NOTES : Santa Rosa Run Yields Bluefin

Bluefin tuna have shown off the southern end of Santa Rosa Island, according to skipper Steve Kelly of the Island Tak, which runs out of Cisco’s Sportfishing in Oxnard.

Kelly was fishing for calico bass and barracuda just outside the kelp beds when the tuna began boiling near his boat.

“It was very odd,” he said of the fish, which generally prefer a deeper and bluer ocean. “The water was 58 degrees and brown.”

Unfortunately, the bass and barracuda were feeding on the live squid as fast as it could be cast into the water. Kelly’s passengers had a hard time getting bait out to the tuna, which remained well off the stern, yet were still attracted to the “chum,” bait thrown for that very purpose.

Only one tuna was landed--a 21-pounder--and another was hooked and lost.

“We had 30 or 40 in our chum line,” said Kelly, who has fished the Channel Islands for 16 years. “And yes, there are more fish still out there.”

The landing has been busy booking rock cod trips for the winter, but the Pacific Dawn is planning an exploratory trip to Santa Rosa Monday in hopes of proving Kelly right.

Bluefin tuna made headlines last January when hundreds of the biggest tuna ever taken--six- to seven-feet long and weighing from 300 to more than 1,000 pounds--were caught in nets by commercial fishing boats from the waters of Santa Rosa and San Nicolas islands.

Chris Hart, a teacher who lives in Santa Ana, came close to a line-class world record for California halibut Sunday, if the scale at his local supermarket was accurate.

Hart, 28, was fishing with 15-pound test line off the Twin Towers in Santa Monica Bay when he caught a halibut that weighed 38 pounds at the Vons market near his home.

“I took it through the store,” he said. “You should have seen the customers. The fish was 45 inches long.”

Asked why he traveled so far north for a day of fishing, Hart replied, “Because that’s where the flatties are biting.”

The current world record “flattie” in the 15-pound category is a 38-pound 8-ounce halibut caught last year off Catalina Island.

Striped marlin are still being taken offshore near the southernmost Channel Islands, but the action has slowed some as the fish have begun to migrate south to warmer waters.

“They’re all heading for Mexico,” said Rosie Cadman, who during this banner season has weighed in 393 marlin at the Avalon weigh station.

Arcadia’s Bruce Brenner, while aboard his Mini Fisher II, acted as captain, angler and gaffer in catching Avalon’s last official striper--a 147-pounder taken on 12-pound test line.

Cadman said the weigh station has officially closed until next season.

The Balboa Angling Club and San Diego Marlin Club are reporting that most of the marlin are being sighted--few are being caught--several miles southwest of China Point, on the east end of San Clemente Island.

Poachers have been busy harassing Nevada’s elk population, with at least eight of the majestic animals having been killed illegally in recent weeks. The state’s Department of Wildlife says it is certain that several more have been poached as well.

“We have had animals shot and left in the field to go to waste only so poachers could have trophy antlers to hang on their walls,” said warden Eric Williams, whose area includes the Humboldt Forest, home to Nevada’s largest--and most accessible--elk herd.

Williams attributes the growing problem to the area’s large number of trophy-sized elk.

The public can report suspected wildlife violations by calling Operation Game Thief at (800) 992-3030.

Briefly

The Zebco Bassin’ Conference, in conjunction with Ronnie Kovach’s Fishing Ventures, will be held Nov. 18 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Cerritos Community College in Norwalk. Instructors include U.S. Open winners Mike Folkestad and Larry Hopper, former world-record holder Bob Bringhurst and veteran guide Dave Mitchell. Fee: $25.00. Information: (213) 860-2451, ext. 521.

Fly fishing: Beginning 1 1/2-day classes, taught by Maggie Merriman, Nov. 11-12 and 18-19. Contact Marriott’s Fly Fishing Center, (714) 525-1827.