Fishing

Braedon Flynn got the text Friday from his friend Ryan Lawlor: Jumbo squid had invaded the waters off Newport Beach. Flynn, a Newport Beach native who had been around fishing all his life, had never encountered the oversized creatures. Lawlor, who'd tangled with them a few years ago off San Diego, promised to call Flynn if the squid ever made it to Newport Beach. So Flynn and Lawlor grabbed fishing rods Saturday night and jumped on a private boat with a third buddy, trailing a commercial vessel that was using sonar to locate the squid population.

When Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were teammates, Bryant used to joke about the lopsided results of their one-on-one games at the Lakers practice facility. On Friday evening, he proved that he wasn't just bragging. Fisher guarded Bryant on two possessions in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Lakers Western Conference Semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The mismatch resulted in consecutive baskets for Bryant. In the first sequence, Bryant shot a 14-foot turnaround fade away jumper over Fisher to tie the game at 76-76 with 8:17 remaining.

The cloud rolls in from the ocean like a long, thin tornado spinning maniacally on its side, wrapping around and stretching into the distance like the tail of a dark serpent. High above, a bird, possibly some sort of hawk, gracefully surfs the wind with awesome speed. The head of the serpent approaches quickly; the wind gathers intensity, pushing hard against my chest, and the temperature drops suddenly, practically stealing my breath. Cars pull to the shoulder as drivers are blinded by dust whipping across the Pacific Coast Highway at Point Mugu.

Simple fish stock Total time: 1 hour Servings: Makes a generous 2 quarts stock. 1 pound small fish, fish heads, bones, trimmings plus any shrimp shells 3 quarts water 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 onion 1 strip of lemon peel 1 strip of orange peel 1 stalk of celery 1 small carrot, split lengthwise Several stems of parsley Pinch of fresh thyme In a large, heavy-bottomed pot,...

Diving near Corona del Mar last lobster season, Mike Eimers could hardly believe the vision before him--a 15-pound behemoth that was all spikes and spines, with a big, fat tail, just waiting for boiling and buttering. "Lobzilla," Eimers said of the beast, now memorialized in a photo at Aquatic Center, his Newport Beach dive shop. When California's spiny lobster season opens at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, few divers will have a shot at landing such a trophy.

John Muir said Kings Canyon had everything Yosemite and Sequoia had--granite walls towering over wildflower meadows and ferny forests of giant trees--and yet those two were national parks 50 years before Kings Canyon joined the elite in 1940, after Ansel Adams showed his pictures to Congress.

With only 19 days before the newly restored Hansen Dam Recreational Center is open to the public, 375 pounds of catfish were dumped into the fishing lake Monday. The artificial lake and another for swimming will open Aug. 28, marking the initial phase of a 17-year project designed to restore the recreation area to its 1950s prominence among Los Angeles parks. The lakes will be opened to the public with daylong festivities Aug. 28.

A fisherman from the Riverside County community of Pedley and his Mexican guide, who had been missing for nearly two weeks after disappearing aboard a skiff in the Sea of Cortez, were found alive early Tuesday morning on the same deserted island whose shores they had been fishing. The body of a third fisherman also was discovered.

A pristine little fishing stream--unknown to many anglers, unfished by most--flows only about a two hours' drive from downtown Los Angeles. Bear Creek is the most subtle of streams. It is only 8 3/4 miles long and its source these days is what water seeps through the 76-year-old dam that restrains Big Bear Lake, Southern California's highest open and accessible mountain reservoir.

It's early morning, and the clouds still hang over Newport Harbor. But already, it's rush hour in the water at Newport Bait Co. Sea lions exchange barks with Zuke and Kilo, the dogs that protect the bait barge from swooping, hungry gulls. The barge, as it always does during the warm months, bobs in the channel between the rock jetties at the harbor entrance. And as usual, the fishing boats line up, waiting for sardines, anchovies or mackerel. John Cunningham, part-owner of Newport Bait Co.

Total time: 1 hour Servings: 4 Note: For the stew, use a white fish such as cod or halibut. 1 1/2 pounds fish fillets Salt 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 quart water 1 onion, quartered 2 bay leaves 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons sweet pimentón (paprika, not smoked) 2 tablespoons wine vinegar 1. Cut the fish fillets into chunks and place the fish in a bowl.

