What improvements can be made to San Diego area lakes?

1) Monitor lakes for semi-legal poachers (maybe buy a permit but take home more than the limit).

- I saw one guy on fishing derby weekend at Dixon Lake with about 15 fatty trout in the cleaning station. He was telling another guy that if questioned he was going to mention that he was cleaning fish for his dad and friend (with no dad or friend in sight).

- I heard some old timers at the Dixon Lake concession stand talking about catching their limit, going home, and then later returning to catch some more while their day-use permits were still valid.

2) Where there are signs for no smoking, put signs for no "vaping" as well. I had to tell some punk kids at a local lake not to be smoking their vapes next to me and my kid. They got some attitude, while standing next to a no smoking sign, and tried to debate that vaping was not smoking. They left after 5 minutes, so I wasn't forced to have to tell them a second time.

 

Totally agree about the vaping!

 

I notice that a lot of the suggestions are "me" related, more of this or that to benefit my way of fishing, if you want changes they need to benefit all types of water users if you want them done. I would like to see the rangers police the banks and make people remove their trash or leave. We try and remove trash when we see it on the water, but the banks at Hodges in certain areas are a mess, 12 pack of empties on the bank, worm boxes and water bottles piled up next to where the bucket brigade spent the day, "take it out with you when you leave".
What would benefit many of these lakes is stable water levels through the spawn, don't pump or draw down for a during the spawn. Restock some of the smaller lakes with fish from other areas.
Have they shocked Upper Otay to see if the fish gone or just smarter.
A lot of what will make these areas better are the users following rules, being courteous to others, and caring for the resources we have. The city could do more but when we are the small percentage of the population, the money is going to go to other areas that will get people more bank for their buck (votes).

 

1. We need an authority with authority! We need a central figure that can manage and handle issues with the lakes in a largescale, political sense.
2. We need to control on the blasted cormorant population! I would gawk in horror as a kid watching the black birds eating all the perfect sized dfg stocked trout. Now with the larger trout stocks in some aquaculture lakes, the cormorants kill the trout, but cannot swallow them. At santee I saw a cormorant bring out a roughly 3 lb trout and fail at swallowing it. An eagle came by later and made use of the floating trout.
3. We need to take the water authorities off their thrones and remind them they are there to serve us.

 

1. Boaters need to stay a certain amount from the shore and it should be enforced.
2. Staff and dfg need to do their jobs. What happened to needing a permit before you can toss bait in the water or checking for permits and licenses at all? As it is trout season, I've seen it where I bust my *** to get there early, but as I'm buying my permit, some idiot decides it's ok to snag a spot. People like that, in my opinion, are not only stealing from us the good fishermen who pay their way but also steal from the lakes and counties that they are fishing in. I've seen dfg guys ignore it and lake staff ignore it. Thumbs up to dixon though for having someone enforce it. I used to hate dixon's trout fishing and fighting for trout cove. I see it too often at poway though. We pay good money for permits and sometimes parking. Most of us have state fishing licenses. Why are paying money? Where are the up keeps and the upgrades and what are the dfg workers doing? The guy behind me is planning on fishing without a permit because he decided to sleep in and needs to steal a spot and they let him. And talking about supervision on the lakes, for trout season I see way to many snaggers. With panfish i see too many "over the bag limits" 3. Sit in kayaks and sit on top kayaks are the same ****. Water contact will still happen regardless.
4. More lakes for float tubes and ALL kayaks
Sorry for the rant but I was just talking about this the other day and am glad this thread popped up.

 

"Sit in kayaks and sit on top kayaks are the same ****. Water contact will still happen regardless.
More lakes for float tubes and ALL kayaks "

Could not agree more!!! Hell, me and my pro angler would be in heaven if that happens!

 

Birds, fish, animals are all pooping in that water, people are using all sorts of live and dough baits in it, old fish die in it, I've seen dead rats in Murray...

Outboards exhaust into the water, too.

