NOTES / PETE THOMAS : Yellowjackets Signal Marlin on Their Way

It’s a little late, but it appears the local marlin season is getting under way.

It’s been more than a week since the season’s first fish, a 202 1/2-pound striper, was landed off the Coronado Islands aboard the private yacht Legend.

But since then the activity at the outer banks has been increasing steadily. And the yellowjackets are swarming around Santa Catalina Island. That can only be good news.

“They claim that when the yellowjackets come out the marlin are moving in,” said Rosie Cadman at Avalon Seafood, the island’s official weigh station. “It’s an old fisherman’s tale and you know what, it works. I’ve been here 28 years and every year the marlin show up with the yellowjackets.”

Cadman heard reports of several sightings in recent days, including two off the slide at the east end of the island, and of one hookup Tuesday.

“But I don’t believe any of it until I have the bill in my hands,” she said.

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The situation south of Point Loma seems to be improving slowly, with scattered schools of tuna well within range of San Diego’s overnight fleet.

In fact, the overnight boats, fishing to about 80 miles south of the landings, encountered better conditions than the long-range boats at 150 miles-plus. Those boats Tuesday were being battered by strong winds and heavy seas and high-tailing it north, where clear, calm seas were the rule.

There, at about 60 miles south, boats were reporting occasional encounters with large schools of bluefin, yellowfin and skipjack. The Producer, for example, running with only 12 people, had 19 bluefin and 13 skipjacks aboard early Tuesday afternoon. The Prowler had a combined 50 bluefin and yellowfin.

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Fishermen in southwestern Alaska’s Bristol Bay have netted more than 43 million sockeye salmon this summer, a record for the world’s biggest run of the prized fish, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said.

“This would be the second-largest run and the largest harvest,” department spokesman Herman Savikko said.

The previous harvest record was 40.8 million fish, caught in 1993, he said.

This year’s Bristol Bay sockeye run totaled 58.4 million fish through last Thursday and is expected to be just less than 60 million fish by summer’s end.

Fish and Game officials attribute the large run to good conditions in spawning lakes and “excellent marine survival,” said Savikko, adding, “You get all good luck going one way and this is the way things end up.”

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The Department of Fish and Game announced that it is accepting applications for 1995 sage grouse permits. Deadlines are in August and September for drawings for the fall hunts.

As if hunting the big birds isn’t difficult enough, the wet winter will make finding them even tougher this season, biologists say.

To enter, list your name and address, hunting license number and choice of hunting area and mail it to Department of Fish and Game, 3211 S St., Sacramento, Calif. Four hunters can apply on one card. Applications for the East Lassen and Central Lassen County permits are due by Aug. 14. The drawing is Aug. 16.

Those for the North Mono and Southern Mono-Northern Inyo County are due by Sept. 11. The drawing is Sept. 13.

Falconers can also apply for sage grouse permits by listing “Falconry Only” on their application.

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Underfunded and overcrowded public campgrounds cramping your style?

Thousands Trails/NACO, one of the largest private campgrounds in the nation, is trying to appeal to those fed up with such problems by offering an introductory offer allowing prospective campers to camp free, Monday through Thursday on a space-available basis, at any of its 62 preserves in the United States and British Columbia. After that, the introductory price is $19.95 for the first two nights and $16 for each night thereafter. The company has 19 campgrounds in California. Details: (800) 759-1000.

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Top local catches: A 45-pound white seabass, by Jim Sumie of Gardena aboard the Redondo Special at Rocky Point; a 39-pound yellowtail by Harvey Lewis of Rolling Hills, and a 32-pound yellowtail by Dale Duman of Lomita, also aboard the Redondo Special at Rocky Point; a 24-pound salmon, by Dave Pendleton of Los Angeles, aboard the Matt Walsh at the Horseshoe Kelp.