OUTDOOR NOTES : Angling for a Gift? Options Abounding

With the ardent outdoor person and the recession in mind this holiday season, books may be the answer to Christmas giving.

There are plenty out there for outdoor enthusiasts, from those who do to those who merely like to read about those who do.

Take, for instance, “Uncommon Waters: Women Write About Fishing,” (Seal Press, $14.95). It features 36 female contributors, among them Dame Juliana Berners, whose “The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle,” circa 1421, is considered the first published essay on sportfishing. Also included is a woman’s perspective on battling a huge blue marlin, by Lorian Hemingway and entitled--you guessed it--”The Young Woman and the Sea.”

For the environmentally conscious, there is the reissue of Aldo Leopold’s “Round River” (NorthWord News, $19.95, hard cover), in which the respected naturalist-conservationist, known as the father of the modern environmental movement, expresses his fascination with nature and his commitment to preserving the delicate balance between the environment and man. Included are journal entries written during Leopold’s early-century field trips and essays written from notes still in manuscript form when Leopold died fighting a grass fire in 1948.

For the collector, the perfect gift may be the “Sporting Collectibles Price Guide” by Ralf Coykendall Jr. (Lyons & Burford, $16.95, paperback). Actually, the perfect gift could be the hammerless double-barrel shotgun worth $150,000, but times being what they are. . . .

Did you know that there is a 1916 reversible minnow lure somewhere, worth $3,400? And a split-cane rod worth $10,000? Or that various wildlife prints and books run well into the thousands? How about that Harry Shourds Canada goose decoy, worth $55,000? If it’s old, unique or both, chances are it’s listed in this comprehensive catalogue.

For the artist, there is the Sierra Club “Guide to Sketching in Nature” by Cathy Johnson (Sierra Club Books, $30 hard cover, $16.50 paperback). This in-depth color and black-and-white book provides step-by-step instruction and exercises to guide prospective artists “into the joy of approaching nature” through the medium of pencil or paintbrush.

Big-game hunters are always after that world record. They may appreciate the Boone and Crockett Club’s “Records of North American Elk” or “Records of North American Whitetail Deer” (available only through Boone and Crockett, in Dumfries, Va., $14.95 apiece, hard cover). These new books are ideal for hunters who plan their hunts after determining which states, counties and provinces have recently produced record-book animals.

A few other new releases: “The Inflatable Kayak Handbook” by Melinda Allan (Johnson Books, $10.95, paperback); “Hiking the Great Northwest” by Ira Spring, Harvey Manning and Vicky Spring (The Mountaineers, $12.95, hard cover); “Flies for Alaska” by Anthony J. Route (Johnson Books, $18.95, spiral-bound paperback); “California Reefs” by Chuck Davis (Chronicle Books, $29.95 hard cover, $16.95, paperback); “Knee Deep in Montana’s Trout Streams” by John Holt (Pruett Publishing, $15.95, paperback); “Day Hiker” by Robert S. Wood (Ten Speed Press, $8.95, paperback); “The Pantanal, Brazil’s Forgotten Wilderness” by Vic Banks (Sierra Club Books, $22.50, hard cover).

Briefly

SALTWATER--Most local landings are locked into their rock-cod operations for the winter, but a few boats are trying to find time between windstorms to make it outside to Cortez Bank. The Outer Limits was the last to do so, its anglers braving heavy seas and bringing in 51 yellowtail.

Long range: San Diego boats are returning from Alijos and Thetis banks with impressive catches of wahoo, yellowtail and dorado. Boats fishing along the northern Baja coast are returning with some yellowtail and bonito, but rockfish and whitefish are making up most of the catches.

Mazatlan: The Star Fleet, from Nov. 23-30, reports 52 dorado, 35 sailfish, 29 tuna and three wahoo. Top catch, a 117-pound sailfish by Joe Cook of Oklahoma.

Cabo San Lucas: Striped marlin are finally beginning to show in fair numbers. However, dorado and sailfish are the prevalent species. Blue marlin catches are dropping steadily and the yellowfin tuna that have been in the area for so long are disappearing quickly at the hands of the purse seiners. The live-bait situation is rated good. Most action is between El Faro Viejo and San Cristobal.

East Cape: Winds have been blowing on and off but when weather permits, fishermen are finding a consistent bite by sailfish, dorado and yellowtail.

MISCELLANY--Fishing licenses for 1992 are available at sporting goods stores and bait and tackle shops, according to the Department of Fish and Game. Cost for residents: general $23.65 (non-residents $63.55); for ocean only, $13.90; for one day, $8.40.

Photographers have until Dec. 27 to submit entries to the DFG for its Outdoor California photography contest. Rules and entry forms are available by calling (916) 653-6420. Either black-and-white prints or color slides depicting California’s scenery or wildlife may be submitted. Last year’s winner: A photo of a bobcat poised over a deer carcass. The photograph was taken from 20 yards, after Berkeley photographer Michael Sewell spent 14 hours in a cold blind in late autumn.

New fishing regulations are in force for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to provide improved protection for native species. Copies of the new rules are available at park entrances.