THE OUTDOORS : Outdoor Notes : Other Fish Are Lured in Absence of Albacore

Some San Diego skippers running two-day trips have found enough exotic species to keep sport fishing interest alive although the eagerly anticipated albacore have been scarce in California and Mexican waters.

The Point Loma, skippered by Greg Trompas, returned to port over the weekend from a trip 180 miles south of San Diego with 176 yellowtail--ranging from 12 to 25 pounds--6 yellowfin tuna, 10 skipjacks and 2 dorado.

The catch came from a school of fish, that according to Trompas, was 3 miles deep. More San Diego-based boats are expected to fish the area in the next few days. But because the fish are out of range of the one-day boats, some San Diego landings have begun to offer 1 1/2-day trips.

No one seems sure why the albacore haven’t shown up in significant numbers, and the effort to find them has all but been stopped.

Even the commercial fishing boats normally active off the California coast at this time of year have gone elsewhere.

“There’s no real effort (to find albacore) anymore,” said Ron Dotson, a marine biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. “The (commercial fishing fleet) has found a pretty good (albacore) bite up in Oregon, so most of them are up there.”

Dotson said the traditional albacore area locally is adequate. “It’s just the right temperature, clean and there’s plenty of bait,” he said. “Just no fish.”

So far, 1988 is shaping up as a banner year for marlin fishermen in Southern California, according to Rosie Cadman at Avalon Sea Foods. Cadman, who has been weighing marlin for the last 21 years, said there have been 15 billfish--one was a swordfish--brought to her since the July 4 weekend.

The latest was a 109-pounder caught Tuesday morning 6 miles off the slide, a mining area just east of Avalon. Most of the striped marlin Cadman has weighed have been caught at the 267-fathom mark near the 14-mile bank off the coast of Newport Beach. Last year there were 209 marlin brought to Avalon’s weigh station and this season is expected to produce similar results.

The San Diego Marlin club reports similar success, with 16 stripers and a yellowfin tuna brought there since early July. J.D. Doughty at Bisbee’s Tackle in Newport Beach said he has heard of many more of the scrappy billfish being caught and released.

Most of the stripers at both landings have been caught with artificial marlin lures, the rest having taken live mackerel.

Marlin fishing at Cabo San Lucas has been improving dramatically since late June as many boats have been catching between 12 to 24 stripers a day. Doughty, who maintains contact with fishermen in the area, said blue marlin also are beginning to bite.

“Some have caught 1-3 blue marlin a day, most between 175 and 250 pounds but some up to 300 pounds,” he said.

Briefly

Advance reservations are required for the opening weekend of the waterfowl hunting season on Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the California portion of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Post card applications will be accepted by mail Aug. 1-15. . . . Openings are available throughout August for fly fishing classes for all skill and age levels at Marriott’s Fly Fishing Center in Fullerton. Openings also are available for Marriott’s Eastern Sierra class Aug. 19-22 and two similar classes to be held in September. . . . Stage I fire restrictions are in effect in the Angeles National Forest, meaning campfires are allowed only in developed, drive-in campgrounds.