A Bassmaster record falls in Texas

While spring's subtle awakening continues in the West -- ice disappearing at Crowley Lake; marlin flooding the Sea of Cortez; yellowtail breezing about the islands, etc.--something remarkably unsubtle has occurred at Falcon Lake in Texas.

The reservoir's entire largemouth bass population seemed to awaken, voraciously, just as the world's top anglers were beginning a four-day Bassmaster Elite Series tournament.

When the Lone Star Shootout mercifully ended Sunday afternoon, Mississippi pro Paul Elias, his reel still smoking, had hauled in 132 pounds 8 ounces worth of bass.

Elias, who came from behind to win with a final-day, five-fish limit weighing 37 pounds 11 ounces, shattered the previous tournament record of 122 pounds 14 ounces, set last year by Steve Kennedy on Northern California's Clear Lake.

"It was just one of those days," Elias, 56, said of Sunday's performance, after accepting the $100,000 winner's check. "I had the best day on the water I have ever experienced in 30 years of tournament fishing."

He used a deep-diving crankbait for the first three days, then switched to a Manns worm. But most lures were effective.

In fact, all 12 anglers who qualified through Sunday posted four-day hauls of 100 pounds or more.

And in case anyone is wondering, all bass were released after weigh-in.

Meanwhile, in Santa Monica Bay

Fishing was not spectacular for 530 anglers who competed in the weekend's Marina del Rey Halibut Derby.

Only 17 halibut meeting the derby's 26-inch minimum were brought to the scale. Hundreds of "shorts" were released.

Dominic Gonzalez prevailed with a 37.3-pound halibut caught Saturday. Gonzalez, from Little Rock, Calif., earned a weeklong trip for two to Hotel Punta Colorada on Baja California's East Cape.

Second place went to Ruben Valdez of Goleta (35.8 pounds) and third to Mark Pierpoint of Canoga Park (35.6 pounds, from a kayak).

Marlin on the move

Warmer water is luring marlin into the Sea of Cortez, a sure sign that a blustery cold winter is finally being replaced by spring.

"April is usually a bang-up month for marlin and it looks like it's going to turn out that way again," says John Ireland, owner of the East Cape's Rancho Leonero Resort.

Tyler Althar, visiting with his father from Pensacola, Fla., caught a striped marlin and sailfish on the same day last week.

Ireland says small dorado are numerous offshore, and that a 60-pound tuna was donated by a guest to the hotel restaurant.

Farther south off Cabo San Lucas, marlin and football-sized tuna have ended the March doldrums.

Anglers aboard Valerie, a Pisces Sportfishing vessel, released six marlin in one day last week.