| The day before the ILTT Geoff, Harry Okuda and I pre-fished
around the islands and picked off 2 fish
just north of Pukey Point (north
end of North Coronado Island). In the report all we said was: "North
Island."
The next day, the 1st day of the I.L.T.T., the wind came up and 50
% of the boats turned around. We drove up to the top of Point Loma and all
agreed that it didn't look too bad out there - it was! At about 5 knots we
made it down to North Island, barely able to make head-way. There was
nothing where we had the two fish the day before. At about the middle of
North Island I decided to pound our way out to the 302. But leaving the
island, about a mile out - hook up on a drop back bait. Geoff fought the
fish - it was awfully small, but points never-the-less. When it got near the
boat, Harry reached out with his 3 foot arms and the 8 foot gaff, but the
fish was 12 feet away. Hooked in the stomach, it had thrown the stomach and
as Geoff gave a mighty pull the hooked ripped out carrying with it a 1"
square of gastric mucosa. For the rest of the day we went out 2 miles, back
to the island, out 2 miles and back and forth. All told we had 5 bites in
the area, probably more than the entire fleet, or what was left of it. But
another of those bites stuck and Geoffrey was able to get that one. There
were only 4 fish caught that day, none the next and they all weighed in the
123-126 pound range. Guess who had the smallest of the 4 with 3 Places
awarded in the Tournament?
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