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By Ed Zieralski, SAn Diego UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 6, 2003
There was no secret about what caught the most fish at yesterday's season opener at Lower Otay Lake.
Throw a crawdad, and it was as guaranteed as fishing gets. Throw a crawdad-colored crankbait or a chocolate neon blue-vein plastic worm, and ready the net.
Shane Lowry and Ian Cecena of Chula Vista, fishing in Harvey Arm, turned in an impressive double limit of largemouth bass totaling 39 pounds, with a 6-2 and a 5-12. The stringer totaled three channel catfish hefting 17 pounds.
"We caught about 20 bass, and would have caught more, but we ran out of crawdads," Cecena said.
The lack of concessions services at Lower Otay because of a contract dispute and bungling by the city's real estate assets department didn't stop more than 300 anglers from storming Otay's gate at 5 a.m. They packed their lunches and their bait and fished in ideal, springlike conditions once the morning's cold east wind died.
Bob Collins of Chula Vista was first in line with his boat, arriving at 6 a.m. on Tuesday to secure his spot. Behind him, the line of rigs and boats stretched nearly a mile.
Joe Cabaniss didn't arrive until 5 a.m., but he was on the water in his Skeeter boat by 6:30 and into a 21/2-pound bass by 8, fooling it with a crawdad-colored crankbait. He switched to live crawdads later and nailed a 7-pound, 4-ouncer along Otay Arm.
Ray Montera, a well-known local sportfishing captain, didn't need a fancy, tricked-out bass boat. He fished off the pier north of the boat dock and caught eight bass by 9:30 a.m., all on crawdads, pinched to No. 6 circle hooks and fly-lined.
Emmett Allen of Spring Valley worked shiners off the pier for a 3-and a 2-pound bass. And Reggie Anderson caught a 3-pounder with a shiner and a 2-pounder on a crawdad, both from shore. Shore fisherman Tony Young, National City, also landed four bass totaling 17-2, with a 5-2 and a 4-10, hooking three on crawdads and one on a chocolate neon blue-vein plastic worm.
Way Chen and Steve Marino of Point Loma and Dean Jamieson, a fly-fishing guide from Mammoth Lakes, baited crawdads for 20 bass, all released, and 10 husky channel catfish, all going to a fish fry.
Lower and Upper Otay, both open now, will do business every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday through September. Lake staff will sell fishing permits and launch tickets each morning at the abandoned concessions building.
February 6, 2003
There was no secret about what caught the most fish at yesterday's season opener at Lower Otay Lake.
Throw a crawdad, and it was as guaranteed as fishing gets. Throw a crawdad-colored crankbait or a chocolate neon blue-vein plastic worm, and ready the net.
Shane Lowry and Ian Cecena of Chula Vista, fishing in Harvey Arm, turned in an impressive double limit of largemouth bass totaling 39 pounds, with a 6-2 and a 5-12. The stringer totaled three channel catfish hefting 17 pounds.
"We caught about 20 bass, and would have caught more, but we ran out of crawdads," Cecena said.
The lack of concessions services at Lower Otay because of a contract dispute and bungling by the city's real estate assets department didn't stop more than 300 anglers from storming Otay's gate at 5 a.m. They packed their lunches and their bait and fished in ideal, springlike conditions once the morning's cold east wind died.
Bob Collins of Chula Vista was first in line with his boat, arriving at 6 a.m. on Tuesday to secure his spot. Behind him, the line of rigs and boats stretched nearly a mile.
Joe Cabaniss didn't arrive until 5 a.m., but he was on the water in his Skeeter boat by 6:30 and into a 21/2-pound bass by 8, fooling it with a crawdad-colored crankbait. He switched to live crawdads later and nailed a 7-pound, 4-ouncer along Otay Arm.
Ray Montera, a well-known local sportfishing captain, didn't need a fancy, tricked-out bass boat. He fished off the pier north of the boat dock and caught eight bass by 9:30 a.m., all on crawdads, pinched to No. 6 circle hooks and fly-lined.
Emmett Allen of Spring Valley worked shiners off the pier for a 3-and a 2-pound bass. And Reggie Anderson caught a 3-pounder with a shiner and a 2-pounder on a crawdad, both from shore. Shore fisherman Tony Young, National City, also landed four bass totaling 17-2, with a 5-2 and a 4-10, hooking three on crawdads and one on a chocolate neon blue-vein plastic worm.
Way Chen and Steve Marino of Point Loma and Dean Jamieson, a fly-fishing guide from Mammoth Lakes, baited crawdads for 20 bass, all released, and 10 husky channel catfish, all going to a fish fry.
Lower and Upper Otay, both open now, will do business every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday through September. Lake staff will sell fishing permits and launch tickets each morning at the abandoned concessions building.
