BAJA OFFERS PROOF THERE'S PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA.

Byline: Rochelle Kaplan Special to the Daily News

Rock fishing might be a distant memory to anglers who relied on sport-fishing boats that frequented any number of islands off the coast of California, but for those adventurous souls who don't mind a jaunt into foreign waters, Baja California is the new hot spot to catch the bottom-dwelling fish.

The rockfish closures implemented by the Pacific Fishery Management Council have affected anglers and sport-fishing boats from Seattle to San Diego, with many captains being forced to make serious adjustments to their businesses because of it. But three landings in Point Loma, San Diego, wisely have picked up the slack this winter by offering overnight as well as day trips south of the border.

H&M Landing - one of the three that, during the summer month offers a choice of 22 boats, the largest sport-fishing fleet in the world - has four boats venturing into Baja. The 65-foot Indian, owned and operated by Chris Randel, offers three, $99 overnight rock-fishing trips a week to Baja, going out Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

On any given trip, according to Randel, one can count on catching salmon grouper (Boccacio), red snapper, ling cod, starries, chilli peppers and even sand dabs.

``I saw the closures coming and had been shifting some of my trips for a while down to Mexican waters,'' said Randel, who is into his fifth season with the Indian. ``There's plenty of rockfish in the Pacific. I've even brought (a representative from) the DFG down here a couple of years ago to count the fish to prove there is no shortage. She (abruptly) stopped counting after two hours. I guess she didn't like the data. It didn't support the DFG's agenda.''

Although Randel misses going to his favorite spots in California for rockfish (60-Mile Bank, Upper and Lower Bank, 43-Fathom spot), he's making up for it by discovering new, prolific areas in Baja waters. Priding himself on uncovering ``secret spots'' within well-known areas such as Finger Bank, Descanso, San Martin and Colonett - areas about 35 to 40 miles south of San Diego - Randel virtually guarantees everyone aboard will catch his or her limit of rockfish. That is, one who follows Randel's advice and has a ``willingness to have an open mind.''

Mexican regulations allow four hooks per line for rockfish (as opposed to three hooks in California) and daily limits of any combination of 10 rock fish with no more than five of any one species. During last week's trip, 23 anglers limited on rock cod (mixture of salmon grouper, reds, starries and chillis), while also catching 24 lingcod in 300 to 500 feet of water.

``We usually limit out by 11,'' Randel said, ``but it really depends on the group that's out.''

This group, however, took longer than usual, reeling in their last line at 3:30 p.m.

A new, 150-scoop bait tank holds both sardines and anchovies, and Randel also offers cut-up squid to those who want it. Most anglers were using the recommended 3-pound sinkers on 80-pound gangions (many with shrimp flies) with 40-pound breakaway lines, and several anglers pulled in three to four fish at a time. A few, however, followed their own flawed thinking and rigged their lines improperly.

``This guy's got a 3-pound sinker and one hook,'' Randel said, dumbfounded, as he looked out of the wheel house. ``You just don't fish that way. That's like having an elephant gun and reducing it down to a .22.''

To increase the chances of success, Randel closely watches his passengers and reiterates, over the intercom, proper rigging. He also continuously repeats that if fish aren't biting within a few minutes of hitting bottom at a particular spot, they probably aren't going to. His predictions always ring true. Time to move on.

Checking his sonar screen and GPS systems to locate fresh spots, Randel will take a chance on something new with the hope it'll turn out to be a good site for future trips. He has a simple tracking system for these new sites, whereby he'll jot down its GPS number in a spiral notebook - that's always within arm's reach on the dash board - and make notations (a ``star,'' a ``zero,'' or nothing at all) next to it. He'll then go back to the spot the next week to confirm his findings.

``That's a really nice stone at 40 fathoms,'' he said out loud, mostly to himself, as he glanced at the sonar screen and brought the boat to a stop. ``It's gotta bite. It's just gotta bite.

``OK, let 'em go!''

Unfortunately, this discovery didn't pan out.

``That's a bummer,'' Randel lamented, ``but it is what it is. Only one bite.''

At the next several spots, though, the fish were more cooperative and everyone began hauling in rock fish, sometimes two and three at a time.

``It doesn't get better then this,'' said Guy Dahl of Kalispell, Mont., who had gone out on another boat the previous day and then heard about the Indian. An experienced angler and big-game hunter and guide, Dahl was in Southern California visiting in-laws. He was delighted at how uncomplicated getting out on the ocean is.

``The crew's good and everything's so easy compared to going out hunting,'' he said. ``All I had to do was make one phone call. I'd go back out again tonight if it weren't for my wife waiting for me.''

With air-conditioned staterooms and an open-berth bunkroom with fresh air ventilation, the Indian sleeps 24 on overnight trips and holds up to 42 anglers on day trips. The full-service galley features a soda fountain and ice maker and comfortably seats 25. Randel and his business partner haven't spared much in getting the Indian to its present condition, installing state-of-the-art electronics, including two GPS systems and a superior navigation suite for his on-board computer.

Randel also wants his anglers well-informed about what's going on beneath the surface. On the opposite side of the entertainment center, he installed a sonar monitor to view fish schools.

With little downtime compared to other sport-fishing boats that shut down for the winter months, the Indian, which was in dry dock during the month of November, runs year-round, with rock fishing continuing through April and tuna trips beginning at the end of April. From June to late October, Randel will run two- and three-day tuna trips.

``That's where we make our big money,`` he said.

Having access to Baja might seem easy, but it's not an inexpensive proposition for either angler or boat owner. Still, the opportunity to catch rockfish offsets the outlay. Captains such as Randel pay a monthly fee of more than $1,100 to the Mexican Department of Pesca just for the privilege of fishing in their waters. Crew permits are an additional $45 each, and individual Mexican fishing licenses are $15 more. Money, however, doesn't appear to be a prohibitive factor when deciding on a weekend outing.

``We were on the freeway driving to our friend's house (near San Diego State) when I said, `Hey, let's go fishing,' '' said Victorville resident Everett Wilkes, who normally fishes Silverwood Lake in the High Desert. ``I called the boat from the car at about 7 o'clock and they said they had four spots left, and I said we only needed three.

``We didn't think we'd get on. Luckily, we had our fishing gear in the car with us.''

Fortunately, the threesome made it to the dock before the 10 p.m. departure, a time Randel keeps standardized mainly for the benefit of his crew. Although the Indian's top speed is 15 knots, and Randel easily can make it to Finger Bank in a couple of hours, he prefers to cruise slowly south at about 8 knots and anchor in the wee hours of the morning.

First-time Indian passenger Corey Byther of Compton, who became aware of the Indian after hearing Randel interviewed on a sports radio show, was more than pleased with his journey into Mexican waters.

``Chris really worked hard for us today, he kept moving around and around to make sure we got our limits,'' said Byther, who caught reds, ling cods, chili peppers and salmon grouper. ``I had a great time. The thing about fishing is that you just can't make the fish bite.''