him by Ken's Custom Reels of Oceanside.

Bob Peters of Medford, OR used a sardine on an 8/0 Mustad hook to take a 208.7-pounder. He fished with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 reel and a six-foot unknown brand rod.

Larry Martin of Dayton NV bagged a 203.2-pounder with a mackerel on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook tied to 130-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

The trip's oddest fish was likely the 35-pound bigeye tuna that bit on a sardine offered by Ralph Cox of Placentia.

Chef Jorge Nicifore visited the event, where he was affectionately greeted by his many friends. John Loftus and Larry Martin conducted a raffle aboard the boat during the trip that raised $3,000 for Jorge's ongoing medical bills. To help with the effort, viewers can go to the Rooster's web site and click on the line "Jorge Nicifore Fund."

The cows brought home by Cates and the Rooster are the first of the new big fish season, and the 271.5-pounder taken by John Loftus will stand as the season's best, until it's beaten.