OUTDOOR NOTES / RICH ROBERTS : Friendly Trout Lawsuit Becoming a Testy Case

The California Department of Fish and Game announced that it plans to plant 1.556 million catchable-size, hatchery-grown rainbow trout throughout Southern California this year.

It might be a lot fewer than that--by almost 1.556 million.

Trout Unlimited’s so-called “friendly” lawsuit against the DFG’s hatchery program filed last year became less friendly when attorney Barrett McInerney, frustrated by a lack of response, served DFG with a complaint last week.

The suit, McInerney said, “is at least ‘irritable’ right now.”

The DFG is required to respond by Feb. 4. If it doesn’t, McInerney said he will request a restraining order to stop all trout planting by the DFG throughout the state.

“This is the first I’ve heard of that (latest threat),” John Sullivan, the DFG’s chief deputy director, said.

Trout Unlimited thinks that wild trout are more fun to catch than docile hatchery fish and that the state should turn its inland fisheries program in that direction.

“If everybody knew how mismanaged the planting operation has been, it would disturb a lot of people as well,” McInerney said.

“There should be certain lakes for planted fish . . . (for) young kids and seniors and maybe persons with disabilities. But just to drive around like the Easter Bunny with a tanker truck squirting fish into streams when the fish aren’t surviving and the ones that do are impacting wild fish and spreading disease. . . .

“We’re trying to tell them we’ll give you the time, help you in every way we can, but they don’t want to deal with the problem. It’s stupid to do it through the court system.”

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Baja California’s sportfishing is threatened by a fleet of Japanese commercial long-line vessels that could “devastate the area,” especially for billfish, according to one member of the industry.

PESCA, Mexico’s governing body for fisheries, has scheduled a hearing Monday to consider granting 12 long-line permits to the Japanese boat owners. Mexican law otherwise prohibits commercial fishing for billfish within 50 miles of shore, and sportfishermen say billfish would account for far more than an incidental catch for the long-liners, whose hooks trail for miles.

Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said: “If they open it up, it’ll devastate the area.”

But Luis Bulnes, owner of the Solmar Hotel in Cabo San Lucas and a director of the local sportfishing association, said he thinks he has organized enough outrage among the sportfishing industry throughout Baja California to persuade PESCA to deny the permits.

“The Japanese fishermen are the mosty predatory fishermen in the world,” Bulnes said.

“Everywhere they have gone fishing they have made the waters a Sahara. We are going to fight. It is not going to be easy for them.”

Bulnes said the long-liners are trying to get the permits under the “camouflage” of a scientific survey on marlin.

“We don’t need to do any studies to find out what we already know from 25 years of doing this,” Bulnes said.

Briefly

MEXICAN FISHING--Cabo San Lucas: Roger Lewis of Los Angeles, with two sons and a friend, caught and released 15 striped marlin in two days aboard the Minerva III. Last July, his son, Greg Lewis, caught a 660-pound blue marlin, the fourth largest at Cabo last year. Overall, marlin were biting from Chileno to Gordo Banks, following large flocks of birds over schools of bait fish. Tony Santaraya of Los Angeles caught a marlin, a hammerhead shark and five dorado during a half-day trip aboard the panga El Tapir. Otherwise, dorado have slowed down, wahoo are scarce, yellowfin tuna are running from 50 to 200 pounds and roosterfish 10 pounds. The 10 largest blue marlin taken last year ranged from 1,070 to 568 pounds. San Diego long-range: The Royal Star, 10 days to Alijos Rocks and Morgan Bank, took 353 yellowfin to 86.8 pounds, releasing 77. The Qualifier Excel, 10 days to the Potato and Morgan banks, took limits of yellowfin, plus 75 yellowtail, 33 wahoo and 125 grouper. Diane (Dee Dee) Mondor of Riverside and Susan Tobias of Tucson were one-two in the jackpot with yellowfin weighing 113.2 and 102.4 pounds.

FRESHWATER FISHING--Allan Cole of Lancaster will demonstrate his custom AC Plug at the Castaic Lake launch ramp Saturday at about 4 p.m., after a largemouth bass tournament. The lures sell for $40.

FLY-FISHING--The Downey Fly Fishers will offer a free fly-tying class each Tuesday night at 7:30 for seven weeks, starting next week, at the Rio San Gabriel Park’s Community Room. Limited tools and materials available. Details: (310) 425-7936. . . . Terry Gunn, operator of Lee’s Ferry Anglers on the Colorado River, will speak at the Pasadena Casting Club’s meeting Thursday night at 7:30 at the Masonic Temple, 3130 Huntington Dr.

HUNTING--The Inland Empire chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its first meeting next Monday night at 7:30 at the Sizzler restaurant, 1750 Hamner, in Norco (one block east of Interstate 15 at Second Street). Details: (818) 792-9567. . . . Lake Barrett led the duck hunting at San Diego reservoirs last week, with 12 hunters averaging 2.7 ducks, mostly ringnecks. At Otay, 17 hunters took 24 ducks, mostly mallards.

BOATING--Dodge Morgan will tell of his 150-day, 27,000-mile solo sail around the world at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Corona del Mar and Monday night at 7:30 at the Long Beach YC. Admission: $10.