If you're looking for the site of the Big Bang for California's Big Bass Mania, look no farther than right here at tiny, 162-acre Lake Miramar.
ED ZIERALSKI / Union-Tribune
The view from the east side of Lake Miramar shows the open spaces and beauty surrounding this urban reservoir.
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Located 18 miles from downtown San Diego, this urban reservoir was the scene of the state's first 20-pound largemouth bass, the country's first 20-pound bass in more than 41 years. Dave Zimmerlee said he baited a night crawler to catch a 20-pound, 15-ounce Florida-California hybrid largemouth on June 23, 1973, and at the time it was the biggest bass caught since George W. Perry caught that 22-pound, 4-ouncer from Montgomery Lake in Georgia on June 2, 1932.
That catch started the parade of big-bass chasers to Southern California lakes, starting at Miramar. Fishermen such as Los Angeles motorcycle cop Bob Crupi, who eventually would catch a 22.01-pound bass at Castaic in 1991, began fishing San Diego's lakes with the hope of catching the world-record bass. To date, four of the world's Top 25 bass caught and recorded were caught at Miramar.
Zimmerlee's bass was the state record at the time, but today it's merely the lake record. It's still No. 7 on the Top 25 bass ever caught in the world, but in terms of controversy, it set the stage for many controversial catches that followed at Miramar.
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LAKE MIRAMAR
How to get there: From I-15, go east on Mira Mesa Boulevard, turn south on Scripps Ranch Boulevard, then east on Scripps Lake Drive, up the hill, past the library and look for the entrance to the lake on the left.
Schedule: Open sunrise to sunset, every day for fishing and boating (private boats only in October and November, no rentals until December), access by iron ranger and electronic pay station next to the abandoned concession building. Five-mile perimeter road open daily, sunrise to sunset, for walking, jogging, bicycling, rollerblading. Road usually is open to vehicles Saturdays through Tuesdays, but in October and November, it's only open Saturday and Sunday to vehicle traffic. Open daily for general recreation such as picnicking, bird-watching, etc.
Fish species: Florida-strain largemouth bass, rainbow trout (20,400 pounds will be stocked December-March), bluegill, blue catfish, channel catfish, redear sunfish, carp and yellow bullhead.
Critters: The lake is surrounded by different phases of Scripps Ranch development, but there are enough green belts around it for animals to find their way here. Coyotes, fat and sassy from stocking up on local unattended pets from Scripps Ranch dwellers, can be seen regularly, and even bobcats have been spotted here. Sky show can be spectacular with osprey, red-tailed hawks, seagulls and migratory waterfowl.
Concessions / camping / picnicking: No concessions or camping. The lake has a terrific picnic area on both sides of the launch ramp, and Natalie Park on the Northeast shore has a secluded picnic area with tables and grills and lots of shade, with some spots overlooking the lake. In all, there are 18 barbecues and 48 picnic tables located around the lake, but you may bring your own barbecue for use in designated areas only. No ground fires or glass containers are allowed. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times and at least 50 feet away from the water. Dogs are not allowed on boats (private or rental).
Fishing tip: Kayakers and float-tubers have found this spot, especially during the week when there's very little boat pressure. Deep lake with steep banks and very clear water. Fishing is good when the water laps into the tules. Usual bait such as night crawlers, crawdads and shiners always are good here. Purple or brown plastic worms also do well for bass. Fly-lined mackerel can be very good for channel catfish.
Access: Low water sometimes takes the launch ramp out of play, but there are fishing piers on the north side. Also, there are some points to drop into and clearings in the tules if you walk the dirt perimeter trail, located along the tules below the paved 5-mile road. The trail can be accessed just beyond the parking lot on the east side of the lake.
