Reports From the Bridge

The jack-pot winners for trip # 25 all scored on nice bluefin that looked like they came from the same mold

First place went to Michael Menard with a 38.7 lb. bluefin tuna
Second place went to Mitch Lesh with a 38.6 lb. bluefin tuna

Third place went to Billy Miles with a 38.2 lb bluefin tuna

How about that sports fans 3 fish that where only ounces apart for jack-pot winners

The guys are back at it to day with the Doc. Ski charter. Mike reported that they had a nice start on the day with a few yellows and dorado and that they where seeing tuna that wasn’t ready to bite yet but they have high hopes for the afternoon bite.

We still have spots on trip #31 departing Wed. August 5 @ 8PM & Trip 33 departing Friday August 7 @ 8pm These are 2 day trips call Larry for info on these or any of the BIG GAME 90 trips @ 858 270-7525

If you would like to ride on the BIG GAME 90 with a small group of just your fishing buddies We have trips in September, October & November available for charter.

THE PRICE IS VERY REASONABLE FOR THESE TRIPS

( as low as $3000 plus food per day in the Fall)

With the water as warm as it is getting this could be a fantastic fall. Come get in on it with Mike and the boys with just a few of your buddies or employs and customers. 

tight lines and good times
IRV

7:45 am Monday morning

Good morning all Mike hear from the land of kelps.

We started out the morning with a bang. We found a line of kelps that all have fish on them and have manage to put over 50 mixed fish on the boat so far. We are seeing far more tuna than is biting but perhaps they will turn on as the day goes on.

I would like to remind everyone of the importance of having outfits that you can cast.

On our last trip we had several guys that could cast their 40lb outfits quite well and they where hooking fish as well or better than some of the other guys that where fishing 20 or 25 but weren’t as good at picking a good bait and casting it out away from the boat.

Choose a good quality outfit and then practice with it.

I would like to let everyone know that we have openings on this weekends trip

It’s a 2 day that departs Friday night at 8pm.

Irv wanted me to let everyone know about the 2 976tuna charters.

trips 31 & 37 are now 976TUNA SPECIAL PRICE BUSTER TRIPS $249

These 2 day trips are priced at less than some 1 day trips from San Diego

call Larry at 858 270-7525 or 976-Tuna Charters @ 310 328-8426

see you on the BIG GAME

MIKE AND THE CREW 

by Richie on Sun Jul 26 2009, 03:42PM

The Big Game 90 in this morning from a great 3.5 day trip.

The guys are out on a kids trip today and are heading out tonight on a 2.5 day trip with a few openings.

They also have a 2 day trip leaving this Friday night July 31.

The Big Game 90 also has price buster 2 day trips leaving Wednesday August 5 and Wednesday August 12 for only $249

Call 858-270-7525 for reservations.

Listen to Irv live - Click Here For Live Report

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By Mark Potter, NBC News Correspondent

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – While growing up here many years ago, my brother, Alan, and I idolized Paul Rosasco, the World War II veteran who lived on the corner of our street. With rapt attention, we’d thrill to hear his stories of danger and high adventure in the South Pacific and would pester him to tell us more.

Now that Alan and I are much older, we understand that those stories back then were softened for young ears and actually came from tough memories of a brutal war.  We’ve since heard the unvarnished version and have learned more about the injuries our neighbor suffered and about all the friends he lost. For that reason, and because of the life he lived in recent years, we actually came to admire him even more. 

Courtesy of the Rosasco family

Paul Rosasco as a young soldier during World War II.

We are deeply saddened to learn that our friend and hero has just died at age 85. Now his remarkable story, which he was reluctant to draw attention to publicly while he was alive, can be shared with the blessing of his widow.

Enlisted for war
In November 1942, Paul Rosasco enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 19 and received his basic training in Florida. After advanced training in Illinois he then joined the 1896th Engineer Aviation Battalion in Virginia. 

Near the small town of Elko, he and other trainees actually built a fake airport, complete with a runway, landing lights and empty buildings. It was a decoy to distract German bombers from the nearby Richmond Airfield should they cross the U.S. coastline. Luckily, the Nazi aviators never came calling.

After finishing up in Virginia, Rosasco headed by train for California. There he began a nearly-month-long voyage to New Guinea on a military transport ship with 3,500 men crammed aboard.  After arriving in, Lae, New Guinea, he helped build airfields and housing for American forces fighting the Japanese.  His second stop was Biak, where his company followed the infantry ashore during a bloody fight to wrest the island from Japanese control.  As the Army engineers there built roads and a landing strip for U.S. bombers, Rosasco helped fend off attacks from hold-out Japanese soldiers.

