Ronson "Catmando" Smothers caught this 45-pound blue at Otay. Mackerel get the big ones to bite, said this catfish expert. Photo courtesy of Ronson Smothers.

OTAY'S RECORD CATFISH
In the 1990s, Otay Reservoir yielded world-class largemouth bass and monster blue catfish. In 2000 however, an angler caught a new state record at San Vicente Reservoir, and anglers then flocked there instead.

But the in winter and spring of 2007, Otay showed the fishing world that it still harbors a substantial population of state-record-size blues. The only reason for its absence from stardom was a lack of fishing pressure. With almost no one targeting the blues, they didn't get caught.

Lower Otay Reservoir, not far from the border with Mexico, is still not overfished by any means. But the secret of record-size fish is out -- again. There's a great chance that a new state-record blue catfish will be caught here. And for it to happen this fall or winter won't send shockwaves through the fishing community.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Mike Giusti, Fish and Game biologist. "It's been known as a big catfish lake for decades. I'm not sure exactly how big. We'll see, because those fish are getting old, but there's definitely state-record potential there. There's plenty of food in there for it."

"Potential" is an understatement. This year already, several catfish heavier than 60 pounds have been caught and verified, and some released. Through shocking and weighing, Fish and Game confirmed that catfish heavier than the state-record 101-pound blue live in Otay.

The potential for success is greater than ever. Cats now have a new food source to tap into: trout that the state recently stocked in the reservoir.

Combine them with Otay's monstrous crappie, bluegill and shad population, and the food chain couldn't have better links in it to help catfish gain weight in a hurry.

Guide Ronson "Catmando" Smothers, of Catmando Baits, said that the big cats are out there, but you aren't going to get a whole bunch of bites.

"I'm getting two to six bites a day," he said. "You just have to make them count."

Smothers and Giusti are among the majority who believe Otay is poised for great things. Traditionally, the period of November through March provides the greatest opportunity to hook the biggest cats. They'll likely come from the face of the dam, Harvey's arm and the Otay arm.

November is the beginning of the big-cat season because the cooling pattern tends to draw them from the deeper portions of the reservoir into the shallows, where anglers can target them more effectively.

San Vicente will be closed for more than five years while work is done to expand the reservoir's capacity. Otay won't be affected, except by the increased fishing pressure.

More anglers mean that more big fish will be caught.

Catching blues at Otay will take work and require specific gear. Filling spools with 25- or 30-pound test is mandatory, as are 7-foot medium-heavy rods designed for 20- to 40-pound-test.

Targeting the blues takes a lot of patience.

When you set anchor in 20 to 40 feet of water, make sure you have a second rod stamp. That way you can fan cast two rods per angler, in different directions.

Smothers invests in soaking 1- to 2-pound mackerel sliced into thirds, minus the head. Skipjack, anchovies, worms, liver and other cut baits will also entice the blues, but not as quickly as mackerel.

"In the winter, they are up shallow to feed," said Giusti. "You can find them anywhere from 5 to 50 feet. They go up and down all the time. They do slow down when they water gets cold, but Otay doesn't get that cold."