Permits: Fishing: Adults, $5; juniors (8-15), $2.50; children 7 and under, free. Motorboats, all day, $35; half-day, $25 (noon to closing); rowboats, all day, $12; half-day, $8. Must be 16 to rent any boat. Private boats (including canoes and inflatables), all or part of a day, $5 launch fee; private kayaks (single), all or part of the day, $1 launch fee. All-day motorboat reservations (619) 668-3274) or e-mail ssmith@sandiego.gov. Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Information: Recorded, (619) 465-FISH (3474). City lakes office at (619) 668-2050 or e-mail Sharon Smith at ssmith@sandiego.gov. Great Web site at www.sandiego.gov/ water/ recreation.
– ED ZIERALSKI
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Starting with Zimmerlee, witnesses came forth saying he caught a floater, a big bass that was dying, an accusation that Zimmerlee denied then and later.
On Feb. 29, 1988, Keith Gunsauls, today a respected tournament bass angler, caught 19.50-pound bass at Miramar. Gunsauls was 21 and studying landscape design and irrigation at Cuyamaca College. He caught the bass on a “leap day.” At the time it was the fifth-largest bass ever caught behind Perry's 22.25, Ray Easley's 21.20-pounder from Lake Casitas, Zimmerlee's 20.94 and Gene Dupras' 20.25-pounder caught May 30 at Lake Hodges. Gunsauls used a 4-inch Western Plastic worm cast from shore west of the boat dock. It was rare, one big bass catch that never was questioned and remains the 13th largest (tie) bass ever.
That wasn't the case for John Garduno's claim of a 20.25-pound bass he said he caught on March 25, 1990 at Miramar. Witnesses claimed Garduno netted the big bass as it made a swipe at a stringer of rainbow trout that dangled from the fishing pier on the north side of the lake. Garduno claimed he caught the bass with a shiner pinned to a size 6 hook on 6-pound test line. Garduno's bass is not in most Top 25 bass lists, but it would be tied for 10th with another San Diego-caught bass, Gene Dupras' 20.25-pounder from Lake Hodges on May 30, 1985.
No one questioned Chris Brandt's 19.25-pound bass that he caught in March 22, 1998, either. Brandt, a martial arts teacher from Mira Mesa, baited a waterdog. Brandt's bass is ranked 17th on the Top 25 list.
Finally, the most controversial of all Miramar bass was Sandy DeFresco's 19.06-pounder that actually weighed 21 pounds, 10 ounces when put on the scale at the lake on March 14, 1988. It was the second-largest bass ever caught at the time, but that was before a 2-pound diving belt weight popped out of the bass' belly when it was cut open at Lyons & O'Haver Taxidermy. How did the weight get there? The popular theory is that DeFresco's husband did it, playing a prank on Zimmerlee, but then the joke got out of hand when media and the like showed up and transformed the catch into a national event. The bass may have been hanging around the boat dock because it was caught two weeks after Gunsauls caught and released his 19½-pound bass. Figuring it lost a little weight between bites, DeFresco's bass could have been Gunsauls' bass on the re-bite, a sad fate for such a giant bass.
Even without the weight, DeFresco's bass is ranked 21st on the all-time list.
Gunsauls' release of that 19½ -pound bass was just as much a historic moment as any in the history of big bass fishing. It marked the first time anyone let a bass that size go after catching it.
At the time, Tom O'Neill of the Southern California Bass Council told Jim Brown, outdoors writer for the San Diego Evening Tribune: “I can't believe he released that fish. To release it was so unselfish. He's earned the respect of every bass fisherman.”
Huey Lyons of Lyons & O'Haver Taxidermy told Brown: “He released it? That's tremendous! I have a mold of a bass that size, I'd be happy to make him a replica of the fish he turned loose at my cost.”
Brown wrote at the time: “George Perry gained fame after eating the largest bass ever caught. Keith Gunsauls is gaining fame for catching the largest bass ever released.”
Gunsauls' catch-and-release of that giant bass paved the way for many others to follow. Crupi let go that 22.01, and a check of the Top 25 shows that four of the top-10 bass caught since 1991 have been released.
That includes one big bass not on the official list, the 25-1 caught and released by Mac Weakley in 2006 after he foul-hooked a bass at Dixon that would have shattered George Perry's record.
This is the latest in a Saturday series on the lakes of San Diego County. Next week: Lake Murray.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