Rosasco’s next mission was the one that nearly took his life. 

On New Year’s Day, 1945, his company joined an 80-ship convoy headed for the Philippines. Twelve days into the trip, near Corregidor, the convoy was attacked by 26 Japanese kamikazes. Rosasco’s transport ship, the Kyle Johnson, was struck and badly damaged by one of the planes. Of the 220 men in his company, 161 were killed in the attack.

When the plane hit the ship, it punched a huge hole in the starboard side and tore a second hole through an inside deck.  Gasoline stored below for heavy engineering equipment then exploded in a massive fire.  At the moment the plane crashed through the hull, Rosasco was below deck in a four-foot-wide pathway.  Although knocked down, wounded by shrapnel and burned on his face and arms, he was able to escape the inferno by jumping into the water through the jagged hole made by the kamikaze.

Of the 15 men who ended up in the ocean, only nine survived. 

Suffering from a compound fracture on his right arm, he was able to stay afloat by hooking the exposed bone from his injured arm around a cable on a buoyant hatch cover.  With his other arm, he held on tight to his best friend, Gus Miggans – unaware that Miggans was already dead.

Mark Potter / NBC News

Paul Rosasco, enjoying retirement, in a photo taken in 2008.

Others urged him to let Miggans go, but Rosasco refused, shouting back, “Nah, he’s not dead, he’s sleeping.” He kept assuring his friend, “You’re gonna be OK, you’re gonna be alright.”

Another close call
While struggling in the water, Rosasco and the others there faced another threat. Japanese pilots were strafing the seas with machine-gun fire, trying to kill the helpless survivors. ”I was saying those Hail Marys at 50 miles an hour,” he said.

One of the planes swooped over him, then circled back, heading straight in his direction.  As the Japanese plane bore down and was getting close, it suddenly exploded.  The pilot of a U.S. Hellcat fighter plane had come from above to shoot the Japanese Zero out of the sky. 

After completing his attack, the American pilot flew low over the men in the ocean, tipped his wing and raised his hand.  “He saluted us in the water,” said Rosasco. (Decades later Rosasco met that pilot and thanked him personally.)

About an hour into the ordeal which he said, “felt like forever,” Rosasco was finally rescued by the crew of a U.S. destroyer escort ship, while still holding tight to Miggans. It was then that he had to confront what others already knew, that his closest buddy had not survived the attack. Miggans was buried at sea.

In the months that followed, Rosasco and the other injured soldiers were treated for their burns and wounds aboard ships and at a hospital in New Guinea.  When the war ended, he went to Tokyo, where shortly afterward he got word that he would be transferred home.  He arrived back in Ann Arbor on Dec. 15, 1945, just in time for Christmas.  Before leaving the Army, Rosasco was promoted to the rank of platoon sergeant.  With so few survivors in his company, he grimly joked, “there was nobody else to give it to.”

Mark Potter / NBC News

Paul Rosasco, enjoying retirement, in a photo taken in 2008.

Back in civilian life, Rosasco married, raised two daughters with his wife, Maxine, and worked as a golf course manager, a quality control specialist for an auto company, a milk delivery man and a business office-manager for the University of Michigan hospital. 

In 1985, he retired and took on another important role as the unofficial – but much appreciated –neighborhood watchman, keeping an eye on the homes of vacationing residents, bringing in the mail, giving people rides and volunteering to help anyone in need. He had the keys to most of the neighborhood homes and was the emergency contact person for my mother, whose rose bushes he also kept in shape.  Whenever I came home, he and Maxine were always very welcoming.  If my brother and I would prod him, he always had more stories to tell.

During one of my latest visits, I asked him how he felt when he returned home in 1945. “The war was over, it was wonderful,” he said.  Feeling grateful to have survived he added, “I was luckier than hell.” 

In recent years, though, with the few remaining veterans from his battalion passing on and the annual reunions no longer being held, he had more solemn thoughts about the young men who perished in that far-off war 64 years ago. ”I throw out a name, I see a face,” he told me.  He also wondered about how many people still cared about their sacrifices.

Particularly strong for him was the memory of his friend who died in the water near the Philippines. With a quiet pride few can ever earn, he said recently, “I hung on to Miggans.” 

