As Hugh Marx sees it with those veteran fisherman's eyes of his, the “in-between time” of year is over and now it's time to get serious at Lake Jennings.
At Jennings, the “in-between” period is when the lake isn't getting stocked with catfish or trout. It's not necessarily a time void of excitement. But at Jennings and many other San Diego County reservoirs, nothing lines the shoreline with anglers or gets boats away from the dock like a good infusion of stocked rainbow trout.
“We've actually had some terrific fishing lately,” Marx said, adding that Padres pitcher Clay Hensley has joined others in trying to solve the Jennings fishing mystique. “We had a really full lake all summer long, and consequently, there was some really good habitat along the shoreline. We had a terrific spawn. When the water started dropping, all those little fish and crawdads that were hiding in the new growth on the shoreline were displaced and exposed. The bass were up on the bank every day.”
But now it's Trout Time. The rainbow trout from Mount Lassen arrived yesterday in the form of a 1,000-pound plant. It was the first of a planned 25,000 pounds of rainbows scheduled for the lake for the 2008-09 season.
The timing couldn't be better. In his 4½ years at Jennings after a long, productive stint as supervisor at Lake Cuyamaca, Marx has done good work and improved the fishing and the ambience at the Lakeside fishing spot. The lake's landscaping has never looked better. The lake perimeter has never looked cleaner and more hospitable.
“I like to think we're a friendlier place,” Marx said.
It's friendlier, but as Marx will tell you, it's not busier.
The country's deepening economic crisis has cut into all recreation, and many fishermen find themselves too busy trying to survive and provide for their families. Fishing is second to that.
“We're down a whole bunch,” Marx said. “We had one of our better in-between seasons, but we just haven't seen the people. We're off about 30 percent, but I'm sure everybody is feeling the same kind of pain.”
In recent weeks, Marx had to close the fishing pier because of very low water. The Helix Water District, the owners of the lake and watershed, drew the lake down more than 25 feet. Water is cheaper to buy in the winter months, and the draw-down afforded the district an opportunity to kill invasive quagga mussels. They're not a problem at Jennings, but Marx wants to keep it that way.
“For some reason, we're not seeing them here,” he said, although the lake has tested positive and some were found in the pipeline.
Marx said the San Diego County Water Authority's use of chlorine in the pipeline and a backwater filter that clogs with mussels may be preventing the nasty critters from taking up residence in Jennings.
It's one less thing for Helix and Marx to worry about as the winter fishing program commences.
Marx likens trout to what retailers call a “loss leader,” meaning that trout cost more money to stock than they generate in fishing permit sales. But they bring anglers to the lake. And fishermen rent boats, buy worms and buy grub at the bait, tackle and concession stand. The mere presence of trout helps build a foundation of anglers who will frequent the lake. And in some cases, the rainbows lead to fatter, record-sized bass.
Other lakes will fall in line, with trout plants set for Poway on Nov. 5 (4,000 pounds), Dixon on Nov. 7 (4,500 pounds) and Santee Lakes on Nov. 8 (2,000 pounds on or before that date, including trout up to 12 pounds). City lakes such as Lower Otay, Miramar and Murray and the county-run Lake Morena also will be stocked with trout in November. Lake Wohlford is last with its trout season set for Dec. 13 (4,500 pounds).
For now, Jennings leads the way and is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
