Outdoor Notes / Pete Thomas : Washington Angler May Have Landed a Record Yellowtail

Winter surface fishing along the Southern California coast has been getting a lift now and then with the availability of live squid, and for Stephen W. Whybrew, it could mean a world record.

Whybrew, visiting from Federal Way, Wash., was fishing Jan. 26 aboard the Polaris Deluxe out of San Diego’s Seaforth Landing, a half-day boat targeting calico bass in the kelp beds off La Jolla, when his squid drew the attention of a special predator.

Whybrew hooked and successfully landed a yellowtail, which tipped the scale at 59 pounds.

If ratified by the International Game Fish Assn., it will go into the record books for the 20-pound line class, replacing the 49-pounder caught by Joseph P. Leo at the Alijos Rocks off Baja California in 1982.

Add world record: The most recent records granted by the IGFA for fish caught in Southern California waters go to:

--Bill A. Young, credited with the two-pound test record for a 17-pound mako shark he caught in the Catalina Channel in October.

--Cheryl Stotesbury gets the four-pound test women’s record for a 9-pound 12-ounce mako she caught off Newport Beach in October.

--Donald McPherson Jr. used 12-pound test to catch a 159-pound thresher shark; then used 16-pound test to catch one weighing 215 pounds, both in Santa Monica Bay in October.

--Lisa Derr, a women’s 16-pound test record with her 141-pound thresher caught in Santa Monica Bay.

--Lorraine Carlton holds the women’s record in the 20-pound test line class for her 157-pound bigeye tuna, caught last August off San Clemente Island.

The Department of Fish and Game is offering a $5 reward for tagged fish caught at Pyramid Lake in the Angeles National Forest, and will soon start a similar program at Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County.

The reason is to help determine the success of trout anglers compared with striped bass at the lakes--stripers are the primary predators at both lakes.

“There is substantial evidence that depredation may be considerable,” said Keith Anderson, DFG supervisor of inland fisheries in Southern California. “If our intent is to provide forage for striped bass, there are other (cheaper) ways to do that.”

The first 100 tagged catchable trout were planted Jan. 26, and the DFG said additional trout will be stocked twice a month along with regular allotments through spring.

The green-colored tags are imprinted with the DFG’s address.

The number of trout caught will also help biologists better manage the state’s tout resource, according to biologist Dave Drake.

“We are looking for at least a 50% tag return. If we get an abnormally low return, say 10% to 15%, we will have to take a hard look at our rainbow trout planting program at Pyramid.

As the first 100 tagged fish were being planted, hatchery personnel watched an angler land a 31-pound striper, Drake said.

“He was kind enough to cut it open for us, and we found four just-planted trout inside,” he said.

In anticipation of considerable striper depredation at Pyramid, the 1988 trout plant allotment has been reduced by one-half from 1987.

But since few trout anglers fish Pyramid and instead fish nearby Castaic Lake and Lagoon, which are free of stripers, the DFG will increase the number of trout planted at those locations as well as at Piru Lake, Casitas Lake and Piru Creek at Frenchman’s Flat.

Trout allocation at Silverwood Lake, where depredation severity remains a question pending the outcome of a reward tag survey, will remain at last year’s level. The first tagged trout are expected to be planted there in late February.

Gov. George Deukmejian has named retired chairman and chief executive officer of the old Southern Pacific Co., Benjamin F. Biaggini, of San Francisco, to the Fish and Game Commission.

If confirmed by the state Senate, Biaggini, 71, will replace Abel Galletti, whose term has expired.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is hosting the fourth annual International Elk Camp and Exposition in Salt Lake City, Feb. 18-21.

More than 20,000 delegates from the United States and Canada are expected to attend the events scheduled at the Salt Palace and the Salt Lake Sheraton Hotel.

East vs. West: From the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s 1986 Marine Fisheries Statistical Survey:

Recreational anglers on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast caught 411.2 million fish in 1986, compared with 55 million on the Pacific Coast.

Gulf coast anglers released 43% of their catch; Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic coast anglers released 36% and 35% respectively.

Fishermen on the Pacific Coast released 44% of their fish, according to the survey.

Briefly

This year’s Santa Monica Bay Halibut Derby will be held April 9-10 at Marina del Rey, with proceeds going to the Boys Club Youth Fishing Program and Halibut Hatchery Project. For information call (213) 450-5131. . . . Al Zapanta is teaching classes on salt water fishing at Mt. San Antonio College and Rio Hondo College beginning Feb. 11 and Feb. 22, respectively. Call schools for information. . . .Alaskan fishing guide Brad Jackson will present a program entitled Pacific Northwest Fly Rod Steelhead at the Feb.18 meeting of the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers at the Odyssey Restaurant in Mission Hills. For information call (818) 785-7306.