San Diego was once known as the Tuna Capital of the World and although it still has some of the best deep-sea angling around, fresh-water fishing has become quite popular.\u00a0 There are many wonderful lakes scattered throughout San Diego County from small, neighborhood fishing holes to remote mountain lakes offering up monster trout and largemouth bass.\u00a0 Here are just a few of the best places to fish in San Diego. <\/p>\n
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Although Lower Otay Reservoir holds the county\u2019s bluegill record at 3 \u00bd lbs and an 85lb 9oz catfish was once pulled from the lake, it\u2019s more widely known as being one of the best bass fisheries on the West Coast.\u00a0 Located a short 30-minute drive south from downtown, it\u2019s convenient and popular for tourists and locals alike.\u00a0 As a side note, Otay Lake is the training grounds for rowing sports from the nearby United States Olympic Training Center.\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.sandiego.gov\/water\/recreation\/lotay.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Lake Cuyamaca is the county\u2019s only \u201ctrue\u201d mountain lake located at 4600-feet elevation near the historic town of Julian (50-miles east of San Diego on Hwy 79).\u00a0 In comparison to some of the other county lakes, it\u2019s quite small at 110-acres, but is stocked with trout year-round and holds about 44,000lbs of fish, including bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, and sturgeon.\u00a0 Lake records include a 14lb 1oz trout, a 14lb 3 oz bass, a 28lb 5oz channel catfish, and a 42lb 8oz sturgeon caught in 2007.\u00a0 There is nearby camping and over 100-miles of trails in the area.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.lakecuyamaca.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Dixon Lake is another tiny lake totaling 75-acres.\u00a0 It\u2019s located north of San Diego in Escondido and is part of a 527-acre park offering camping and hiking.\u00a0 It\u2019s better known for its nighttime catfishing and winter trout fishing, however it made history when the same bass, nicknamed \u201cDottie\u201d because of a distinctive dot below her lower lip, was caught several times over a period of several years.\u00a0 When she was first caught in 2003, she weighed a whopping 21lbs 11oz.\u00a0 Dottie has since passed on, but at the time of her death in 2008 she topped the scales at a robust 25lbs.\u00a0 Other fish ready to be hooked are trout, catfish, bluegill and crappie.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.ci.escondido.ca.us\/glance\/lakes\/dixon\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Lake Morena Reservoir, located about 60-miles east of downtown, is considered one of the most remote lakes in the county.\u00a0\u00a0 Trout season runs from November thru May with some huge lunkers being reeled in.\u00a0 The trout record was broken this past March when a 14lb 12oz giant was caught using a Thomas Buoyant.\u00a0 Lake Morena has great bass fishing as well.\u00a0 The lake record for a largemouth is 19lbs 3oz. Other fish include catfish, crappie, and bluegill.\u00a0 There is also a beautiful 86-site campground and shaded picnic area with a playground for the kids.\u00a0\u00a0 This is my personal favorite lake for trout fishing.\u00a0 http:\/\/lakemorena.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n El Capitan Reservoir (http:\/\/www.sandiego.gov\/water\/recreation\/elcap.shtml<\/a>) is one of the biggest lakes in the county at 1562-acres, with 22-miles of shoreline and a water depth of 197-feet.\u00a0 It\u2019s located about 30-miles northeast of downtown and is a consistent headliner when it comes to the county\u2019s fish counts (limits: bass 5, channel catfish 5, and crappie 25).\u00a0 Lake records include a 15.31lb largemouth bass, a 20.37lb channel catfish, an 18lb carp, and a 45.31lb blue catfish. \u00a0Camping is available at nearby Lake Jennings (http:\/\/www.lakejennings.org\/<\/a>), which offers some great trout fishing and nighttime catfishing during the summer months.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n