FISHING / DAN STANTON : Angler Back From Baja With Possible Record Pinto Bass

A possible world record pinto bass was caught by Gardena fisherman Barry Morita during a recent trip to Cedros Island off Baja California.

After catching several yellowfin tuna fishing aboard the American Angler, he changed gear and used a chrome lure that he sent down 200 feet to the bottom. Then he got a strike.

Morita fought the fish for 10 minutes before getting it to the surface. The fish weighed 49 pounds, 2 ounces, a possible International Game Fish record. Pinto bass in Baja waters often reach 25 pounds.

Morita said he went back to catching tuna and hooked a fish that took an hour and a half to haul in.

As he was fighting the tuna and moving it away from other anglers’ lines, the fish wrapped around the anchor rope. With help from the deckhand, it was unwrapped and moved out, spooling all Morita’s 200 yards of line.

But Morita said it felt as if he were reeling in dead weight--all the fight was gone. That was exactly the case: the 65-pound yellowfin tuna had Morita’s line attached to its tail and his dragging it in tail-first killed the fish.

Morita is having his prize bass mounted and it is scheduled to be on display at the Fred Hall Fishing Show at Long Beach Convention Center at the end of February.

His total catch for the trip was 12 yellowfin tuna, 17 dorado and the bass.

Also on the trip, Torrance fisherman Don Kojima caught a 242-pound yellowfin tuna.

Two King Harbor Marlin Club members returned from Cabo San Lucas aboard their boat Legacy with big catches.

Bob Nagata, using 20-pound test line, boated a 49-pound wahoo. Steve Magruder caught a 30-pound white sea bass.