Quick View:
Location: Lake Morena is located 63 miles southeast of San Diego on the edge of the Cleveland
National Forest, and near the
U.S.-Mexico border. Operated by San Diego
County, it is part of the Regional Park system. To get there, take l-8 from San Diego east to
Buckman Springs Road, turn south to Oak
Drive, then take Lake Morena Drive to
the park.
There is a good campground at the lake, with both hookup and primitive campsites and
in recent years some nice small cabins
have been built as well.
Season: San Diego's Lake Morena is open year-round, but stocks
trout only in the winter months,
normally from late October through
February. Some holdover trout extend the trout
fishing into March, and perhaps even April. Morena is also a good bass and catfish lake, and has
good crappie fishing in the spring. Regulations and Fees (subject to change so
please confirm) For trout and bass there is a five fish limit. Catfish limit is ten, crappie limit
is 25 and there is no limit on bluegill
and redear sunfish.
Boat rentals are
available, and but call the lake for to see if you may launch your own boat,
because of low water. Speed limit on the lake is 10 m.p.h., and personal watercraft are not permitted; you
only have to share the water with
sailboats and sail-boarders. Float tube
fishing is permitted. Morena follows the conventions of the other lakes in the area. A floatation
vest is required, and you should wear a
bit of international Orange to alert
boaters to your presence. An orange ball
cap is sufficient. Information:
Contact the San Diego Lake Ranger Office (619-579-4101)
For camping reservations, call (858-565-3600). There is a fish report recording for Morena 619 478 5473.
Lake Morena Fishing Map, Fishing Report, and San Diego Hunting and fishing, hunting clubs nearby
How to fish Lake Morena
If ever there was a choice bit of trout fishing water little known by California’s angling public, Lake Morena is it. Morena is a water storage reservoir of around 1,500 surface acres when full. At capacity, it has 20 miles of shoreline, consisting of jumbled piles of boulders and brushy stands of dead trees — ideal habitat for both fish and fishing.
LAY OF THE LAKE: Unlike the much better known chain of bass-producing reservoirs that form the San Diego City Lakes, Morena lies in rugged country about 60 miles east of the city, and not far from the California-Mexico border.
At an altitude of
3,000 feet in the Cleveland National
Forest. it is low enough to be a quality
warm-water fishery, yet it is also capable of sustaining very good put-and-take trout fishing during the winter months.
BASS TOO: The bass fishing is what Morena is noted for. It has some really large bass to its credit. The lake records a 19-pound, 3-ounce monster caught
hy Arden Hanline of Chula Vista.
Morena is also home to an Intemationai
Game Fish Association fly-rod bass line
class record. San Diego angler Ned
Sewell set the mark in 1984, a time when
Morena was at the height of several
years of high water. His 13-pound,
9-ounce large- mouth set an 8-pound
tippet mark
PUT AND TAKE: In
addition to the prospect of trophy
quality largemouth and good panfish
angling, Morena supports a better than average put-and-take trout fishery in the cooler months of the year. The fish are purchased by the county (Morena is operated by the San Diego County Park System) and they come from the Whitewater hatchery, which has a reputation for producing quality rainbows.
There are also a number
of Department of Fish and Game plants
during the winter with fish raised at the
Mojave Hatchery in Victorville. As is
usual with put-and-take trout fisheries.
the hot action for the bait and lure
angler is often in the area around the
launch ramp where the fish are stocked.
A variety of jar baits such as Berkley‘s Power Bait (green glitter is a hot
color) and Zeke’s Floating Bait are used. Small lures that mimic baitfish are hot items, but since Morena is at 3,000 feet, it gets too cold for threadfin shad. Golden and red shiners are used as legal bait here, so copper or gold lures probably will work better than silver.
BOULDERS & BRUSH:
The shore and bottom of Morena is very rocky and huge boulders and brush are typical features that hold the bait and aquatic insects the trout eat, During the winter trout months, weed beds are not a big concem, but some of the best fishing is in places where ultra-light tackle gets
broken off quite a bit. Perhaps slightly heavier line and a light leader will work better.
Most of the east and
south shore is open to anglers on
foot. There is also a good open area on the north side that offers good fishing if the water level is up. There is also very good angling for the small boat- or float tube equipped angler.
At nearly 1,500 surface acres when full, Morena is big enough that trolling for trout is a good technique. Down by the dam and in the deep central “slot” of
the lake is the best place to troll.
TIPPET FLIPPERS:
Since the mid 1990s, members of the
“Wednesday Bunch" of the San Diego
Fly Fishers have been float tubing and fly
fishing Morena for trout. They often find
excellent fishing conditions in February and
March, and in the past, they’ve recorded
trout in the 16- to 18-inch class.
Fly anglers can get into good fish with
those old standbys: Woolly Buggers in
black or olive, about size 16. Most fly
anglers catch their trout at Morena with
sinking lines, but often when the water is still winter cold you find schools of
trout prowling the upper few feet and a
floating line can be used.
BELLY BOATERS: One of the good spots in recent years for the float tube anglers has been the south end right at the campground more than the upper (north) end of the lake. The north end only has water in good wet years or
after heavy winter rains. At the time
this report was written, Goat Island in
the north end was not an island any
more.
MAP MARK: Nearby
Cuyamaca Lake, another fine trout fishing spot not far away from
Morena. Because of Morena’s lower
altitude, the fly action picks up earlier
in the year, and so takes advantage of
Morena’s trout while the fishing at his
lake is still mostly dominated by the
bait crowd. During January, February, and
March, and even into April, Morena can be a great trout fishing spot. Favorite spot is on the north shore near the old Honor Camp, it’s a very long
and shallow area, and a float tube isn’t
necessary.
Waders are helpful while the
water is still cold. Typically, fish
streamers for the trout. Olive Matukas,
6, 8, and l0, and olive/black Woolly
Buggers, same sizes. Also a fly
made by Orvis known as the Rainbow Trout
Fly is very good. Fish in the afternoon, getting the last two or three hours of daylight, better-than-average dry fly
fishing on cool winter days. “The last half-hour, the dry fly bite can be phenomenal. The best is a Callibetis Emerger or a Elk Hair Caddis in 14 to 16 for both flies. Try what we call ‘bobber fishing.’ Cast the fly towards working fish, but since you can't tell which direction they are going, it’s a guess, so you just sit and try to keep the fly as motion-less as possible
until the fish sees it and hits it.
TROUT TIME: February
and March it’s usually possible to
catch three or four decent trout in that last 30 minutes on dry fliesThe size
is anywhere from 12 to 20 inches.
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