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Big Catfish Swimming
in South California Waters
By Chris Shaffer, Special to the Daily News
For most, the best catfish fishing is in the
summer when anglers working shallow flats and coves find excellent action
in several Southern California reservoirs. But when targeting trophy
catfish, there isn't a better time than the winter.
Fishing for trophy-size fish is much different than warm-weather catfish
fishing, in which you get a lot of bites -- and smaller fish.
When seeking trophy catfish, an angler needs more patience, stouter gear
and the ability to fish in deep water.
There's only a small group of anglers that fish for the biggest catfish in
Southern California, but catfish greater than 50 pounds are readily
available to anglers targeting a handful of lakes. Southern California
yields the state's largest catfish. The state record -- a 101-pound blue
cat -- was taken from San Vicente Reservoir in 2000.
Many die-hard anglers are looking to raise the bar. Few experts think the
record will stand much longer.
Although hooking and landing a monster catfish isn't easy, it can be easy
to predict where the next state-record fish will be caught. In fact,
several fish larger than state records have been caught and broken off
near the boat or measured by state agencies.
In 1998, the California Department of Fish and Game, while electrofishing
Otay Reservoir, shocked a catfish they estimated to be 110 pounds. That
fish was measured and released, and it hasn't been caught or reported
dead, so chances are it's larger than 130 pounds now.
Keep in mind, the state-record catch was released back into San Vicente.
That fish was stocked as a 2-year-old in 1985 when it weighed 1-3 pounds.
That fish was growing roughly six pounds a year, which puts it at more
than 120 pounds now. Experts believe there are other catfish from that
same plant that are close to 150 pounds.
Southern California seems sure to yield the next record catfish. Many
big-cat specialists believe that fish may be caught before spring. January
through March is often an ideal time to catch blue cats.
"We know where the next state record is," said Ronson Smothers, inventor
of Catmando catfish baits and former state record-holder.
Blue catfish require several decades to reach 100 pounds. Most of the fish
that can contend for a record stem from plants that took place in the
1970s and early '80s. It's important to remember that these fish are a
limited resource. Once they are stocked in these reservoirs, they don't
reproduce. So anglers are asked to release these enormous fish so the
population can be preserved.
As a rule, blue cats greater than 20 pounds don't bother with small meals.
They eat mostly fish. To maintain a population of blues, most lakes have
trout and bluegill on which the catfish can feed. Large catfish don't have
a problem eating stocked trout or slurping bluegill from inside tules.
A handful of waters have the potential to yield a catfish greater than 100
pounds. But San Vicente has the greatest percentage of large catfish
available. Many biologists believe that there are more than 25 catfish
near 100 pounds.
Anglers know how to hook San Vicente's catfish, but landing them is
another story. Fishing mackerel soaked in catfish sauces and pastes near
the buoy line in front of the dam is a sure bet if you are patient.
Although many fish are broken off in this area because of rocks, trees and
other structures on the reservoir bottom. If you hook a big cat here, it's
important to try and hoist it off the bottom quickly to keep the fish from
putting your line in a zone where it's likely to break off.
Another San Diego County water, Lower Otay Reservoir, is a mainstay for
big blue catfish. Otay has suffered from overfishing and a lack of plants,
and reservoir operators believe that of the last group of blues that was
stocked several decades ago, very few fish remain, perhaps less than a
dozen. Most of those fish should be 60-130 pounds.
Otay is targeted less than other catfish reservoirs and does not harbor
rainbow trout. The catfish here eat bluegill and small bass. Often, it's
bass anglers tossing crankbaits near the tules that hook the biggest
catfish.
Lake Jennings, in east San Diego County, is new to big cats. The reservoir
has held blue catfish for more than 30 years, but it wasn't until recently
that anglers became aware of these fish.
Jennings is the smallest on the list of state-record holding lakes, but
its lack of size keeps these fish concentrated in a smaller zone and much
easier to target.
"Nobody has really fished them here. And since they tend to be in areas
where they aren't easily accessible, they simply haven't been able to be
targeted," Hugh Marx of Lake Jennings said. "We know there is a state
record in here. Our lake record is 68 pounds, but the guy who caught that
lost one that he estimated at 120 pounds. He had it to the boat, but
didn't have a net big enough to get it in."
Jennings' prime zone is found by anchoring on a buoy line and casting into
the closed area with fresh mackerel soaked in Nectar juice. (It is legal
to tie onto the buoy line here.) Let your bait sink to the bottom and be
patient. You'll likely have to release several channel catfish before
hooking a blue.
Irvine Lake in Orange County is guaranteed to hold a state record.
Smothers' previous state record was released into the lake in 1999. That
fish is well over 100 pounds now.
Irvine likely has the least number of 100-pound-plus catfish, but the
record definitely swims in its waters. Smothers and other anglers have
been after it for years, but a lot of fishing pressure may keep action
tough on the largest fish.
Catching smaller channel cats couldn't be easier than at Irvine. There
isn't a better channel catfish lake in Southern California.
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