Trip Reports

Art Taylor brought his Searcher home to Fisherman’s Landing August 21 after a fine five-day trip with 21 anglers.

“We had an excellent day at the South End of Cedros Island,” Art told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “on 15 to 20-pound yellowtail. Most came on bait, but they bit on the yoyo and the surface iron, too. Then we fished offshore for three days and had very good tuna fishing. About 75 percent of them were yellowfin and the rest bluefin. The yellowfin averaged about 18 pounds.

“We got ‘em on sonar marks, meter marks, blind jig strikes and jig strikes when we were heading toward a spotted school. Our best trolling jigs were blue and white Zucker’s with some pink color, and the Braid Speedster. We ended up with near-limits by fishing on a 30-mile spread of tuna. We saw no seiners.”

Harold Guy of Winnnetka won first place for a 22.8-pound yellowfin tuna. He said he got it with a sardine on a 2/0 Owner Flyliner hook tied to 25-pound fluorocarbon, 30-pound Izorline and 60-pound Line One spectra on an Avet JX reel and a seven-foot Sabre rod.

Jeff Nagel of Laguna Niguel won second and third spots for his yellowfin of 22.6 and 22.2 pounds.

Captains Art Taylor and Aaron Remy
(619) 226-2403 – Fisherman’s Landing

Uranga Memorial Gets Rare Albacore

The first memorial trip for recently deceased Dick Uranga, who was also known to his many friends as “Captain Potatohead,” was aboard the Searcher, a three-day trip that arrived at Fisherman’s Landing August 16 with 28 passengers. It was skippered by owner-operator Art Taylor.

Three albacore were caught at one stop, noted second skipper Aaron Remy. Two of the fish came on bait and one on a trolled Zucker jig in Mexican Flag pattern. One of the baitfish was handed off to Anthony Yumori of Culver City, by Loren Rowton of Durango, CO. Later Rowton traded a bluefin to Yumori for the longfin. They posed with the albie, a rarity this season, on the dock.

Derek Taguchi of Orange won first place for a 44-pound bluefin tuna. He said he took it with a sardine on a 2/0 Owner Flyliner hook on 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon. He fished with 65-pound Power Pro spectra on a Talica 10 reel and a Seeker Hercules 70 M rod.

Bob Bayus of Azusa won second place for a 42.2-pound tuna, and Jim Arens of Bayfield, CO won third place for a 42-pound bluefin tuna.

Captains Art Taylor and Aaron Remy
(619) 226-2403 – Fisherman’s Landing

Aaron Remy docked Art Taylor’s Searcher at Fisherman’s Landing August 13 after a four-day trip with 16 anglers and chartermaster Dennis Braid. His anglers caught yellowtail and also got into the bluefin bite some 140 miles south.

Bill Parker of Chula Vista won first place for a 23.8-pound yellow that bit on sardine and a 3/0 Mustad 91450 hook. He said he used Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon, 65-pound spectra, a TLD 20 reel and a Seeker 6460 rod.

Jeremy Bart of San Clemente tied for second place with a 23.6-pound yellowtail, and Tim Farmer of Bakersfield tied for second and won third place with fish of 23.6 and 23.2 pounds.

Captains Art Taylor and Aaron Remy
(619) 226-2403 – Fisherman’s Landing

Chartermasters Wendy Tochihara of Izorline and Matt Towner of Bass Pro Shops fished aboard Searcher with owner-skipper Art Taylor and arrived at the Fisherman’s Landing dock August 3. There were 18 anglers aboard and they got a mixed catch of tuna and yellowtail up to 80 pounds.
“There was no tax man at the island this time,” said Towner. “We didn’t see any sharks.”

Lloyd Doyle of Long Beach won first and second places for yellowfin tuna of 79.8 and 78 pounds, and was assisted in displaying them by skipper Taylor.

“Pink was the word,” said Doyle. “I got five nice big tuna with 50-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon leader. The big one took about 20 minutes to land.”

He told dock reporter Bill Roecker he fished with 4/0 Owner Mutu ringed hooks, 50-pound Izorline and 80-pound Line One spectra on an Okuma Makiri 15 reel.
Howard Pukini of La Mirada won third place for a 77.4-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin tuna.