Lake Cuyamaca is our backcountry lake and offers some of the best fishing opportunities in the region. The 110 acre lake is San Diego’s most scenic reservoir, and offers unique fishing opportunities not available at any of the other local reservoirs.
We rent out fishing equipment for your day trip to the lake and our outfitters can give you helpful tips and tricks. You must have a valid fishing license and pay the $10 entrance fee (not included) Boat rentals are also available at the lake office and can be booked on site.
Lake Cuyamaca sits at an elevation of 4,620 feet, so the entire climate is different. It gets considerably colder in the winter and stays cooler throughout the year – making it San Diego County’s only year-round trout fishery.The Lake Cuyamaca Park and Recreation District, which operates the lake takes full advantage of that, stocking some 45,000 pounds of rainbow trout annually.
Aside from the trout, Lake Cuyamaca offers bass fishing. The lake is home to a ton of bass in the 7-11 pound range, and they see very little fishing pressure throughout the year.
Cuyamaca also boasts the only legitimate population of smallmouth bass and sturgeon in San Diego County. Both species were stocked in 1995 and 1996 by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in relatively small numbers. A small population of smallmouth bass still exist, but catches are rare. Lake Cuyamaca also has a good population of small black crappie, bluegill, bullheads, and channel catfish.
History
The dam which formed Lake Cuyamaca was completed in 1888, making it the 2nd oldest dam in the state of California. It was created to store water to be piped down to San Diego to support the growing city. At that time, water was transported down to the city through a system of wooden flumes, above ground channels.
Fish were first stocked in 1891, but drought conditions and a desperate need of water in San Diego completely wiped out the fishery in the 1940s around the tail end of World War II. The lake was desolate until the 1960s when the Lake Cuyamaca Recreation and Park District was formed to create a more permanent infrastructure at the lake. They constructed a dike to create two sections; a deeper and more viable western side and a shallow and sprawling eastern end which only holds water during very wet seasons.
Location
Lake Cuyamaca is located at 15027 Hwy 79 in Julian, CA.
Facilities
There is a popular restaurant overlooking the lake on its western shore, a popular and much appreciated option for anglers at this remote reservoir. The lake also offers a small but suitable tackle store for bait and tackle, and a mini-mart style store for snacks and beverages.
A paved launch ramp is available for private boaters, and a boat dock holds a large rental boat fleet for other anglers to get out on the lake.
Shoreline access is tremendous at Cuyamaca, the lake has gentle sloping banks with limited obstructions and several access points. Several well designed jetties, fishing floats, and fishing docks are stationed around the lake to provide additional access. There is even a handicap fishing dock on the lake’s dike at the northeast corner of the lake.
Operating Schedule
Lake Cuyamaca is open daily from 6:00 AM to sunset year-round.
Daily Fishing Permit Fees
- Adults – $10
- Youths – $3.50
- Seniors – $6
- Boat Launch – $5 (plus additional boat wash fee, see below)
Special Regulations
- Private boats must be a minimum of 10 feet in length to launch
- There is a strictly enforced “no wake” speed limit for boaters
- Canoes and kayaks are allowed only in the summer months
- Fishing from your kayak is permitted from Memorial to Labor Day but you can fish from the shoreline all year.
- Float tubes are allowed, but can only be used the last 3 hours of the day on weekends and holidays, or all day on weekdays
- Boats must be washed by the lake staff prior to launching, and there is a $10 fee
- Float tubes and waders must also be washed prior to entering the lake, a $5 fee