We are so very proud to have had Paul Rosasco as our neighbor, friend and hero.

Capt. Mike Jewett reporting in this morning.

He said that  they had a great day yesterday catching mostly Bluefin tuna and Albacore.

with a few dorado and yellows thrown in the mix. 

Mike reported great weather and said that the water is getting HOT.

As he was giving his report they where sliding on a very large kelp and he had to go!!!

I whished him luck and he will let us know how it went.

A reminder that we have a 2 1/2 day trip departing this Sunday evening at 8pm.            This trip still has a few spots available including 5 spaces for the military,police and firefighters discount  We also have several spots open on next weekends 2 day trip departing Friday night July 31 @ 8pm

call Larry to book one of these trips @ 858 270-7525 and ask for the discounted priceing.
tight lines and good times
IRV

ATTENTION ALL STATIONS

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!

UNTIL FEATHER NOTICE ALL BIG GAME 90

TRIPS THAT WHERE SCHEDULED TO BOARD AT 9PM

AND DEPART AT 10PM

WILL BE BOARDING AT 7PM AND DEPART AT 8PM

PLEASE TELL ALL OF YOUR FISHING BUDDIES

OF THIS CHANGE . THIS WILL ENABLE US TO FISH THE

120 MILE + AREAS ON OUR UPCOMING  

2 AND 2 1/2 DAY TRIPS.

CALL FOR BOOKING INFO ON THESE GREAT TRIPS

858 270-7525

tight lines and good times
IRV

The BIG GAME’S most resent 2 1/2 day trip returned yesterday morning with lots of smiling faces and full coolers of fillets. Capt. Mike reported good albacore fishing at 128 miles and a hand full of dorado too. Jack-pot winners where Rusty Coyrs 37.7 albacore, Mark Kramer 32.6 albacore, and Jim Wilson 31.9 albacore.

Mike would like to remind everyone that if you follow a few simple rules you will catch more fish and have a much more enjoyable time. Rule #1 no angles no tangles I’m sure most of you have heard this a thousand times. If you keep your line straight in front of you at all times you will have far few and less severe tangles. Rule #2 if you are going to cast the down wind  corner you must move across the stern and when you get to the opposite corner reel in and get another bait and cast the down wind corner again.

Ruel #3 the most important thing of all this is

SPORTFISHING have a good time and let the other guys & girls have a good time too.

. tight lines and good times
IRV

Capt. Mike Jewett’s morning report was short and sweet the fish are biting the weather is great and they are inside 130 miles from San Diego.

The bulky of the catch on this trip has been albacore in the 18 to 24lb. class with a few larger one mixed in.

Mike would like to remind everyone that they need to have an outfit that they can cast a bait with. If this means a high quality spinning reel so be it. Just make sure that the reel is a quality one with a good drag and have it spooled with at least 25lb test line or even better have it filled with 50 or 65lb braid and a short top-shot of 25lb or 30lb. and a rod that is made for a spinner with the correct bend.

The BIG GAME  has openings on these upcoming trips 25, 28d, 31 & 35

CALL 858 270 7525 for info and to book 

tight lines and good times
IRV

Capt. Mike Jewett brought the BIG GAME 90 home from a 3 1/2 day trip this morning.

Mike said that the main body of fish has moved north west about 25 miles.

this makes it a little easer for the guys trying to reach them on 1 1/2 day and 2 day trips but the best bet is still a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 day trip.

Mike said that they had over 300 mixed fish. The bulk of the catch being Albacore in the 18 to 22lb. range with some 12 to 17lb yellowfin and 3 big eye on the troll also a hand full of dorado, bluefin and yellowtail rounded out this fine catch.

Jack-pot winners where HONGFEI ZHANG 30.1 bluefin 
                                BRIAN PIGANELLI 29.6 albacore

                                ROSS GOOGWIN  27.8 albacore

The next trip with openings departs Wednesday night for 3 1/2 days and then again on next Sunday for 2 1/2 days.

visit our web site or call LARRY @ 858 270-7525 for more info on openings on upcoming trips.

tight lines and good times
IRV

The Big Game 90 checking in on the 2nd of a 3.5 day trip with 120 fish on the last 3 stops.

The fish are biting and the Big Game 90 has another 3.5 day trip leaving Wednesday night July 22.

Call 858-270-7525 for trip information and reservations.

Listen to Mike live - Click Here For Live Report