Every city that gets its drinking water from a river (and some cities that get it from big lakes, too) is sourcing its drinking water from some other city's sewer outfall.

People wet fishing in float tubes? Doesn't bother me

 

X2. The political uproar over 'toilet to tap' is hilarious. Water is in constant recycle, has been for millions of years. Making reclaimed water drinkable is significantly cheaper than desalination. Agree that abet teenage should've applied to it, though....
No problem with body contact to me for any of the lakes,

 

Ive been out of the lake scene for a while with ocean fishing so good and hunting season, but here are my thoughts.

Jennings not closing before sunset for boats.
Jennings add some real structure like more rocks and such, get rid of the snow fence and pipes.
Night Fishing in more lakes and more times of the year.
Boat launching fees add up, I dont understand how to go ocean fishing its free to launch and lakes its not.
Boaters and shore fisherman pick up your hook bags, dont throw plastics worms in the water, trash ect.

I went to dixon for the first time this year and liked how they had more docks to shore fish from, that would be cool to see at other lakes.

 

The best thing that could happen to sd lakes is we get our water from a different source so that these lakes are managed for recreation. I have for the most part decited to not hit them much in the new year. I feel like were getting nickled and dimed for preety much nothing.

 

1) Add Smallmouth to San V. and El Cap, I think it would make the lakes even better with more verity of fish.

2) Trash at the lakes. Big problem at all lakes and needs to be addressed. Shore at El Cap. has a bunch. (Already said )

3) Night openings. Some like Poway, Dixon and Jennings do it, why not the city lakes?
(Also already said)

4) Slot limits, during part of the year I would love to see slot limits on fish. Maybe fish between 14- 20 inches leave alone.

5) More Rangers on the lakes. Meaning actually going out and actually patrolling. Yea I see them maybe twice a day doing a drive by, but I'm there 8-14 hrs you can't tell me they are so busy in the shack that they can't get out and drive around more often!!

6) Glass at lakes, I can't tell you how many yahoo's I have seen in pleasure boats the last few years with glass bottles. Boats need to be checked before they launch and remove either the bottles or just not allow that person in.

 

Where??? Only 2 places to get water is Northern California and the Colorado River. We don't get enough rain to fill our lakes naturally and the desalinization plant doesn't convert enough water to fill the lakes, plus it is expensive to run that plant.

Oregon and Washington are not going to share there water, nor should they.

Not unless the Federal Government is willing to build a pipe line for water to come say from the Mississippi River, the West will have just those two choices, that's it.

 

Start patrolling Lake Ramona seriously. Almost every time I hike up there someone is swimming.

 

The crime of the century...

 

We just have to start fishing saltwater!

 

Not sure if anyone knows about lake Calavera ,but it should be legal to fish. Maybe even launch a tube or kayak like you used to be able to. Same goes for Olivenhain.

 

well they better figure it out sooner then later, a pipeline from mississippi would solve our problem and vegas/countless farms as well.

believe it or not there was a group trying to get a pipeline from alaska to here built about 3-4 years ago i told them they nuts but now think rats.... i should of signed that ballot measure.

 

Make a serious effort to introduce smallmouth bass at San V

I'm not familiar with what white bass need to thrive but it seems like El Cap, Hodges, San V, Barrett, Ramona, would be some lakes that might see an increase in recreational angling if there was a decent supply of desirable game fish to fill coolers with and take home. Or instead of introducing an entirely new species like white bass, make a more aggressive effort to maintain a crappie or redear population in some other lakes.

 

Hodges has an excellent crappie population and they average at least 2 pounds, finding them can be a problem but when you do you can load up on them. Had we received the rain we were hoping for it would only have enhanced the crappie fishery in Hodges, all that flooded brush would have been a haven for them. We get at least one every time we go and were not fishing for them, you just know when you get in an area where you keep getting hit but not sticking them you're going to end up with a crappie.

They are like the bass there, you have to work to find them, unless it is the spawn, or shad spawn then it is just having the right bait.

 

Depends on the person wearing the shorts.