Fishing / Dan Stanton : Big Tuna Hooked Too Late to Catch the $40,000 Prize

Hooked on game-fishing contests, Alex Gonzalez of San Pedro has been entering tuna and marlin tournaments for three years in Kona, Hawaii.

Gonzalez, 23, just returned from one week at Kona in a marlin and tuna two-division event.

The first tournament was for yellowfin tuna with awards worth $40,000. Gonzalez boarded the charter boat Adobe using 80-pound test line and was trolling for two hours before a fish was found. He hooked up with a big tuna that peeled his heavy line.

It was a standoff. He said the fish wouldn’t budge. It would take reeled-in line, then take some back. After four more hours, still in the fight, the fish tired. Everything was working fine and as Gonzalez brought it in he had a good look at the tuna, as did other boats observing Gonzalez’s battle. Then, 30 feet from the boat, the fish broke off.

It may have been a record, with an estimated weight of 1,000 pounds.

The next morning, after the tournament and two days before the marlin contest, Gonzalez went out one mile from the harbor and on a first cast hooked a tuna. As luck would have it, he said, this 220-pounder would have been worth $40,000 if landed the day before. Nobody had caught a fish in the tuna tourney.

In the marlin tournament he landed a 222-pound blue marlin. But he was shut out as the three winning catches weighed in at 682, 662 and 591.

Gonzalez said he has had tough breaks in previous tournaments. Early this year in the Kona Gold Tournament his timing was again a day off: He landed a 595-pound, 5-ounce blue marlin the day before the tournament.

Gonzalez is preparing to return to Kona for another marlin tourney in October in which he finally hopes to land a trophy fish.

“I’m in the sport of big-game fishing challenges,” he said. “Nothing excites me more than having a big fish at the end of my line.”

Though he hasn’t had a prize winner, Gonzalez’s fishing trips this year have totaled nine marlin and one tuna.

Marlin fishing close to home has broken wide open as boats have stormed the waters from Catalina Island to the 14-mile bank.

Fishing Monday, the private boat Brandy Wine followed several jumping marlin. Dale Rudzik of Long Beach, using 30-pound test line, leaned back in his marlin chair and jig-hooked a jumper. After 32 minutes it was brought aboard.

Taken to Avalon to be officially weighed, the marlin went 142 1/2 pounds.

More than 30 fish have been weighed in since the marlin run started last week.

South Bay Catches:

Jason Hays of San Pedro, fishing aboard the New Shogun at San Clemente Island, caught a limit of calico bass, then tossed a squid-baited jig to catch the whopper of the week--a 49 3/4-pound white sea bass.

Paul Nakasuka of Santa Monica, aboard the Toronado, won the jackpot with his 18-pound yellowtail.

Mike Fernado of Redondo Beach, fishing aboard the Sea Spray, caught a 19-pound halibut.

Sonny Bennet of Venice, fishing from his skiff and drifting toward the Santa Monica Pier, hooked a halibut with a live herring. It weighed in at 15 pounds.

Fish Reports:

There was an increase in yellowtail catches last week at the rigs.

San Clemente Island is the hot spot for calico bass and heavy yellowtail action.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Spitfire anglers fishing the bay connected for 120 sand bass, 50 sculpin, 10 bonito and 5 sculpin.

The Happyman on two half-day trips racked up 455 bonito, 205 sand bass, 11 barracuda and seven calico bass.

The Betty O rock cod special worked shallow rocks and anglers returned with 224 rock cod and one cow cod.

At Redondo Sportfishing: The Sea Spray tried Rocky Point and chalked up 241 bonito, 74 sand bass and 31 trigger fish.

The Redondo Special anglers on a half-day trip to Rocky Point sacked 250 bonito, 23 sand bass and five barracuda.

The City of Redondo half-day run to Twin Roads resulted in a catch of 86 bonito, 50 sand bass and 20 rockfish.

The barge Isle of Redondo anglers sacked 380 mackerel, 178 bonito and five barracuda.

At 22nd Street Landing: The First String worked Catalina Island for 152 bonito, 118 sheepshead, 72 calico bass, 12 barracuda and seven whitefish.

The Monte Carlo headed to Catalina and anglers sacked 212 bonito, 71 barracuda and 18 calico bass.

The Indian tried San Clemente Island and anglers landed 143 calico bass and two yellowtail.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Sportking went to the outside rigs and anglers caught 165 barracuda and 70 sand bass.

The Shogun targeted San Clemente Island and returned with 246 calico bass, 18 sheepshead, four yellowtail and one white sea bass.

Anglers on the Matt Walsh half-day trip to Horseshoe Kelp caught 85 sand bass, 18 barracuda and 11 calico bass.

The Outerlimits fished Cortez Bank on a day-and-a-half trip and found bluefin tuna, which refused bait. Only one 18-pounder was caught.

At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory trip to Rocky Point found the bonito eager to grab the bait; 301 went into the sacks plus 163 sand bass.

The Chieftain took a trip to Catalina and anglers hooked 93 barracuda, 51 calico bass and 23 bonito.

The Toronado headed to Catalina and anglers sacked 136 barracuda, 54 calico bass and one halibut.

The Southern Cal twilight trip resulted in a catch of 123 sand bass and 21 barracuda.

Freshwater Report:

John Estrada of Wilmington, using mackerel for bait, caught five catfish that totaled 18 1/2 pounds.

Bob Orking of Long Beach landed a 15 1/2-pound catfish at Santa Ana Lake with cut mackerel.

John Rowe of Hermosa Beach used power bait at Anaheim Lake and landed a five-fish limit of catfish.