OUTDOOR NOTES : Clipperton Island Fishing Is Worth the Extra Miles

Many in the business of long-range fishing believe that Clipperton Island is too unpredictable as a fishery and, given its distance of about 1,700 miles from San Diego, not worth the trip. Frank LoPreste is an exception.

LoPreste, the only skipper to make the journey on a regular basis--he has done so once a year for the last 10 years--says the island’s reputation is unjustified.

Admittedly, there might be more sharks, which can devastate a tuna bite, at Clipperton than at another long-range destination of choice--the Revillagigedo Islands, 550 miles to the north. And the chances of catching a 300-pound yellowfin tuna, the objective of most fishermen, might not be as great.

But judging by LoPreste’s success, it would appear that some of San Diego’s other boat operators have not given Clipperton a fair chance.

“Clipperton is one of the most unusual places in the world--a unique place to fish,” LoPreste says. “Clipperton is different from most of your other islands. When you’re at Clarion (one of the Revillagigedo chain) and you’re catching fish from 80 to 250 pounds, you won’t catch a 30-pounder. Whereas at Clipperton, you’ll catch a 25-pounder and the next guy will catch a 200-pounder.”

One fisherman on LoPreste’s Royal Polaris, which returned from Clipperton Sunday, was dragged up and down the rail by what was believed to be a large tuna. When he finally got it to the boat, it turned out to be a 30-pounder.

“People don’t know it until they go, but Clipperton tuna are much tougher than the Revillagigedo tuna,” LoPreste says. “They’re not as oval-shaped as most yellowfin tuna are. They’re much longer and leaner. The fat ones don’t do as much of a job on you, not that they don’t still hurt.”

Santa Monica’s George Jennings has made several trips to the Revillagigedos and has been on eight of LoPreste’s 10 trips to Clipperton.

“My experience has been that the fish seem to fight a lot harder than the ones up north,” Jennings says. “A 100-pound fish at Clipperton is the equivalent of a 200-pound fish at the Revillagigedos.”

The Royal Polaris dropped off most of its passengers in Cabo San Lucas and pulled into Fisherman’s Landing Sunday with its holds full for the seventh time in 10 visits to Clipperton.

Its 22 passengers had accounted for 460 yellowfin tuna, many weighing more than 100 pounds and several closer to 250. Also in the holds: 208 wahoo, 32 blue star jacks, 15 pargo, 217 rainbow runners, 38 Chinese masks (a seldom-caught member of the grouper family), 148 grouper and two amberjack.

“We got back to Cabo San Lucas two days early,” LoPreste said. “Some of the passengers flew home, and the others stuck around, using the boat as a hotel.”

The fishing industry is concerned about proposed federal legislation aimed at reducing the dangers of lead poisoning.

The bill was introduced earlier this month by Sens. Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.). The bill would ban the use of lead in the manufacture of products widely marketed and used by the sportfishing community, including sinkers, weights and other fishing tackle.

Fishing weights containing 0.1% or more lead would be prohibited.

“That’s all of them. We’re almost pure lead,” said Paul Moser of Woody Manufacturing in Gardena, which makes sinkers and weights for the fishing industry. “We’d be out of business.”

Said Dallas Minor of the Washington-based American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Assn., which is fighting the legislation: “The way the bill is written, manufacturers would have just 12 months to remove their products from the market or find a substitute, and that’s the killer. Some (in the fishing tackle industry) say if this bill passes, it’s going to put them out of business. Other guys say that given the right kind of lead time, they would be willing to retool and find some substitute products.

“Having a clean-water environment is in our best interest, too, but frankly there is no demonstrable evidence that I’m aware of that the odd lead sinker or jig or whatever that gets down to the bottom of the lake is going to end up in some kid.”

Lieberman expressed more concern over the dangers of lead in a recent news release, in which he said, “Lead is a persistent threat to generations of American children, and the sooner we act to eliminate the amount of lead that gets into the environment, the sooner we can improve the quality of life for millions of our citizens.”

Sportfishing boat operators are offering free trips to anyone turning in Department of Fish and Game tags from fish caught during a halibut research program in progress in the Santa Monica Bay.

Landings at Redondo, Marina del Rey and Malibu will give half-day trips, and the First String at 22nd St. Landing in San Pedro will give full-day trips. Anglers are asked to tell when and where they caught the fish.

The DFG also will redeem any tag for $5.

Daniel Frumkes is an independent biologist working with Prof. John Stephens of Occidental College on the Vantuna project, which has a grant from the Los Angeles County Fish and Game Commission to study halibut mortality in the bay. They hope to determine the effect of commercial gill-nets on sportfishing.

Earlier this year, Frumkes’ team, working with the DFG and volunteers, tagged more than 2,000 halibut caught and released into the bay.

Briefly

Recently approved as an all-tackle world record: an 11-pound 2-ounce vermillion rockfish, caught last October by La Habra’s Steve Walker near San Nicolas Island. . . . Richard A. (Dick) Weaver of Loomis has been selected by the Outdoor Writers Assn. of California to receive its first Outdoor Californian of the Year award. Weaver, 64, performed important work with bighorn sheep and mountain lions during his 40 years as a wildlife biologist with the DFG. He retired last year.

The first of California’s two free fishing days--no license required--will be June 9, the second Sept. 22. . . . The Northeast Orange County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will hold its eighth annual dinner fund-raiser--including an auction and raffle of wildlife-related items--June 6 at Los Coyotes Country Club in Buena Park. Information: (714) 738-5853.

Whitbread Round-the-World Race highlights will be shown during an appearance by America’s Cup sailor/TV commentator Gary Jobson at the Long Beach Marriott Hotel Thursday night at 7. Cost: $15. . . . New and used powerboats and sailboats will be displayed at the Marina del Rey Boat Show June 6-10 at Burton Chace Park.