FISHING NOTES / Dan Stanton : Frustrated Angler Goes Deep to Hook His Surface Fish

It wasn’t a typical three-day tuna fishing trip for Charlie Floven of Long Beach, aboard the El Dorado from Long Beach Sportfishing.

On the first day out, steady catches of small albacore were being taken on jig stops. Floven failed to land one while trolling.

On the second day, the El Dorado started kelp-hopping stops for yellowtail.

At every stop the crew kept busy gaffing albacore catches. Floven kept getting hits but was not able to bring a longfin aboard.

Not one to give up, he changed his tactics.

Floven put an 80-pound test line on his rod and tied a treble hook with an eight-ounce sinker.

“I’m going to try something that is not conventional for surface fishing. I am not about to get skunked on this trip,” Floven told the crew.

Down toward the bottom, he let his line out with a small whitefish for bait, and within minutes was hooked up with a yellowtail. He was following his fish and reeling at the same time when suddenly his reel handle failed to turn.

“This is one that could be the jackpot and he’s not going to get away,” said Floven. As the rod bent, he started to hand line the heavy fish to the surface and the waiting gaff.

It was indeed a jackpot contender, but Floven lost out by one pound to a 26-pound yellowtail caught by Paul Bentacy of San Pedro.

Kelley Wall of Carson returned Monday from a five-day albacore trip to San Benitos Island off Mexico and said it was the most fabulous trip he had ever been on.

Wall caught 15 yellowfin tuna and 15 yellowtail and won the jackpot with a 33-pound yellowtail. He caught three albacore but released the small one.

The sixth annual Dave Freeman Fire Department Burn Foundation derby saw 56 anglers fishing for cash awards.

First place with a six-pound bonito went to Mark Young, who got a cash award of $361. Second spot, worth $217, went to Don Sutton and third, for $73, to Bob Olsen. All three winners were from Wilmington Fire House 49.

The big winner of the derby was the burn fund, which received most of the proceeds from the derby.

Another International Game Fish Assn. record is pending.

Redondo Beach angler Nick Curcione, fishing with a small fly rod and eight-pound test line, caught a 10-pound, 5-ounce skipjack while fishing for albacore aboard the Searcher. It has been officially weighed and registered with the IGFA.

Carrie Friedman of Redondo Beach was also aboard the Searcher and won the trip’s top lady angler award when she decked nine albacore and seven skipjack.

The Catalina Island Gold Cup Marlin Tournament will take place Monday and Tuesday with 110 boats signed up to compete. First place is worth $40,000.

Prospects are good as 204 marlin have been weighed in at Avalon so far this year.