Monday

lake cuyamaca







I was glad to hear that Lake Cuyamaca ( http://www.lakecuyamaca.org/ ), has reopened after the tragic fires in California. I had an opportunity to fish this lake before the fires and I wanted to write a short entry about the beautiful place.

This 110 acre lake sits on top of the beautiful Cuyamaca Mountains in San Diego. The drive up to the lake is a pleasant one, and for a Midwest guy like me, the scenery is a fantastic one. And it (scenery) changes with each step up in altitude, from a desert setting to a mystical forest, and then to a forest that is more familiar. This beautiful scenery with the hope of meeting a trout had my heart in a good mood the entire drive up.

The high altitude of the mountains keeps the water nice and cool for the rainbow trout, sturgeon, smallmouth bass, crappie, and bluegills that are stocked all year round. You can purchase a California fishing license right at the tackle shop, as well as a day pass to the lake. There are some selection of flies and other gear, but bring what you need as it's limited in selection. The lake is strictly catch and keep, and no fish can be released except for undersized small mouth. The shop gives you a small piece of paper with the daily catch size and number limit. It was windy when I went, and even thought it was still late summer, it was pretty cold (bring warm clothing).



I started by walking around the entire lake, fishing from one spot to another but not spending more than 10 min in one spot. I wanted to see the entire lake and walk in the land that surrounds it. Like the drive up, the land around it had a lot of different faces to it. From mud that was nearly knee deep to dry, crackled land that had me lost for a moment, and onto rocky, bushy areas. It took me a good 4 hours to walk around the entire lake, and it was a fast paced walk. I saw people on floaters and on boats fishing in the water, but with the wind and all, I decided to stay on land and discover it that way. The fishing was okay for that day, producing smaller fish, but I guess I was focused more on discovering the lake than fishing that day.

It's a good lake, and one I know I will be back at soon. Next time, I will have many more fish photos now that I have spent time to discover the lake. Till then...


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