Lake Boy: Fish and Fishing in San Diego County, our club before it became the San Diego Fly Fishers, prominent past members and more...

Jim Brown is a native San Diegan of 76 years whose time from the age of 12 was divided between the family home in Golden Hill and Lake Sutherland where he worked in the concession and the dock as the motor boy.

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 At 19 he was placed in charge of Lower Otay and ran the recreation program for two years before transferring to Humboldt State to major in Natural Resources and  pursuit of steelhead, though not necessarily in that order.

 

 As a result, he returned home to  graduate from San Diego State. In 1969 he was hired as a Recreation Leader in Barrio Logan where he initiated a youth fishing program that paired kids with off duty Police Officers who acted as their fishing guides. In 1971 he was transferred to open Chollas Lake and develop it as a kids only fishing hole. Three years later, Jim was promoted to manage the San Diego City Lakes Program where he retired in 2003.

 

 His Connection to the San Diego Casting Club, forerunner of the San Diego Fly Fishers runs deep. He began casting at the original casting pool directly south of the municipal pool at Morley field when he was eight years old. When that area was closed and redeveloped the city provided a replacement east of the municipal pool. Unfortunately, it was placed on top of a landfill and became unstable and unable to hold water due to escaping methane gas.

 

 As a result, Jim brought the club to Chollas Lake for it's Sunday casting practice and lessons in 1971. In 1974 he he took over the City Lakes Program which includes Lake Murray and worked with the club to establish the casting area we use to this day.

 

 He has been an outdoor writer for many years, was a columnist for The Tribune and recently wrote an article on club member and saltwater fishing pioneer Sam Nix that appeared in Tail, a magazine devoted exclusively to saltwater fly fishing.

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 In addition, Jim has taught Recreation courses at San Diego State University and United States International University as well as fishing classes at SDSU and UCSD.

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