Weber revealed that San Vicente might be closed to boaters for about two years perhaps starting as early as this year. "They are talking about raising the water level at San Vicente by 100 feet to increase the storage," Weber said. "This project will raise the dam and will probably start in 2006, and the lake will be essentially out of action for a couple of years. Boaters will not have access during the construction."

None of the San Diego City Lakes suffered permanent damage from the wildfires that ripped through the county in 2002, but Weber said they have been told by outside experts that heavy rains could cause problems with the flushing of ash and debris into lakes for the next four or five years.

One lake that did get the brunt of the fire was Lake Cuyamaca in the mountains northeast of San Diego. Known primarily as a trout and crappie fishing water, Cuyamaca also has some good bass fishing, and a few smart anglers have caught some really big bass there. The lake itself suffered little damage to either buildings or property. The big problem is that everyone seems to think the lake is closed. That's not the case, and anglers looking for a quiet place to fish should really consider Cuyamaca.

The sleeper lake in San Diego County might just be Lake Jennings. Hugh Marx, the new manager, who formerly managed Cuyamaca, says the lake is a prime spot for those anglers seeking trophy largemouth bass. He is putting in place a number of enhancements to the habitat, and notes that Mike Long and others have been experimenting with the fishing with good results. A 14-pound-plus Jennings largemouth graced the cover of a national magazine last summer, and things look good for the spring of 2005.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
San Bernardino County has lots of dry desert land and not many bass lakes. The two best known are Silverwood and Big Bear lakes.

Big Bear, high in the San Bernardino National Forest, is known by most as a trout fishery, but has a surprising population of largemouth bass that not many bass anglers target. Water levels are low, but not so low that some good bass won't be available this spring. Don't wait too late in the year either. In past years anglers have scored big in March when there were still traces of snow on the ground.

Silverwood Lake was badly mauled during the monster fires two years ago, and only re-opened to public use around Memorial Day of 2004. Because it is a part of the aqueduct system, water levels are not normally a problem. Bass fishing here is rated as excellent.

"When it first opened last May after the fires, the anglers were hammering fish," said Giusti. "And they were quality -- two to five pounds on average. I don't think the numbers have come up much since the drawdown, but the quality is certainly there. My aide, John Banacky, went up there last June and said he averaged about five pounds per fish. Not bad. There should be more habitat work coming up, more brush piles being installed by DWR."

Silverwood, however, is not out of the woods. While the lake is open to fishing and camping, there are still some closed areas. And, as is the case for a couple of the San Diego lakes, heavy rains during the winter could flush a second dose of ash and fire residue into the lake.

"We expect the fishing to be very good," said park superintendent Larry Cermak. "One group camp is still closed, but the main campground is open. We have to rebuild the bridges in Miller Canyon, our eastern entrance (before the road there is reopened). We also have a big washout on the road there, and that's kind of waiting for winter for repair. It should be open by next spring. The cartop boat ramp area at Cleghorn should be open by spring too."