Now that big fish season is off and running, anglers have been waiting for the next really big tuna to come into the San Diego docks. Sam Patella brought his American Angler home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing November 9 with six cows, including a true whopper of a yellowfin, after an 11-day foray with 21 anglers into deep southern waters off Baja. Patella had commented that bites were hard to get, but when you got one, it was likely to be a very large tuna.

So it was for Jeff Bracey of Newport Beach, pictured above who earned his 353-pound tuna the hard way, long after it bit. Bracey, a Mercedes restoration mechanic in Costa Mesa since 1977, fought the beast for over 45 minutes, and then the tuna died and sank to the bottom of a "high spot" over 300 feet deep. Jeff had to crank that baby all the way up. "It was a good thing I wasn't using 100-pound gear," he commented to dock reporter Bill Roecker, "or I would never have been able to get him up.

"This is my second jackpot on the rod. He went in and out, in and out, and then he got wrapped on the anchor, and then he died. My best tuna before this one was 217 pounds. This was the best boat trip ever for me." Bracey fished a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Owner Super Mutu hook and 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon. He used 130-pound Line One spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod custom-wrapped by Glenn's Tackle. "I can walk to work in Costa Mesa," said Bracey. "I specialize in gull-wing Mercedes, and the oldest one I've rebuilt was a 1954 300 SL."

Jay Murray of Manteca won second place for a 239-pounder he caught with a sardine on a 4/0 Super Mutu and 90-pound Momoi. He employed 130-pound Kanzen (Seaguar) spectra on a Penn 30 W reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXH rod. "It was an hour and ten-minute fight," he said. "And my biggest tuna by a long shot. My previous best fish was a 111-pounder."

John Edwards of Oxnard won third place for a 223-pound tuna. He got the fish with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu on 100-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound unknown spectra. He fished with a Cal Sheets-treated Penn 30 and a Seeker 655 XXH rod.

Rob Olson of Tacoma, WA kite-caught a 253-pound tuna with a double trouble sardine rig. He said his outfit made use of 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One spectra on a Penn 50 VSX reel and a Super Seeker 2 X 4 rod wrapped by M&M.

Dave Stoltz of Camarillo bagged a 226-pound tuna with the boat's kite rig.

Mike Hogan of Friday Harbor, WA found a 202-pounder with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Seaguar Premier fluorocarbon and 130-pound Izorline spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6460 XXXH rod.