Sorry, Charlie, It’s Only an Opah

Chris Isom, 27, an auto parts dealer from La Habra, thought he had his hooks into a prized bluefin tuna, but when the bright- orange, moon- shaped creature came into view, he knew . . . well, he didn’t know what to think.

“My heart sank when I saw that stupid fish,” he said. “I thought it was just a big goldfish.”

His spirits were lifted Thursday when the fish, an opah, a bizarre- looking species generally found in subtropical waters, tipped the scale at Balboa Angling Club at 131 pounds 8 ounces.

Isom, who caught the opah Wednesday during an overnight trip aboard the Thunderbird out of Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach, has submitted his catch as an all-tackle world record. If approved by the International Game Fish Assn., it will beat the existing record by nine pounds.

“It might have weighed more,” he said. “But when we pulled it over the rail about a pound-and- a-half of red crabs spilled out of its mouth.”

SASHIMI, ANYONE?

Anglers aboard the Gallilean on Wednesday hit the jackpot, tangling with giant bluefin and large albacore that were schooled together in an area 80 miles southwest of Point Loma.

In all, they boated more than 50 bluefin, with six weighing more than 100 pounds, and limits of albacore ranging from 25-40 pounds.

“It’s the size of the fish that has everyone so excited,” said Kevin Copeland, a spokesman at Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego. “The bluefin are huge, but the albacore are also bigger,” which means there are more fish moving up the coast. “The albacore had been weighing 12-15 pounds.”

BILL OF FARE

Cabo San Lucas has a new gourmet restaurant, Again & Again, whose specialties are lobster, fillet mignon with mushroom sauce and, of course, fresh fish. But it’s not only what’s on the menu that’s bringing in customers, it’s what is on the wall: a replica of the largest blue marlin ever caught, a 3,400-pound monster taken aboard a commercial net boat in South America. Owner Roberto Marquez apparently knew what he was doing when he shelled out $4,000 to have the mount shipped over.

PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS

* Poachers beware: Four Department of Fish and Game wardens--Mark Jeter, Jesse Keiser, John Laughlin and Tim Olivas--won the gold medal while competing as a team in the top division of the annual Police Olympics in Concord, Calif. Among teams they beat in the police-action pistol competition--overcoming obstacles while trying to hit different targets in a race against the clock--were those representing the LAPD, the California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept.

* Noteworthy cause: More than 250 children, most of them economically disadvantaged children from inner-city youth clubs and homes, were treated to a day of fishing Monday by the Los Angeles Rod & Reel Club, which has been doing this annually for 49 years.

Their haul: 546 bass, 304 barracuda, 80 mackerel, four rockfish, three halibut and two sheephead. Not bad considering that many of the kids had never even been to the beach before. “They also ate 300 hot dogs and 400 hamburgers; they literally cleaned us out,” said Frank Polak, a spokesman for the fishing club.

* Hot off the press: California Hog Hunter, the state’s first and only newsletter devoted to wild pigs and those who shoot them, offers profiles of guides, features on hunts, news and a listing of places to go. Cost is $15 per issue, and they’re available at Turner’s Outdoorsman stores or on a subscription basis by calling (909) 887-3444. Jim Matthews, a writer and hunter, is the editor.

* Hot off the ‘Net: Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) has begun offering high-resolution topographical HorizonMaps, charted by the U.S. Geological Survey, that can be downloaded and customized from the Web site, https://www.rei.com. Cost is $3.99 per map. The inventory currently includes 6,000 maps featuring California, Oregon and Washington. The site eventually will feature 50,000 maps covering the United States.

* Boating: The annual American Boating Jubilee will run July 31-Aug. 9 at Shoreline Village Marina in Long Beach. More than 150 boats will be on display in the water. Cost is $8 for adults and free for children 12 and under. Hours are noon-8 p.m. weekdays; 10- a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays.