Outdoor Notes : Long-Range Albacore Boats Finally Hit Jackpot

Skippers operating long-range boats out of San Diego have finally hit the jackpot while searching for albacore tuna. Several four-day boats recently reported catching large numbers of the longfins, some in the 40-pound class.

Bill Poole, skipper of the Polaris Supreme, was one of the first to locate a heavy concentration of the fish, and 18 anglers aboard his boat returned to port Aug. 8 with 429 albacore.

Tommy Rothrey then skippered the same boat to the same area--150 to 200 miles west of San Diego--and 24 anglers brought back 368 albacore, mostly in the 20-pound range, with a few weighing in at more than 40 pounds.

According to Denny Schrader, a reservations clerk at Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego, 29 anglers aboard the Royal Polaris also returned to port Aug. 8 with 527 albacore and 3 bigeye tuna.

So far, says Schrader, the fish still aren’t reachable by overnight boats, but he noted that there have been scattered reports of albacore being caught just 50 miles out.

Hunters hoping to participate in California’s first sage grouse season in four years are reminded by the Department of Fish and Game to have their postcard applications in by Monday to be eligible for the drawing to be conducted Tuesday.

A two-day season, set for Oct. 10-11, will be conducted in Mono and Inyo counties, and Sept. 5-6 in east Lassen County.

Bag limit is one bird a day, one bird a season for the Mono-Inyo hunts, and two birds a day, two a season for those who hunt the east Lassen area.

A total of 950 permits will be issued--300 for north Mono, 250 for south Mono-Inyo and 400 for the Lassen hunt.

Those who plan to apply for the Mono-Inyo hunts should include the names and hunting license numbers for up to four hunters per card, along with a return address, and indicate which hunt, north Mono or south Mono-Inyo, the application is for.

Applications should be mailed to: DFG Sage Grouse Hunt, 407 W. Line St., Bishop, Calif.. 93514.

Hunters can enter as many hunts as they wish, but only one postcard entry is allowed for each hunt. Successful applicants will be notified by mail within 10 days before the hunt date.

For the Lassen hunt, apply to 601 Locust St., Redding, Calif., 96001.

A Costa Mesa man is scheduled to appear in Orange County Municipal Court Thursday to face misdemeanor charges of illegally taking spiny lobster and abalone while skin diving in Orange County.

Curtis Dale Brestel, 26, was arrested in Corona del Mar July 30, as he emerged from the surf near Cameo Shores.

Warden Lt. Ron Hess of the DFG said that he and wardens Louise Fiorio and Virginia Stroski observed Brestel surface several times with undersized lobsters in his possession, removing the tails and discarding the bodies of the torn lobsters.

Also found in Brestel’s game bag were four abalone, one of which was undersized, and all of which are suspected of having been taken from a closed area.

Brestel was also charged with fishing without a license and with taking abalone with illegal gear. In all, 11 violations were listed when he was booked at Newport Beach police station and Brestel faces maximum penalties of $1,000 fines and six months in county jail on each charge.

Briefly

The perch and boating season at Crowley Lake will end Sept. 1, but anglers will be able to shore-fish from the North Landing and Leighton Springs. Trout season continues until the end of October. . . . Rebecca Dmytryk, a Los Angeles County animal control officer, and Bill Wirtz, a Pomona Valley College biology professor, will conduct a discussion for those interested in how to coexist with wildlife in the Greater Los Angeles area, including coyotes and rattlesnakes. For reservation information on the meeting, to be held Wednesday at Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, call (818) 992-0291. . . . Nature lovers: Griffith Park is now offering ranger-guided tours through parts of the park’s 4,000-acre wilderness area. . . . Paul Chappell, a 13-year veteran biologist for the DFG, has been assigned as unit fishery biologist for Lassen and Modoc counties. Chappell, 42, replaces Vern King, who retired in May. . . . Public access to the grounds of the Trinity River hatchery has been halted until further notice because of renovation construction projects, the DFG announced.