Growing up in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, fresh water fishing is a part of the Southern lifestyle. On my grandparents’ farm in Tennessee, they had three ponds scattered throughout the acres for stock and my grandfather kept the ponds stocked with catfish and bass. They naturally came with many snap turtles, but other than family it was like having your private fishing holes and in the farm’s heyday, there were very few times that my sibs, cousins and I came back empty handed.
Growing up in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, fresh water fishing is a part of the Southern lifestyle. On my grandparents’ farm in Tennessee, they had three ponds scattered throughout the acres for stock and my grandfather kept the ponds stocked with catfish and bass. They naturally came with many snap turtles, but other than family it was like having your private fishing holes and in the farm’s heyday, there were very few times that my sibs, cousins and I came back empty handed.
Growing up with ponds, lakes and rivers surrounding me, this is one of my favorite past times and as I grew up and began living most of my life by the coast, I tried saltwater fishing, but it never satisfied me as much as freshwater. Piers are too crowded, deep-sea fishing was just too brutal for my taste and surf fishing was more of a challenge fighting kelp than catching fish.
Moving to this area, I never picked up fishing again for two reasons. First, like I said, I’m not fond of saltwater fishing. Second, I came with the predetermined notion that I did not want to go fishing at a lake in the desert. I was so used to all of the green of the South, that getting into a boat or fishing by the shore in the heat of this area did not interest me at all. But my preconceived notions have changed after visiting our local reservoirs. The landscape is beautiful and there are plenty areas of shade along the shores that offer some of the comforts of fishing in the South.
It was a welcomed news alert when I heard that the San Vicente Reservoir is opening up to the public again on Sept. 22 after eight years, allowing the public to come in for both fishing and boating. The closure gave time for the San Diego County Water Authority to raise the dam 117 feet allowing for more water storage capacity. With its opening, it not only allows shore fishing, but recreational boats, kayaking, canoeing and fishing boats. As of now, it appears that boating permits are being sold at Ticketmaster, but daily, two-day and annual fishing licenses are available at the concession.
In all my time in this area, I have never visited the San Vicente Reservoir, but it is now on my “have to do” list. My grandchildren are old enough that it would be a great family day trip and the cost for shore fishing is not expensive. I do not own a boat, and have no reason to. Shore fishing is the fishing I love, with the exception of the many times as a teenager, fishing from rubber tubes floating down a river or from a houseboat during the summer at Lake Altoona north of Atlanta. All of these are wonderful memories and if I ever have any regrets with my children and grandchildren, it is that they never experienced the freedom of the outdoors that I had when I was young. Although that freedom no longer exists in most places, I’ll take what I can get and would love to share some of my childhood experiences with them. So I’m ready to go and see what San Vicente is like. It has to be beautiful out there and I miss the days of setting up a couple of poles, floating a bobber and soaking up everything that is around me. This is simple fishing, but where I come from, it is part of a lifestyle that is long missed. So it is time to get a new Gone Fishin’ sign, and the reopening of San Vicente is a good place to start. And, I just might have to invest in that kayak I have been wanting for years.
For all the lovers of boating and fishing, check out what is new at San Vicente Reservoir at www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/reservoirs/sanvicente. Then take a day out of life and put up your own Gone Fishing sign. For me, it is not only a new adventure, but also a moment in revisiting my roots.
