Unusual Fish Caught Off Cabo San Lucas

From Cabo San Lucas, famous for its marlin, tuna, dorado and wahoo, comes word of a bizarre catch involving a Colorado angler and a large, strange-looking fish whose species even the most experienced skippers at Land’s End were unable to identify.

One fleet owner’s description of the orange-colored beast: “The same shaped head as a male dorado, the body form of a yellowfin tuna, a wide but blunt tail and the color of a red snapper.”

Pat McNellis of Littleton, Colo., and his wife, Jill, caught the 165-pound fish on a recent trip to Gordo Bank, not long after boating a 110-pound striped marlin.

Jill said the fish appeared to have been injured because it offered no fight. “We basically just grabbed it” when it came to the boat, she said.

It was eventually identified by local biologists as Luvarus imperialis . The fish in question had everything but the V-shaped tail of a Luvarus imperialis but usually prefers much colder water.

Gary Sakagawa, a La Jolla marine biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the fish has a worldwide distribution and has been found throughout the cooler regions of the Eastern Pacific.

“I know they’ve been caught off Oregon,” he said.

They have small mouths, no teeth to speak of and reach weights of about 300 pounds. They are caught only incidentally by commercial net fishermen and, with flesh that is tender and white, are sometimes sold as table fare in fine restaurants as “louvar.”

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Another Cabo angler, also fishing the Gordo Bank, last week reeled in a giant ocean sunfish.

The disk-like monsters are often seen beneath the surface but rarely caught. However, a 295-pounder was snagged by Tijuana’s Lidia Aceves on a blue-green tuna clone lure and put up a 45-minute fight before succumbing.

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Quail Unlimited’s Liz Wiley offers this tidbit in a group newsletter: “Shake ‘n Bake is an easy, tasty way of cooking up any rattlesnake you might have in the freezer.”

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On the subject of, uh, food, the Colorado Division of Wildlife suggests this Mother’s Day gift: The Colorado Catch Cookbook.

Featured are such delights as Venison Chimichangas, Fricasseed Raccoon and Rainbow Trout with Artichoke Sauce. (There might even be an alternative recipe for rattlesnake.)

It might make a better Father’s Day gift, though. Division offices say to allow three weeks for delivery.

Briefly

NOTEWORTHY--The Easter Seal Society and Outdoor Safaris International are co-sponsoring the annual “Junior Disabled Kids’ Learn to Fish” program at Santa Ana River Lakes on Friday. Volunteers are needed for the 400 youths expected to participate. Details: (714) 635-1337 or (714) 632-7851. . . . The 976-TUNA Youth Fishing Foundation is hosting fishing trips every Friday this month for inner-city children aboard the Redondo Sportfishing deep-sea barge. Redondo is providing the barge, John Bourget of the Santa Monica Bay Halibut Derby is providing a cash donation to feed the children, Daiwa is providing the rods and reels and 976-TUNA is providing tackle and instruction. The Friday events are part of the L.A.’s BEST After School Enrichment Program, aimed at giving “at-risk children free, safe supervision after school.”

FISHING--It’s beginning to look like spring locally off the coast. Barracuda are breezing on the surface. Sand bass are filtering in across the bottom. Calico bass are darting out of the kelp to feed. But making the biggest splash are the white sea bass that keep popping up along the backside of Catalina and the salmon that refuse to leave the Santa Barbara-Ventura area. “The salmon are killing our business,” said Don Ashley, owner of Long Beach Sportfishing. “Everyone wants to go up there and catch one and no one is coming out here.”

BOATING--A law is in effect requiring that life jackets be provided for all passengers aboard boats 16 feet or less. Previously, all that was needed were throwable personal flotation devices such as seat cushions or ring buoys. About 300 people die in accidents in small boats each year, and statistics indicate that in nearly 90% of the cases the victims aren’t wearing life jackets. . . . As part of Safe Boating Weekend on May 20-21, free U.S. Coast Guard safety inspections will be offered to boat owners in the parking lot of West Marine in Marina del Rey.

MISCELLANY--Penn Fishing University is conducting a seminar on freshwater bass and saltwater local species Thursday at Moreno’s Mexican restaurant in Orange. Details: (714) 538-8010. . . . The annual Spring Boat Show begins a five-day run today at Fairplex-L.A. County Fairgrounds. . . . United Anglers of Southern California’s annual banquet-auction is Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. The primary objectives are to raise money for the ongoing white sea bass restoration program and the fight to place controls on the growing longline fleet in California ports. Details: (714) 846-8259.