OUTDOOR NOTES / RICH ROBERTS : El Nino Has Heated Up Fishing Off Southland

Someone aboard the La Jollan sportfishing boat from San Diego caught a dorado four miles off Imperial Beach last week, “like nothing I have seen in the 10 years of fishing locally,” Capt. Troy Liljeblad said.

Twenty members of the Northrop Fishing Club, on a two-day trip aboard the 65-foot Indian from 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, brought back 60 bluefin tuna, “a whole bunch of dorado and skipjack” and even a 125-pound marlin, Jerry Mathiason said.

With 25 anglers on a three-day trip, Capt. Mike Lackey’s Vagabond from San Diego took 375 yellowfin--the limit for Mexican waters, at five per day per angler--along with 142 dorado and 102 yellowtail. Virtually duplicating that catch, Capt. Bill Lang’s American Angler brought 27 anglers back from a three-day trip Tuesday with 399 yellowfin, 120 bluefin, 43 yellowtail and 55 dorado, topped by a 35-pound bluefin by Robert Sperry of Pasadena.

Twenty-seven anglers on a one-day trip aboard Robert Burns’ Red Rooster III from San Diego took 18 bluefin and 25 yellowfin.

And so it goes--a bonanza for the long-suffering sportfishing fleet, thanks to El Nino, the rogue tropical current that has raised the water temperature four to five degrees above normal as far north as Monterey and as far out as 250 miles.

The National Marine Fisheries Service says the conditions also have been enhanced by a series of tropical storms moving up Baja California in the last few weeks. How long the phenomenon--notable for its variety and consistency--will last is uncertain, but it was still getting better in the service’s latest report issued Tuesday.

The U.S. Forest Service may be feeling the heat from its proposal to drill four wells in the Dry Creek area near Big Springs to ease the town of Mammoth Lakes’ critical water shortage.

Environmentalists and fishermen say it could deplete the headwaters of the Owens River and are demanding a full Environmental Impact Report beyond the Forest Service’s Environmental Assessment.

Floyd Hill of Whittier said: “The Forest Service said it had only 41 replies, but those replies represented thousands of people,” including CalTrout, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Department of Fish and Game, Friends of the River, and the Sierra Club.

Two especially detailed responses challenging the Forest Service’s conclusions were received from Hazelton Associates, an environmental consulting firm in Anaheim, and Frank Stewart of the Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter in Mammoth Lakes.

Briefly

SALTWATER FISHING--Perhaps coincidental to the tuna blitz was the first swordfish taken in Southern California waters this year. Balboa Angling Club’s Dave Dennis of San Dimas boated a 235-pounder on Capt. Joe Houck’s El Borracho about 10 miles out of Dana Point at the 267-Mile Bank last week. The fight lasted 6 hours 30 minutes. . . . Jim Kerr of North Hollywood caught a 305-pound halibut on Patterson Bay near Sitka, Alaska, aboard Capt. Ron Kelly’s Kristi K. It was the largest halibut taken in Alaska this year but it was a good luck-bad luck tale for Kerr. Alaska’s annual halibut derby, with a first prize of $15,000 and two Super Bowl tickets, didn’t start until four days later--and 269 pounds won it last year. . . . The 34th annual Hawaiian International Billfish tournament started at Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Monday with 77 teams from 20 countries. California has 18--two from the Laguna Niguel Billfish Club that won in 1985 and ’86. . . . Cabo San Lucas: A combined effort aboard the Gaviota Fleet’s Adriana took a 636-pound blue marlin, largest fish of the week. Scott Tichenor of Whittier released two blues and a striper. Mike Connelly of San Diego, fishing with the Finisterra Tortuga Fleet, released four blues and two sailfish in two days. East Cape: Gary and Jayne Seieroe, Santa Ana, in three days on the Wahoo II out of Hotel Palmas de Cortez, took six blues from 242 to 400 pounds, a wahoo, a dorado, three tuna and five roosterfish. Evan and Joanna Scheerer of Valley Village, Calif., honeymooning at Hotel Punta Colorada, caught a similar variety, topped by a 347-pound blue.

HUNTING--Dove season usually opens Sept. 1, but the California Fish and Game Commission won’t adopt the 1992-93 upland game bird regulations until Friday. That will require the Department of Fish and Game to ship two-page previews of the regulations to license agents and DFG offices next week. However the upland game and migratory waterfowl regulations will be published in one booklet, instead of the usual two, by mid-September.

BOATING--The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to repeal the so-called “user tax” fee affecting 4 million recreational boat owners. The U.S. Coast Guard enforces compliance but receives none of the revenue, meaning boat owners do not benefit directly. The House earlier voted for repeal, 339-78. The overwhelming votes could convince President Bush to change his mind about vetoing the bill. The fees, from $25 to $100 depending on boat size, would be phased out through Oct. 1, 1994. . . . Boating safety education classes starting soon are offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, (800) 869-SAIL or (800) 336-BOAT, and the U.S. Power Squadrons, (800) SEA-SKIL.

NOTEWORTHY--Travelers to the Eastern Sierra should not plan on a refreshment stop at Little Lake Lodge on U.S. 395 north of the Inyokern turnoff. It was gutted by fire two weeks ago.