Realtor “Turbo” Bob Ryan of Laguna Niguel has won his third straight jackpot and second sweep of the top two spots aboard the Royal Star on the 12-day 23-passenger open trip operated by co-owner Randy Toussaint that returned to Fisherman’s Landing Dec. 7. There were seven cows total, and Ryan’s pair weighed 234 and 217 pounds. All fish were weighed aboard the boat when they were caught.

“He was a nasty fish in the dark,” commented Turbo, who said he baited sardines on 4/0 Owner Super Mutu hooks. He used 80-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 80-pound Izorline with 130-pound Izorline spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod. He added that the bigger fish fought for an hour.

Jeff Cox of Westchester won third place for a 202-pound tuna. He nabbed it with a salami mackerel on a Mustad 7691 10/0 hook, 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod.

“Rock Cod” Rick Maxa of San Clemente, a Fisherman’s Landing counterman and host on Pete Gray’s Let’s Talk Hookup got his first cow, a 212.5-pounder, on a salami and a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He said he used 130-pound Big Game line, 130-pound Power Pro spectra, a Tiagra 50 W reel and a Calstar 760 XH rod, and did the job in just 20 minutes.

Ron Dargo of San Diego, a former Fisherman’s counterman, bagged a 214 pounder with a double sardine rig under the kite. He said he used 9/0 Eagle Claw hooks, 130-pound Izorline spectra, a Penn 80 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod on his first cow.

Eric Erickson of San Diego caught a 205-pound tuna with a sardine. It was his first cow, and he bagged it with one of the boat’s loaner outfits.

Doug Taylor of Oak Park slipped in the Cow Club with a 100-pounder. He said it ate a sardine on an 8/0 Mustad Demon circle 4X hook on 100-pound pink Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra. He used an Accurate ATD 30 reel and a Phenix 700 XXXH rod. The fish came to the boat after an hour-long fight.

Anglers returning from a 12-day trip aboard the Royal Star. Pictured, left to right, co-owner of the Royal Star Randy Toussaint, “Turbo” Bob Ryan and “Rock Cod” Rick Maxa, host on Pete Gray’s Let’s Talk Hookup.

'Tuna Down Here Went Crazy'

Justin Fleck checked from the Excel, "It is Sunday morning and we are still down here in the lower zone. Yesterday we had a huge day. It started out slow in the morning a couple of handfuls of fish that ranged from 150 to 238 pounds. A couple of guys had cows yesterday in the morning, and something switched in the afternoon and these tuna went crazy biting everything we threw at them. At one point in the afternoon we had over 50 of them, 100 to 200 pounders. We had to shut people down to rearrange some fish. But we are all good, fishing is excellent down here, weather is nice. The guys are still doing good.?"We are going to give it one more day, Sunday will be our last day down here. We are going to fill up today and move up the line to do a little bit of fishing on the way home.

Indy Trip Story

The report from Independence Dec. 7 included a recounting: “We arrived at the grounds, and right away we got busy, and down to business. Every day was action packed, as things would get going before daybreak, and end into the night. The first three days were the real stand outs, as we were filling up fast, and then the last four days were more civil, 30 to 40 fish a day. There were shots at big ones every day, and we made the most of every chance, with possibly 14 cows up to maybe 277 pounds. The rest of the fish is a beautiful grade, 125 to 195 pounds, with a few bigger, and a few smaller. All methods worked, as there was something for everyone, chunk, sardine, “man bait,” (skipjack), jigs, you name it; at the right time it worked. We are headed up the line now, most recovering from the battles with these brutes, and some anglers are watching movies, some comparing stories from the trip. The crew and myself are resting, preparing for another voyage when we unload this catch on Saturday.”