Birds twitter and sunshine twinkles through groves of bamboo and banyan trees adorned with cascades of orchids. With every step, my Vibram boot soles crush hibiscus blossoms littering a pathway, while butterflies flutter around a group of elderly folks welcoming the morning with the gracious silent semaphore of tai chi. At a clearing where remnants of a World War ll gun emplacement rust, half-swallowed in greenery, an opening in the jungle reveals...

MAMMOTH LAKES - On the banks of a jutting little river, I'm trying to think like a trout thinks: Did I pay the mortgage on time? When do the Kings play next? Whatever happened to that sassy Helen Hunt? No, wait, those are my thoughts. Then, WHAM, something takes the lure and I'm officially a fly fisherman. Constantly looking for an activity where my deficiencies aren't quite so apparent, something outdoors where I don't have to run a lot, or strip down to my skivvies, or maintain eye contact for more than a moment, I am drawn now to fly fishing, not so much a sport as a Christopher Guest movie.

Fly-fishing season in Wyoming starts next month and lasts well into fall. The Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa in Jackson offers a three-night package perfect for those who want a few quiet days of fishing with a little luxury too. The Angler's Dream package includes three nights lodging and two days of private guided fishing on the Snake River just a few miles away. When not on the river, guests can relax at the spa or take a dip in one of the lodge's heated pools. It's a good jumping off point for visiting Grand Teton National Park (from the  southern entrance)

Tests on seafood sold at Los Angeles sushi bars, other restaurants, and grocery stores have revealed that more than half is not labeled correctly, a nonprofit organization is reporting. Red snapper, Dover sole, white tuna and other fish were often different species, the group Oceana found in DNA tests of seafood from 74 retail outlets in Los Angeles. In all, 55% of 119 fish samples from across L.A. were misidentified, Oceana said. Oceana focused on the frequency of mislabeling rather than its origins.

The mountain lion hunt that put California Fish and Game Commission President Daniel W. Richards in the center of a political firestorm has him in trouble again. The enforcement chief for the state's Fair Political Practices Commission informed Richards on Thursday that he had violated the gift limits of the Political Reform Act when he went on the Idaho hunt but failed to pay the fee that the Flying B Ranch usually imposes. Richards eventually reimbursed the ranch $6,800 on March 5, but he did it after the expiration of the 30-day time period that state officials are given to pay back the value of an illegal gift, and after a complaint had already been filed with the FPPC.

Asian carp may indeed be poised to destroy commercial fishing as we know it in the Great Lakes, but Reggie McLeod likes his smoked or pickled. The Vietnamese community cooks carp in coconut milk with lemongrass and chili peppers. The Polish like to draw out the pungent fishy odor by soaking it in milk and onions. At Joe Tess Place in Omaha, Neb., which has proudly served deep-fried carp sandwiches since the 1930s, it's presented on rye bread with fries and handmade coleslaw.

Francis Pedneau, a Lone Pine contractor, went fishing at Haiwee Reservoir in the lower Owens Valley one day last June, using himself as bait. A caretaker employee of the Los Angeles City Department of Water and Power bit. "They tried to run me out," Pedneau said. "I said no. That had never happened to them before. They'd tell people they were trespassing, and nobody ever refused to go." When the DWP man said he would call the Inyo County Sheriff's Dept., Pedneau said: "Fine. I'll be right here .

If you've got company, it's always a nice touch to break through the salt crust tableside. It's like doing a magic trick. But return the fish to the kitchen to fillet it, since this is a messy process. • Using two spatulas, gently lift the fish out of its salt bed and onto a clean work surface (it will be tender and want to fall apart easily). Scrape off any salt clinging to the fish with the blade of your slicing knife. It's important to be as thorough as possible with this.

SACRAMENTO — The president of the California Fish and Game Commission violated state gift limits when he accepted a free guided cougar hunt in Idaho, ethics officials alleged Thursday. But Daniel W. Richards belatedly reimbursed the Flying B Ranch for the $6,800 hunt after media outlets reported the Idaho outing, so the enforcement chief of the Fair Political Practices Commission issued a warning letter rather than seek fines. State law bars officials from accepting gifts of more than $420 from certain sources.