OUTDOOR NOTES : Rain Might Send Some Unfamiliar Faces Your Way

The rain came, followed by floods and high water, affecting Southland creatures large and small.

The California Department of Fish and Game’s Region 5, which basically encompasses all of Southern California, has issued a hasty assessment of the situation:

“We’re sure the flood water has sent skunks, raccoons, rabbits, coyotes, reptiles and the like scrambling for high ground, and in some cases into people’s back yards,” Larry Sitton, the DFG’s Region 5 wildlife manager, said in a news release.

Sitton warned residents of the possibility of intrusion by the above-mentioned and said the animals should be left alone.

Waterfowl, on the other hand, will find added habitat.

The rain, Sitton said, will cause previously dry areas “to flourish with green feed, seeds and insects” vital to maintaining healthy populations of birds, reptiles and larger mammals, including deer.

Eastern Sierra fisheries were basically unaffected by the storms, as precipitation was not near what it was in the Southland.

But that popular little silverside called grunion might find the coastal areas of Southern California to be something less than desirable when they come forth in the upcoming weeks to deposit and fertilize their eggs.

Storm-related sewage spills have seriously contaminated Southland coastal waters, and DFG officials say they are uncertain how the fish are going to react or whether the season will open as scheduled on March 6.

“We suggest the public avoid pursuing grunion until the health issues have subsided,” biologist Paul Gregory said.

Members of the Bass Anglers’ Sportsman Society have filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Ray Scott, the founder of B.A.S.S., has defrauded members of more than $75 million over the last 22 years.

The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Wichita, Ka., alleges that membership dues and advertising revenue generated by the society’s Bassmaster Magazine were unlawfully taken by Scott and converted into a corporation owned and operated by Scott “under a deceptively similar name, ‘Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Inc.’ ”

According to the complaint, Scott did not have the authority to incorporate the society without a vote of the members, as required by law.

The suit claims that after Scott created the corporation, he awarded himself 99.8% of the stock and funded the corporation with B.A.S.S. assets, including Bassmaster Magazine, which reportedly has more than 500,000 readers.

Scott was unavailable for comment.

The International Game Fish Assn. approved 309 world records in 1991.

Of those, 88 were in the all-tackle category--the heaviest of a species.

Of the 143 line class records, 114 were for saltwater and 29 for freshwater.

Fishermen set 86 records in the fly rod category, 34 for freshwater and 52 for marine fish.

Twenty nine of those were credited to the new 20-pound tippet category.

Add world records: Records approved in 1992 include a 24-pound 6-ounce leopard shark, caught off the Palos Verdes Peninsula in October by David Carl Nylen (all-tackle category); a 146-pound bigeye tuna, taken off San Diego in September by Robert C. Newton (20-pound line class); a 26-pound black skipjack tuna, caught off Baja California’s Thetis Bank in October by Clifford K. Hamaishi (30-pound line class).

Briefly

SALTWATER--Locally, the live bait supply has been in poor supply because of the weather. Boats for the most part have been concentrating on calico bass in the kelp from San Diego to Santa Barbara, and on a so-so rockfish and rock cod bite at the outer banks at the Channel Islands.

Cabo San Lucas: Marlin fishing has slowed, but fishermen are having little trouble catching fish. Dorado and tuna remain in the area and are feeding regularly.

La Paz: Blue marlin, striped marlin and large tuna are feeding in the area south of town, according to Bob Butler of Fishermen’s Fleet, which fishes from the northern reaches of the East Cape region.

Loreto: Yellowtail fishing has picked up, with fish averaging 22 pounds, biting primarily off the shores of Carmen Island and Cholla Point.

CONSERVATION--The Department of Fish and Game and Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep is requesting volunteers for its project Saturday and Sunday to remove Tamarisk from a spring at Anza Borrego State Park. Tamarisk is a non-native plant that is robbing wildlife of available water. Details: (213) 256-0463.

SHOWTIME--The National Fishing Lure Collectors’ Club will display, auction, sell and swap tackle dating to the late 1800s Saturday (Feb. 22) from noon to 7 p.m. at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood. Details: (818) 785-7306.

INSTRUCTION--Offshore and light-tackle fishing, six Tuesdays beginning Feb. 25 at East Los Angeles College Instructor is Al Zapanta. Details: (213) 265-8793.