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A 'Rosie' Discovery
Pete Thomas, L.A. Times
12/20/02
The future of long-range fishing out of San Diego got a little brighter the last two weeks, thanks to the discovery of an uncharted bank by Capt. Roy Rose of the Royal Polaris.
Unable to fish Mexico's highly productive Revillagigedo Islands, which remain closed under new rules imposed by the government, the skippers have had to search for alternatives this season, meeting with mixed success.
Rose, during an 18-day trip that ends this morning when the vessel pulls into Fisherman's Landing, traveled first to an area above Alijos Rocks off Baja California, where his 15 passengers caught 37 wahoo and a few large tuna before nightfall.
Rose then left for Hurricane Bank, a chancy move considering the location of the seamount: 1,000 miles south of Point Loma and more than 300 miles west of Mexico.
It's a hit-or-miss spot and Rose and his group mostly missed, catching only a smattering of tuna, the largest weighing about 180 pounds.
Then Rose headed for Morgan Bank 100 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas "and found nothing," according to Frank LoPreste, the boat's owner.
"Then they went west and found a shallow area that we've never known about," LoPreste said. They struck a long-range fisherman's equivalent of gold: giant yellowfin that bit over a period of 4 1/2 days.
The fish came over the rail at an average size of 140-190 pounds, with several topping 200. All 15 passengers caught at least one fish weighing at least 180 pounds. Two tuna estimated at 300-plus pounds were lost at the rail and another that wasn't seen as closely was lost after a 3 1/2-hour fight from a skiff.
There is one catch to the discovery of "Rosie Bank." Rose isn't telling anyone where it is.
"And it's going to stay that way until [the other captains] catch him there," said LoPreste, whose next trip, to Clipperton Island by way of Rosie Bank, starts Jan. 1.
Pete Thomas, L.A. Times
12/20/02
The future of long-range fishing out of San Diego got a little brighter the last two weeks, thanks to the discovery of an uncharted bank by Capt. Roy Rose of the Royal Polaris.
Unable to fish Mexico's highly productive Revillagigedo Islands, which remain closed under new rules imposed by the government, the skippers have had to search for alternatives this season, meeting with mixed success.
Rose, during an 18-day trip that ends this morning when the vessel pulls into Fisherman's Landing, traveled first to an area above Alijos Rocks off Baja California, where his 15 passengers caught 37 wahoo and a few large tuna before nightfall.
Rose then left for Hurricane Bank, a chancy move considering the location of the seamount: 1,000 miles south of Point Loma and more than 300 miles west of Mexico.
It's a hit-or-miss spot and Rose and his group mostly missed, catching only a smattering of tuna, the largest weighing about 180 pounds.
Then Rose headed for Morgan Bank 100 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas "and found nothing," according to Frank LoPreste, the boat's owner.
"Then they went west and found a shallow area that we've never known about," LoPreste said. They struck a long-range fisherman's equivalent of gold: giant yellowfin that bit over a period of 4 1/2 days.
The fish came over the rail at an average size of 140-190 pounds, with several topping 200. All 15 passengers caught at least one fish weighing at least 180 pounds. Two tuna estimated at 300-plus pounds were lost at the rail and another that wasn't seen as closely was lost after a 3 1/2-hour fight from a skiff.
There is one catch to the discovery of "Rosie Bank." Rose isn't telling anyone where it is.
"And it's going to stay that way until [the other captains] catch him there," said LoPreste, whose next trip, to Clipperton Island by way of Rosie Bank, starts Jan. 1.
