By Paul Lebowitz

Lake Cuyamaca is special. It’s the only spot in San Diego County where the young and young at heart can hook a summertime trout, catch glimpses of deer, turkey, and eagles and then camp at the water’s edge under a country sky full of stars. Many a youngster first sampled the fun of fishing at this kid friendly place.

Last year I returned to the site of my most memorable youthful fishing adventures to walk the lake with supervising ranger Willard Lepley. It was a beautiful sunny day, leafy green and fragrant with the scent of the pines that still grow thick on Fletcher Island.

New growth has covered most of the scars left by the roaring 2003 Cedar fire. Sadly, many of the private cabins on the neighboring mountains burned, but miraculously all of the lake’s facilities were spared. Four years later, Lepley and his staff are still busy telling the world that the lake is open for business and as beautiful as ever.

Lepley showed off the lake’s three new sleeping cabins and other overnight options: waterside tent sites, RV spots with partial hook-ups, and even a comfortable two unit condo.

As we passed the lake’s fishing pier, we caught a glimpse of a precious ritual. A man was teaching a child of maybe five or six summers to fish, and she was having the time of her young life. She laughed as something tugged on the line attached to her cute little pink and yellow fishing pole, then reeled in a small crappie that wriggled on the dock and set off another round of giggles.

The youngster’s delight was so infectious, Lepley and I couldn’t help chuckling too.

“Kids don’t care if the fish they catch are small,” said Lepley, who loves to see kids enjoying the lake he manages up in San Diego’s mountainous backcountry.

The little lake up at 4,600 ft has been a delightful family destination for more than 40 continuous years, although its history as a fishery goes back to 1891. At only 110 surface acres it may look modest, but this is a cherished and productive local treasure.  

Cuyamaca’s main claim to fame is as the county’s only all-seasons trout lake. Fish are stocked year round, and there are some big ones including prized rainbows from the Alpers Trout Ranch.

The lake is absolutely stuffed with small crappie and bullhead catfish – sure-thing targets ideal for keeping the kids happy.

Largemouth bass, blue and channel cats, and (believe it or not) white sturgeon round out the fishery. Smallmouth bass were stocked in 1995 and 1997, but don’t appear to have established themselves.

The opposite is true of the crappie and bullheads, which run on the small side due to their vast numbers. Anglers need have no qualms about harvesting a limit for a tasty fish dinner.

The crappie can be caught throughout the lake on small minijigs such as Trout Teasers. Use the smallest sizes and light line. As a bonus, these tiny jigs also tempt Cuyamaca’s trout.

Boat anglers have it easy. Just let out a few feet of line and wait as you drift across the lake between the dam area and east jetty. During the warmer months there’s nothing to it. Shore casters will find good results by affixing a bobber a few feet up the line and then casting out from a finger jetty or fishing dock.

The bullhead catfish are nearly as easy to catch as the little panfish. To demonstrate, Lepley threaded a short section of nightcrawler onto a hook and tossed it out at a random spot near the southern buoy line. Within minutes of hitting the bottom a cat had gobbled his offering.

There are such vast numbers of bullheads in the lake that Lepley instituted a seasonal contest a couple of years back, the Bullhead-a-Thon. During the summer, prizes are awarded every two weeks to the angler who catches the most.

Mike Johnson of San Diego was the fellow who’d brought the precocious angler with the pink fishing pole. As the young lady proudly showed off her catch of a dozen pier-caught crappie, Johnson explained why he’d chosen Cuyamaca to introduce her to fishing.

“Cuyamaca is scenic but close to the city,” said Johnson, who drove from San Diego to the lake in only 40 minutes. There isn’t a better place to introduce a child to fishing, Johnson added. 

“Kids can fish off the dock and catch fish until they go crazy,” Johnson said.

The smaller fish catch the kids; parents are lured up to the lake to breath fresh air and chase trout. The lake is heavily stocked by the DFG, Mt Lassen, and the Alpers Trout Farm. Catching the latter’s fish can be doubly rewarding. Some of the ‘bows sport tags good for a free day of fishing or a stay in one of the lake’s comfortable condos.

