BY MIKE STEVENS
LAKESIDE – San Diego area anglers along with those that travel to the area for world-class bass fishing took yet another hit when the launch ramp at El Capitan Reservoir was closed due to low water levels. While that is frustrating enough, locals are keeping an eye on the water levels at other San Diego City Lakes – especially Otay – and wondering if another ramp closure is looming.
“Otay is one vertical foot away from closing the launch ramp,” said Bruce Smith, host of the San Diego Bass Fishing Podcast. “It is a shame that the San Diego City Council and Mayor’s office have failed to recognize the lack of infrastructure maintenance needed to keep the city owned lakes in an operational order. We the public are now impacted by the consequences of their short-sightedness and neglect. The Hodges Dam fiasco and inoperable water transfer(flume) system between Barrett and Lower Otay are just two examples of their dereliction of duty
Smith told Western Outdoor News he also heard some chatter that water will continue to be drafted out of Lower Otay regardless of the effect it will have on recreation, but that was unable to be confirmed.
Adding insult to injury, bass anglers were enjoying outstanding fishing at El Cap right up to the point the launch ramp was shut down (search for recent reports on El Capitan at WONEws.com)
As for the “Hodges Dam fiasco,” that story just continues to get worse. The lake level was lowered to the point the ramp had to be closed in order to accommodate dam repairs estimated to take a year, give or take. That was later changed to a 10-year plan to replace the dam completely, and currently, all plans have been shelved indefinitely due to inflated cost estimates. The City of San Diego is allegedly looking into alternatives to fully rebuilding the Lake Hodges Dam.
Fishing from shore, float tubes, kayak, canoes and “car toppers” is still available at El Capitan Reservoir which is closed on Wednesday, Thursday and the first Friday of each month.
