BY MIKE STEVENS
SAN DIEGO— The Red Rooster III untied at Point Loma on March 3 and embarked on a 16-day trip that would ultimately drop anglers of at Magdalena Bay where they could jump on a plane and fly home. The boat headed south with plenty of sardines on hand with some anchovies in the mix, and the Las Vegas-based group was off on another charter on one of the long-range fleet’s most-storied vessels.
Raffles broke up the windy ride down with top prizes coming from Accurate, CalStar rods, Rudy Wahoo Bombs and JB Line One fishing line. Accurate loaner gear was also on board for anglers to “test drive” on the big game stage.
Anglers made their first casts on March 7 and picked on some quality tuna as they worked the kinks out. More “scratch fishing” kept them busy a day later, but there was a fair amount of success to be had with heavy gear under tough conditions. The next day (March 9) delivered a “nice little hit on big fish” in the morning, but the rest of the day featured only a few bites, and the charter group was looking forward to switching gears and trolling for wahoo the next morning.
Everything fell into place on March 10 when the weather got comfy and wahoo moved in. The crew of the Red Rooster III described the scene as “an amazing day with explosive action, long drifts and wide-open wahoo fishing.” Wahoo continued to bite a day later, and some of the better-grade tuna also decided to play ball including a 282-pound yellowfin caught by Ernie Osuna. Sharks caused some headaches and choppy conditions returned, but anglers continued to methodically pick away on nicer tuna and put some final touches on their haul before getting dropped off for a quick flight home.
The Red Rooster III returned to San Diego on March 18. To get a look at the RRIII’s full 2025, visit RedRooster3.com.