Trout can be caught here year-round, but the best fishing is during the fall and spring. Summer heat slows the bite, as does the colder water of winter. 

Cuyamaca isn’t a deep lake; it averages only 10 ft or so. The bottom is weedy. For best results, Lepley encourages anglers to fish from the bottom up with a sliding sinker rig. Use a short leader (2 to 3 ft) and a floating bait such as Powerbait or an inflated nightcrawler.

Shore anglers do great here. Known trout hotspots are the north shore from the lone pine to the east dike and out by the dam buoy line.

Trollers score on small Rapalas or spinners such as Roostertails in 1/16 or 1/8th oz. Lepley said flashers aren’t necessary in Cuyamaca’s heavily stained water.

Cuyamaca throws a huge late summer party for its youngest anglers, the annual Fishin’ in the Pines kids’ derby. This year’s free contest is set for Sept 22. In 2006, nearly 600 youngsters spent the day outdoors hoping to hook the winner. Many of the kids caught their first fish.

If you think 600 kids is an impressive number, try this one: 17.9 lbs. That’s the unofficial lake record for largemouth bass, caught in spring 2006 by big bass guru Mike Long.

Cuyamaca doesn’t get a lot of attention for its bass fishery. Could there be a world record swimming here?

Cuyamaca’s bucketmouths usually spawn in late May or early June. Sight fishing the murky water is tough. Lepley said topwater baits are effective early and late. During the day, try tossing a 6-in worm in chocolate brown / blue vein. 

What about the sturgeon? Former ranger Hugh Marx started the innovative white sturgeon stocking program during the late 1990s. So far, very few of the big fish have been landed.

Sturgeon fall under special DFG regulations. Beginning this year, anglers must carry a free sturgeon report card. No fish less than 46 inches total length or greater than 66 can be retained.

Few anglers target Cuyamaca’s dinosaurs. Those who do fish fresh shrimp on the bottom. Rumor has it that once in a while a rod baited with worms flies out of its holder and sails into the lake as bystanders blink and ask themselves ‘Did I really just see that?”

It’s deeply satisfying to know beautiful little Cuyamaca Lake is still kicking out the fish tales.

STILL BEAUTIFUL – Visitors who want a look at Cuyamaca’s pre-fire forest travel to the lake, where stately pines still stand tall on Fletcher Island.

SAN DIEGO’S KID FRIENDLY MOUNTAIN RETREAT – Going back decades, generations of kids have gotten their first taste of fishing at Lake Cuyamaca. The beautiful little gem is as close as a lake gets to a sure thing. If the trout aren’t biting, the hordes of kid-pleasing crappie are.

SIERRA BEAUTY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – Four years after the Cedar fire, nature has healed many of the scars. The lake’s facilities were miraculously spared. Cuyamaca is open, operating, and as pretty as ever.

SAN DIEGO’S ONLY YEAR-ROUND TROUT FISHERY GETS AN UPGRADE – The folks who manage Lake Cuyamaca are innovators – see past sturgeon and smallmouth stockings. These days chief ranger Willard Lepley is bringing in pulse-pounding Alpers trout to spice up the scene. PHOTO COURTESY CUYAMACA LAKE

STAY OVERNIGHT – Lake Cuyamaca offers the full range of accommodations. Pitch a tent, park an RV, sleep in a cabin, or relax in a condo.

CUYAMACA KITTIES ABOUND – Cuyamaca is practically paved with small, easy to catch bullhead catfish. There are bigger kitties too including channel cats. PHOTO COURTESY CUYAMACA LAKE

THE LAKE THAT WANTS YOU TO CATCH FISH – Cuyamaca Lake management goes the extra mile to help visitors find the fish. There’s a free fishing class every Saturday, the friendly tackle shop staff steer anglers to the hot spots, and the lake’s website hosts a first of its kind GPS fishing guide.