By Paul Lebowitz

Okuma 8-day finds fun multi-species fishing but most of all sizzling Cedros yellowtail

For a trip that would ultimately feature red-hot action, Okuma’s mid-June 8-day charter on the Royal Polaris sure started off cold. Arctic cold.

Pony-tailed long range veteran Chris Patterson had experienced the same chill during a prior trip. He pointed to a remembrance, a circular patch on the shoulder of his stylish black RP logo jacket. The legend around its circumference read “Royal Polaris Polar Bear Club.”

“This is special. Not too many guys have earned this,” Patterson said.

As a crowd gathered in expectation, crewman Billy Santiago popped open a square hatch at the center of the big boat’s wide stern.

Beneath it was slate gray water that seemed to suck the warmth right out of the surrounding air.

Nelz Vellocido stepped forward, a short, powerfully built big-wave surfer hailing from tropical Hawaii. Without any hesitation, he plunged into the tank of refrigerated saltwater, a bracing 32 degrees.

Vellocido popped out, face a momentary rictus of shock, but then he laughed and flexed his biceps as if to say that wasn’t so tough. A few other hardy souls followed his example. One was Okuma Marketing Director Ric Hawthorne. It was preordained; his company’s logo is a polar bear.    

“That was cold!” Hawthorne exclaimed afterward, underlining the obvious before proudly claiming his patch.

Hawthorne was on the trip to show off Okuma’s Catalina and Titus Gold lines of saltwater tackle.

The company has been working hard to tune them up to the highest standards. Everyone on the boat received a hat and t-shirt; throughout the trip Hawthorne raffled off samples of the company’s wide variety of fishing products including rods, reels, tackle storage systems, and comfortable logo apparel.

Those polar bear plunges were the chilliest moments of a trip that was to experience torrid yellowtail boils at far-flung Cedros Island and a fun mixed bag of fish that ultimately included grouper, albacore, halibut, Humboldt squid and more. But first energetic skipper Roy Rose pointed the nose of the comfortable sportfisher at the Uncle Sam bank to look for the tuna that had been scarce at the boat’s original destination, the Alijos rocks.  

After a long 46 hour run from San Diego Rose rolled up to the bank and stopped the boat on good marks. Moments after the first sardines hit the water, squadrons of yellowtail charged in.

Okuma pro staffer Ross Mariano stood at the rail, rocketing casts off his high-speed Catalina. Before long he’d battled a number of 25-lb yellows into submission. Rods were bent the length of the boat as anglers ground off the rust from the ride. One angler shouted in glee to see a vast school of over 50 mossbacks stalking his surface iron.

With no yellowfin or bluefin to be found at Uncle Sam, Rose left the ‘tails biting and ran overnight to Alijos, where another boat had scratched out a few tuna the prior day. His load of anglers woke to the haunting sight of a weathered ring of pinnacles rising sheer from a featureless ocean.

The breakfast plates had scarcely been cleared away when the action started. Yellowfin boiled off the corner. Rose sent the RP’s two kite rigs aloft, double sardine rigs dancing on the surface. But not for long; eruptions of water and excited shouts announced one hook up after another on the gold Okuma TG II two-speed. On deck, Christopher Loggy gritted his teeth as tired arms strained to lift a 70-lb ahi. The average? 30-lb footballs.

50 fish later the tuna were gone. “Why just sit and catch nothing?” mused Rose, ever on the hunt as he steered his boat out to 300 feet of water for a rare shot at good-eating grouper.

Rods bent double, and Rose happily prowled the rail as anglers slowly winched up big bottom fish. Dave Hutzler hefted the largest, a 51-lber. He couldn’t have smiled any wider than Okuma’s Hawthorne, who battled a personal-best yellowtail up from the depths.

The next morning only four yellowfin hit the deck, so all set their sights on Cedros where the yellowtail were on a full-on blitz. The ride over was a bumpy one. When asked if he’d managed any sleep on his bunk up in the bow, notional bull rider Scott Monroe quipped “I lasted my 8 seconds!”  

