GORDO BANKS TRIP YIELDS A 194-POUND YELLOWFIN TUNA

May 19, 2005, Bob Lewis, San Jose del Cabo fishing, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

I fished out of La Playita on Tuesday. Fishing has been scratchy at San Jose del Cabo (Los Cabos) for anything other than marlin, but we targeted tuna anyway.

We fished the inner Gordo Bank and quickly got 2 small yellowfin tuna and 1 pargo.

We kept scratching and at about 11:30 got hammered by a big one. At 1 p.m. we hauled a 194-pound yellowfin tuna tuna over the rail of the panga. The fish was caught on a Trinidad 40 narrow special using 40 lb. P-line mono, not spectra, and a 2/0 mustad hook tied straight to the line with no leader.

We were down to the spool with maybe 6 or 8 turns left 4 times and spent most of the time with virtually all the line out. My skipper was phenomenal and we would not have landed the fish without his expert boat handling.

I also caught and fought a sailfish for over 45 minutes using a tiny Avet with 17 lb. line the same day.

I fished with Captain Archie with Thomas Cantor´s group on the panga Nohemy. I have fished with Archie and his brother for many years and always try to go with him. It was just the 2 of us on the boat.

Water temp was high 70´s and seas were flat calm.

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