Bill Poole's Excel docked under Justin Fleck's hand June 20 after a five-day trip with 32 anglers. Fleck weighed the best of his catch (limit-style yellowtail fishing) and a few "exotics" at Fisherman's Landing, and gave out the prizes.

"This is the best grade of yellowtail I've seen," remarked Fleck at the scales. "They run a 30-pound average. We had a mixed group of anglers, with regulars and new fishermen, and they did very well."

One young angler who did very well was Mikie Hudspeth of Poway. He's 12, and goes to Meadowbrook Middle School. Mikie got his best fish ever on the dropper loop, a 31.2-pound yellow. It was almost as long as he is tall.

Jack Stone of Ventura, 15, won first place for a 37.4-pound yellowtail. He said he bagged his winner with a Tady TLC jig in blue and white, on 30-pound Maxima line a Penn 500 reel and a six and a half-foot Calstar rod of some antiquity.

"It fought for half an hour," said Jack.

Dan Ledieff of Whittier won second place for a34.6-pound yellowtail. He wasn't available for pictures.

Hugh Winesett of Las Vegas won third place for a 42.2-pound halibut, backed up with a 38.6-pound flattie.

Winesett also posed with Danny Bomba of Ventura and Paul Zylstra of Huntington Beach, for an "exotic lineup shot."

Excel's next trip is seven days, and skipper Fleck was already making plans to visit "The Stones," otherwise known as Alijos Rocks.