NEAR SHORE, STILL PLENTY OF CHANCES.

Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Staff Writer

Fishing Baja California's East Cape doesn't always involve drawn out deep-sea affairs and visions of epic battles, a la ``The Old Man and the Sea.''

A wealth of inshore species can be pursued right outside your hotel room, either from the resort's dock or the adjacent beach.

For the taking are needlefish to more than four pounds and four feet long, and its melodic cousins, cornetfish and trumpetfish. All sorts of triggerfish, cabrilla and other basslike beauties. Young skipjack, pargo, pompano, sierra mackerel. Even pufferfish and clown hawkfish - a rare catch known to locals as chino mero because its unusual markings rimmed in neon-like blue resemble Chinese writing.

Along with heavy offshore tackle, savvy anglers pack lighter gear in the 6- to 10-pound class - freshwater bass and trout gear is perfect - to target quarry a stone's throw from their accommodations.

``You'd never have to leave the dock. It's ideal for your wife and kids, if they can't commit to a full day on the water,'' said Mike Bush of Woodland Hills, who makes time on professional bass circuits and recently landed a 4-1/2-pound triggerfish from the dock of Hotel Palmas de Cortez here. ``I've never seen one that big. I was completely surprised.''

The fish hit a -3/4-ounce chrome Kastmaster lure on 10-pound line, a medium-action rod and a small conventional reel. Bush would cast the lure some distance and retrieve it with an erratic movement on top or pop it along the bottom. The technique also produced several 2-pound skipjacks, numerous needlefish and a variety of perch-like species he couldn't identify.

``The triggerfish fought for a solid 10 minutes and went under the dock. It'll stretch your string for sure,'' Bush said. ``With all the boat traffic - picking people up and dropping them off - I was amazed at all the (fishing) action from the dock. Pretty much up and down the beach it was fun.''

One dock to the north, Riverside firefighter Gilbert Ayon was targeting needlefish with trout gear, small plastic swimbaits and light leadheads, while Gary White of Lawndale was hooking pufferfish on dead sardinas left over from a big-game trip earlier in the day.

``I spend a lot of money on these trips, and I want to get in as much fishing as I possibly can,'' Ayon said. ``There's usually extra time after you first get to the hotel and before you leave to the airport, as well as a few hours each day after the boats come in and before dinner.

``They're no spectacular game fish, but you know they will bite your line and you will get some fun out of it.''

Needlefish have earned the respect of anglers and windsurfers alike.

``For their size, those needlefish will fight more aggressively than barracuda,'' said Aubrey Kuepper of San Diego. ``They take their first run and strip your line, then take two or three more runs with a couple jumps and a head-shake here and there.''

``It's a good fish (with which) to get acquainted with your gear,'' said Marcos Higginson, a Los Barriles resident. ``It teaches you to adjust your drag and tie a lot of knots, because the biggest problem is getting cut off; they have sharp teeth.''

Windsurfers know firsthand, or rather first-leg, the reputation of the needlefish's tough, pointy beak. Taking advantage of the winter's north winds, several of the windsurfers have startled schools of needlefish into flying fits, and the fish have skewered a leg. Higginson once came to the aid of a surfer girl who suffered such a fate and risked infection.

When aiming for onshore species, make sure your tackle box includes plenty of the smallest lures, plastics and leadheads you can find, and, once in Mexico, inquire about restaurants or stores that sell frozen squid and fish it chunked. Don't forget to pack lengthy needle-nose pliers or diagonal cutters to release the razor-toothed needlefish and the often-poisonous pufferfish.

Handle all fishes cautiously with a wet rag and release what you won't eat. Note that sierra, cabrilla, finescale triggerfish, pompano and hawkfish are considered tasty table fare.

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Photo

PHOTO (color) Anglers can hook pufferfish from the shore, as Gary White of Lawndale discovered.

Brett Pauly/ Daily News