Women, Kids Score on Searcher by Bill Roecker
Art Taylor brought his Searcher home to Fisherman’s landing June 23 after the five-day Qualia reels trip with 22 anglers and chartermaster Kent Cremolini.
Art had some good news for San Diego anglers in regard to bluefin and possibly albacore moving up toward the border.
“We had great yellowtail fishing,” Art told dock reporter Bill Roecker, “and ended up with about two-thirds limits by drifting the South End of Cedros Island. They wanted the blue and white yoyo jigs, and stayed down near the bottom for the most part, in 60 to 90 feet.”
On the way home, Art talked with other skippers and saw fish at a couple of new distances.
“American Angler is having some good fishing at 160 to 185 miles,” noted Taylor, “and we got a half-dozen coming through there, mostly 15 to 18-pounders, but up to 40-pounders. We saw jumpers at 60 to 70 miles, too, but they weren’t biting yet. There’s lots of clean water. It looks right.”
“Froggy” Patricia Atkins of Palmer Lake, CO won first place for a 52-pound bluefin. She worked at H&M Landing from 1969 to 1974 for Ralph Miller. She said she hooked her winner on a sardine and a 2/0 Mustad 94150 hook. She used 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 40-pound Ande line on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 700 M rod.
Bill Zemba of Castaic won second place for a 34-pounder and Wilma Atkins of Santa Rosa won third place for a 33.7-pounder.
Two youngsters were also aboard, and both got bluefin. Anthony Altieri of Toluca Lake is 16, and made his first-ever fishing trip with his dad John. Tony goes to Notre Dame High, where he’s an honor student who wants to study medicine.
“It was fun,” said Anthony. “I’d do it again.”
Joey Johnston of Haliwa, HI is 13, but has fished before. He got the trip’s best bluefin, a 54.8-pounder, on a handoff from his granddad Gary Dittmar, who is related to the boat-building family.
Joey spent an hour and a half on 25-pound line fighting his big tuna. Dittmar said it took 200 yards of line, and then went up and down several times in the water column. Joey’s best fish came on his second long range trip. He goes to Kahuku High School.
