Revillagigedo OK’d and Anglers Rejoice

Anglers aboard the Royal Polaris probably didn’t sleep much the last two days. And they probably won’t get much rest in the next few.

Tuna the size of buffalo will see to that.

The long-range fishing boat from Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego was the first out of the gate after Mexico announced last Friday that it would issue permits to fish the Revillagigedo Islands, after all. The boat left Saturday at about noon and arrived on the scene, more than 1,200 miles south-southwest of Point Loma, early Tuesday.

Efforts to reach skipper Steve Loomis from the landing late Tuesday were unsuccessful, but he had reported ideal conditions upon his arrival at about 2 a.m.

“The people are tickled to death and glad just to be there,” said Frank LoPreste, the boat’s owner, from the landing office. “I would expect them to get right into the wahoo and it’s only a matter of time before they get the tuna going.”

The tuna LoPreste speaks of are yellowfins ranging from 50 to 400 pounds, with the larger fish sometimes taking hours to land. The four-island Revillagigedo chain is the only place in which they are found in such abundance.

And it appeared for a while that nobody would be able to fish for them.

Mexico, citing mostly concerns over the poaching of giant manta rays and small tropical fish sold for use in aquariums, last year designated the islands an ecological reserve and closed them to all fishing.

The Sportfishing Assn. of California, which has been arguing on behalf of the fleet since before the season was scheduled to begin after last Thanksgiving, apparently finally succeeded in convincing Mexico that the fleet in no way endangers manta rays, which prefer much shallower water than tuna, and that it specifically targets tuna and wahoo, two fisheries reported to be in excellent shape.

Mexico issued the permits Saturday morning, faxing them to SAC President Bob Fletcher, who hand-delivered them to the fleet offices.

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Fletcher, the key player in the effort to get Mexico to issue the permits, said his work isn’t done. The permits are only for this year.

Mexico is still drafting a long-term management plan for the islands, and Fletcher is trying to work the fleet into the plan, which would ensure future seasons.

The elite sportfishers with range enough to effectively fish the islands number fewer than a dozen, but they have managed to stay afloat all these years because of the highly specialized trips they offer--at a cost of more than $2,000 a person.

Had there been no season, losses resulting from canceled reservations would have been in the hundreds of thousands. As it is, nearly three months have been lost and boat owners such as LoPreste are trying to salvage what is left of this season, which ends in May.

“We’re getting a few calls,” LoPreste said. “I’ve even called some of the people I knew wanted to go and they weren’t even aware that the season is back on.”

Tuna fishermen will probably remember what they had been missing when the first reports come in from the Royal Polaris.

Briefly

BAJA FISHING--Striped marlin are congregating at the Golden Gate Bank north of Cabo San Lucas and if it develops into anything like last season’s bite, it figures to be a crazy place for quite a while. Some boats are already reporting as many as six hookups a day, catching the fish on lures and live bait. For those who want them, dorado from six to 30 pounds are available a short boat ride from the harbor.

The San Jose Del Cabo panga fleets are still targeting yellowfin tuna at the Gordo Banks and having no trouble finding fish from 12-35 pounds, with a few dorado mixed in. The only problem is an abundance of skipjack, a pesky less-desirable tuna nobody wants.

Up the coast at Loreto, yellowtail to 16 pounds have broadened their range and anglers are catching many, but still waiting for the bigger fish to show. . . . Baja expert Neil Kelly will give a seminar on winter fishing in Baja on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. at the Discover Baja Travel Club office in San Diego. Details: (800) 727-2252.

FLY-FISHING--The Southwest Council Federation of Fly Fishers is holding an awards dinner-auction Feb. 4 at Taix’s in Los Angeles. Among featured items is a collector’s edition signed fly-fishing book from the estate of the late actor, William Conrad, a noted fisherman-conservationist. Funds from the event will go toward various conservation projects. Details: (909) 792-4751. . . . A five-week course in fly-tying is being offered by the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers beginning next Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. at Van Nuys Senior Citizens Center in Van Nuys. Details: (818) 846-6597.

CONSERVATION--The Department of Fish and Game and various groups are in their 26th year of the Volunteer Desert Water and Wildlife Survey. And, as they do every year, the groups are asking for volunteers to help build guzzlers, develop springs and conduct a census. Details: (213) 256-0463.