Itinerary: Go Fish

Fish bring tranquillity to quiet observers. Ditto to those looking for a lazy day, kicked back with a pole, when the only worry is: “Anything biting?”

Take some time to go beyond the surface.

Friday

If commuters stop racing from bus to train connections, they can check out the 7,500-gallon aquarium in the east portal of the Gateway Transit Center at historic Union Station.

Part of a larger public art project called “City of Dreams, River of History,” the aquarium is home to a sampling of our own coastal marine life, including 10 sharks, two large sheepshead fish and beautiful, bright orange garibaldi, California’s official marine fish.

For non-commuters, the aquarium is worth its own trip: Drive or take the Metro Red Line to the Union Station stop and follow signs up the escalator to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza. Or enter the Gateway Transit Center complex at Cesar Chavez Avenue and Vignes Street, then walk to the east portal area and take the stairs down.

Saturday

Shopping for fish can be fun and educational at Fumi’s Tropical Fish and Birds (4211 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., [323] 939-5255, Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m.).

This unassuming shop has been at the corner of Pico and Crenshaw boulevards for nearly 40 years, and stocks between 500 and 600 varieties of fish ranging from balloon mollys ($2.49 each) to the more exotic pipefish from Asia ($24.99), electric eel ($80), even a nurse shark ($550).

What’s owner Daniel Kim’s best advice for keeping healthy fish? “Spend more time with them. Most people just sprinkle in fish food and walk away. You’ve got to stay with your fish and watch them dine.”

Saturday is the Jelly Jubilee, an afternoon of events at the UCLA Marine Discovery Center (1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, directly under the carousel at the Santa Monica Pier, [310] 393-6149, noon to 4 p.m. Call for specific times of activities.) Kids can learn about the amazing sea jellies of the Santa Monica Bay through a variety of activities, including story time, lab time to examine the creatures’ diet, and a session on making a jelly costume hat.

At 3 p.m, it’s chow time for the center’s 12 young but hungry sharks. Afterward, peruse the center’s many displays on coastal marine life, including three touch tanks filled with sea stars, snails and hermit crabs. Admission: $3 a person; children younger than 3, free.

Sunday

The fish are always biting at Troutdale Landing (2468 Troutdale Drive, Agoura Hills, [818] 889-9993, weekends, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), where two ponds are stocked with rainbow trout, the Rolls-Royce of freshwater fish, according to manager Cheryl Clago.

For $5 a person, plus $1-$9 for each fish caught based on its length, a family can spend an hour or so here and take home a fish or two, or three or four. Visitors can also bring their own grills, have the staff clean their fish for 50 cents each, cook their catch on the spot, and enjoy it under a canopy of sycamore and oak trees.

If you’d rather leave frying the fish to someone else, check out Gladstone’s 4 Fish (17300 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, [310] GL-4-FISH). June features its sixth annual Salmonfest, with Copper River Salmon, the Dom Perignon of salmon, according to Gladstone’s. The fish--which average 20 to 24 pounds each--are flown in each morning. Entrees include salmon chardonnay pasta, ($19.99), salmon Caesar salad ($14.45) and jerk salmon with mango sauce ($20.99).