Talking tuna as trout fishing season nears

The spotlight may be on Saturday’s Eastern Sierra trout opener, but when somebody catches a 300-pound tuna it warrants a photo and headline, so pardon the saltwater interruption.

Georgia angler Mark Frankenberger caught the “supercow,” a 314-pound yellowfin, during an 18-day trip aboard the Royal Polaris, which returned to Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego on Saturday.

Frankenberger wasn’t aboard, having disembarked at Cabo San Lucas, but he posed with his catch before leaving.

It was the San Diego long-range fleet’s 21st yellowfin weighing 300 pounds or more this season.

The excursion to Hurricane Bank and Clarion Island off Mexico produced seven tuna weighing 200 pounds or more, including a 222.4-pounder subdued by Sue Beck of San Clemente.

Wahoo fishing also was consistent – 14 anglers caught 37 on one stop alone – during a voyage Capt. Frank LoPreste categorized as “sensational.”

Richard Losey collared the largest wahoo, a 60-pounder, using a pink Raider.

A fish fry for the ages

Beginning at dawn Saturday, tens of thousands of trout will not know what assailed them.

Fortunately for unsuspecting rainbows, crowds will be down during this year’s trout opener, because of a sour economy and $4-a-gallon gas.

Still, at least 30,000 anglers are expected to ply waters from Bishop to Bridgeport and if all catch their five-fish limits on Saturday and Sunday, 300,000 trout will be fit for the frying pan.

Catch-and-release purists must cringe at the notion.

Anticipation mounts

At sprawling Crowley Lake, aka Ground Zero, which may host 10,000 or more anglers, trout were becoming less lethargic and pecking at insects before gale-force winds raged through the region over the weekend.

Lane Garrett, manager of Crowley Lake Fish Camp, recorded gusts to 75 mph.

At Bridgeport Reservoir, concessionaire Jeffrey Wenger said that winds were so forceful that “entire sheets of water were flying off the lake and onto the land.”

Whether those sheets contained fish he could not tell, as he was too busy holding onto his hat.

But winds were subsiding Monday and the forecast for Saturday could not be better: mostly sunny with light winds and temperatures into the 50s and 60s.

“People want to start fishing early because they’re seeing monster trout pooling in the marina and near the outlet leading to the creek,” says Brian Balarsky, owner of Convict Lake Marina, just northwest of Crowley.

The water, however, is still unseasonably cold so anglers may require more patience than during recent openers.

Steve Marti, who runs Twin Lakes Resort near Bridgeport, on Monday recorded 34-degree water at Lower Twin, but said winds have oxygenated the lake and the weekend’s warming trend may set the fish into dining mode.

Gary Olson, who runs the concession at South Lake, says anglers at South and Sabrina lakes–both above 9,000 feet–will be fishing through holes in the ice and doing very well.

“Sabrina and South lakes traditionally kick out some pretty nice fish for opening weekend because it’s been dark beneath the ice for months and the fish are hungry,” Olson says.

“Then they see a hole and a light and boom, off they come and then you’ve got a big old night crawler or something hanging down there.”

It almost seems unfair.

Local saltwater

Philip Friedman, founder of 976tuna.com, monitors fishing around the clock and Monday afternoon shared these observations:

– Bonito: We’ve already received information from the Freelance out of Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach about some very good bonito fishing at Catalina Island. Two- to five-pound bonito have been gobbling sardines and anchovies all morning. Same at the Coronado Islands, as anglers aboard three-quarter-day boats are also catching bonito and some yellowtail. The yellowtail bite is gaining momentum.

– Rockfish: Excellent rockfishing everywhere as we await better surface fishing. Weather permitting, San Nicholas Island has produced wide-open rockfish action, and lots of lingcod. Local rockfish scores are also impressive.

– Yellowtail: The moment the water temperature exceeded 60 degrees at San Clemente Island, anglers on the Toronado out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach put five yellowtail aboard. Unfortunately, water temps dipped below 60 again, leaving us with yellowtail that don’t want to bite.

– White seabass: The weekend’s full moon might have spurred white seabass into action at Catalina, but wind and cold water trumped the full moon so we’re stuck with slow fishing.

South of the border

Cabo San Lucas: Bait peddlers are selling caballito but marlin are feeding on mackerel and squid, so fishing is exciting but frustrating, says Capt. George Landrum of Flyhooker Sportfishing.

Twelve-inch squid abound and almost-game fish being caught are stuffed with them. In fact, Landrum adds, wise anglers are netting squid spilling from the mouths of hooked marlin and using them for bait.

Dorado action is increasing, but the fish are small.

Eric Bricston at Gordo Banks Pangas adds that surf fishermen are catching halibut to about 25 pounds near La Playita and its estuary.

East Cape: Fly anglers are catching lots of small roosterfish and crevalle jack along the beach, while watching much larger fish terrorizing sardines a bit farther offshore.

Offshore, marlin have begun to feed more aggressively and the average is “at least one per boat,” says John Ireland, owner of Rancho Leonero Resort. Larger dorado are filtering in.

From March 31 through April 17, the Van Wormer Resorts fleet logged catches of 223 striped marlin and 831 dorado.

La Paz: Yellowtail are still lingering and some are running to 50 pounds, reports Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International. But early dorado and marlin bites, between windy periods, were even more welcome, as harbingers of spring and summer.

Roldan also reports the passing of Francisco “Pancho” Aguilar, who owned the Baja Pirate Fleet and died after suffering a heart attack. He was only 42.

Zihuatanejo: Sailfish abound in the blue water offshore, but the average catch is only one or two releases per boat, reports Ed Kunze for Baja on the Fly.

Maureen Bates caught what might have been a line-class women’s world record roosterfish, but the fish struck while the engine was in gear, which constitutes trolling, so it was merely photographed and released.

This week’s trout plants

LOS ANGELES – Alondra Park Lake, Arroyo Seco Creek, Belvedere Lake, Big Tujunga Creek (Lower & Upper), Cerritos Lake, Downey Lake, Echo Park Lake, Hollenbeck Park Lake, Jackson Lake, Kenneth Hahn Lake, La Mirada Lake, Legg Lakes, Lincoln Park Lake, Magic Johnson Lake, Peck Road Park Lake, Puddingstone Lake, San Gabriel River (East & West Forks) and Santa Fe Reservoir.

ORANGE – Laguna Lake and Trabuco Creek.

RIVERSIDE – Diamond Valley Reservoir, Hemet Lake and Perris Lake.

SAN BERNARDINO – Arrowbear Lake, Big Bear Lake, Cucamonga Creek, Cucamonga Guasti Park Lake, Glen Helen Park Lake, Gregory Lake, Lytle Creek (Middle & North Forks), Miller Canyon Creek, Prado Park Lake, Silverwood Lake and Yucaipa Lake.SAN DIEGO – Doane Pond and Murray Lake.

INYO – Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Intake 2), Bishop Creek Lower, Bishop Creek (Middle & South Forks), Cottonwood Creek, Diaz Lake, Georges Creek, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (below Tinnemaha), Owens River (Section 2), Pine Creek, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Rock Creek (Sections 1 & 2), Shepherd Creek, Symmes Creek, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek and Tuttle Creek.