Once at Cedros the mayhem commenced immediately. Ace deckhands Jesus Companioni and Anthony Sardina patrolled the deck, sorting out the inevitable tangles and coaching anglers sweating out supercharged 30 lb and up yellows. Bait or the metal, it didn’t seem to matter as lively sardines and surface and yo-yo iron accounted for fish.

Greg Bishop and Jimmy Pruitt stood on the bow, flinging blue and white and scrambled egg irons for wide-open action. “It seemed like every time I cast out I hooked up,” Pruitt said, before adding that he fishes with a full line-up of Okuma gear. “The Titus Gold reels are incredible, smooth, a great value. They do everything.”

Rose wasn’t surprised by the tremendous yellowtail fishing. “It’s a typical springtime bite,” the skipper said of Cedros.

What was exceptional was the size, with plenty of 30 lbers landed and nothing smaller than 20. Hawaiian muscleman Vellocido accounted for the largest forkie of the trip, a 51-lb brute that he battled into submission as the sun slid into the sea. 

As a second day of fiery Cedros action wore on, the deck thinned out as anglers caught their fill. Mike Ashford claimed 100 fish, nearly all caught and released, and most on iron.

In the relaxed atmosphere, gruff-talking Chicago cop Ben Restivo perched on a folding chair, rod propped on the rail just like on the pier at home as he soaked a sardine on a dropper loop.

“I’m on vacation,” chuffed Restivo, more bark than bite as he puffed on his ubiquitous foot-long stogie.

Restivo accounted for a fair share of yellows, but never did find the halibut he longed for. That fell to Dennis Klemp, whose 20-lber was the only flatfish of the trip.

With the RP plugged full of jumbo yellowtail, Rose headed for the barn, but not before swinging outside in his constant search for fish. Miles of unproductive water slid astern, and then at about 10 am the boat crossed a temperature break. Not long afterward the shrill clicker of a trolling rod stopped the boat, setting off a short but frenzied flurry of albacore. Scott Albro, blanked on yellowfin at the rocks, beamed as he hoisted a nice longfin.

The Okuma gear was a hit with Chuck Weber, who said it was almost too easy to reel fish in using a Titus 2-speed. “It worked great on my 60-lb tuna,” Weber said.

For additional info, visit www.RoyalPolaris.com or call 619- 226-8030. To learn more about Okuma's Catalina, Titus Gold, and other saltwater products, visit www.okumafishing.com.

OKUMA FINDS HOT ACTION ON THE ROYAL POLARIS – As the bent rods attest, the mid-June Okuma 8-day charter on the Royal Polaris produced torrid yellowtail action at Cedros. The trip was rounded out by fun mixed-bag fishing all the way from the Uncle Sam Bank to the Alijos Rocks and offshore.

GOING POLAR – The newest member of the RP’s Polar Bear Club reacts to the bracing feel of 32 degree refrigerated saltwater. Moments later big wave surfer Nelz Vellocido laughed and flexed his biceps to show the trial wasn’t that tough.

ALIJOS YELLOWFIN – RP skipper Roy Rose shows off just one of Okuma pro staffer Ross Mariano’s many catches. Mariano aptly demonstrated the company’s Catalina and Titus Gold reels are capable of quickly subduing big fish.

WALL TO WALL YELLOWTAIL – The yellowtail action at Cedros was nearly non-stop. Okuma Marketing Specialist Ric Hawthorne was happy to have a Sumo Tackle Ninja fighting belt for the spirited battles.

THE KITE SCORES AGAIN – The yellowfin at Alijos Rocks only bit for half a day for the RP. A lot of those fish came on the kite, especially the bigger ones like this 70-lber landed by Christopher Loggy.

AT THE ROCKS – Anglers line the spacious stern of the RP, while in the background the isolated spires of the Alijos rise from the sea.

SUPER GROUPER – “Why not try something different?” RP skipper Roy Rose said when the tuna wouldn’t bite. Always on the hunt, he steered the boat to some likely grouper territory. Dave Hutzler (left) and Dave Loggy (right) display the tasty result.