After Showers Comes Calm Before Storm of Great Fishing

The less serious side of the havoc caused by two weeks of rain affected freshwater fishing throughout Southern California.

Some lakes and reservoirs, such as Irvine, Silverwood and El Capitan, either could not be fished or could not be reached, while others spilled water over their dams for the first time in a decade.

Sandy Agueda said from the restaurant at Lake Wohlford near Escondido: “I have no fish report. We’re nothing but a mudhole. The level is about as high as we can get.”

With Lake Wohlford Road to Escondido closed, there was only one way into Wohlford.

The trophy-size striped bass at Silverwood in the San Bernardino Mountains were safe because there was no way in to the lake, except for residents along California 138 and 173. The largemouth bass at El Capitan in San Diego County got a reprieve because authorities feared anglers would be stranded by rising water. Irvine in Orange County rose 35 feet until water ran over the dam, filling coves that had long been dry. Trout Island is actually an island again.

At Lake Cachuma near Santa Barbara, the water went over the dam early Saturday. Before the runoffs and rainy season end, it also was expected to top out at nearby Lake Casitas and Lake Piru.

The rising water caused concessionaires to scramble to move docks and small service buildings to high ground, but most sites expect to be ready for fishing by Friday.

“All those pent-up, cabin-fever fishermen are going to be hitting us like crazy,” Agueda said.

Dick Gaumer of Irvine said: “When this calms down, we’re going to have even better fishing. There are more places for the fish to be, more spawning areas and cover for spring bass and crappie.”

Jim Brown, manager of the San Diego Lakes, said: “It sounds flip to talk about how good the fishing is going to be when there’s such a downside to it, with all the lives lost and property damage.”

But for fishing, Brown added: “Too much water is a better problem than too little water. Every fisherman is very aware that expanding water areas is like expanding the size of your apartment house. You can get more people in. We’re going to see quantum leaps in the quality of fishing.”

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Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari apparently heard the protests from the Baja sportfishing industry against the prospect of Japanese commercial long-line boats inside the 50-mile limit.

PESCA, Mexico’s governing body for fisheries, was to discuss the applications for 12 long-line permits this week. Salinas sent word through Secretary of Fisheries Guillermo Jiminez Morales to Luis Bulnes, leader of the Cabo San Lucas boat owners’ group, that no permits would be issued.

Some of the long-line boats have been in Mexico for the last few months, anticipating a green light. Sportfishers feared that their operations would devastate the waters, especially for marlin and other billfish.

In another matter, local authorities in Cabo reversed last month’s decision to deny permits to private foreign boats to fish Socorro Island.

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Briefly

FRESHWATER FISHING--Gary Richey of La Mirada is the early California leader in this year’s Goodyear/Bassin’ Big Bass World Championship with a catch of 12.37 pounds at Castaic Lake. Bigger bass have been caught in California but not registered. The national leader is John Wigglesworth of Perry, Fla., who caught a 15.98-pound largemouth on a Culprit Worm. Details: (800) 473-4405. . . . The American Bass Assn. will open its tournament season at Lake Perris Saturday. Details: (310) 376-1026.

FISHING INSTRUCTION--Bass pros Larry Nixon, Don Iovino, Jeff Boyer, Greg Hines, Mike Ingle and Dick Healey are the instructors for the Bass Fishing Techniques Institute on Saturday and Sunday at El Caminmo College in Torrance. Fee: $69. Details: (310) 715-3116. . . . College of the Canyons offers “An Introduction to Bass Fishing in Southern California” on Tuesdays from Jan. 26 to Feb. 16, 7-10 p.m. Fee: $47. Details: (805) 259-7800, ext. 304. . . . Bob Crupi’s 1 1/2-hour instructional video, “Bodacious Bass” is available by phoning (800) 383-2277. Price: $37.37, including tax, shipping and handling. . . . The East Fork Fly Fishing Store in Irvine starts a weekly series of six Beginners Mini-Courses tonight, 6:30-8:30 p.m., covering all aspects of the sport. Fee: $10 each night. Bob Moyer will teach beginning fly tying Jan. 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fee: $50, including lunch, pre-registration required. Details: (714) 724-8840. . . . Emmet Heath, Fly Rod & Reel Magazine’s 1992 guide of the year, will tell the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers about fishing Utah’s Green River at their dinner meeting at the Encino Glen Thursday night. Dinner is $18 for members, $20 for non-members. Details: (818) 785-7306. . . . Pacific Edge Bait & Tackle will host a winter squid fishing seminar with instructors Mark Wisch and Kit McNear Thursday, Jan. 28, 7-10 p.m., at the Church of Religious Science, 500 Marina Dr., Seal Beach. Fee: $10. Details: (714) 840-4262.

MEXICAN FISHING--Cabo San Lucas: Blue marlin still being caught. Wayne Green of San Diego had a 418-pound catch aboard the Huntress, topping a total of 46 for the week, with 24 released. Striped marlin running from 110 to 180 pounds, including one taken by an angler who switched from a disabled boat to another during the fight. Dorado and yellowfin tuna slow. San Jose Del Cabo: Good bite on stripers 5-8 miles offshore. Mazatlan: Yellowfin tuna dominating the catch, followed by sailfish, dorado and striped marlin. San Diego long-range: Tom Rothery’s Polaris Supreme, 17 days to Clarion Island with 17 anglers, took 142 yellowfin, 242 wahoo and 90 pargo. Seven tuna topped 200 pounds, the largest 281.6 by Joe Jonovic of Mission Viejo.

ARCHERY--The Conejo Valley Archers’ annual Critter Shoot 3-D Tournament, postponed last weekend, has been rescheduled Sunday at Camarillo Regional Park. Details: (805) 492-0859.