Loveland Reservior

Like a Vampire at a blood buffet… the water has been sucked out of this reservoir.
I guess, we are in a drought California and the golfers need their green grass and us tree huggers get the left overs… poor nature… water leftovers in a doggie bag.
Park in the dirt lot. there are port-​a-​crappers in the lot… hike down the steep trail to the water… well… very far off to the water, what water… You can still find beauty here… bring some OFF. bring some bottled water, wear a hat… bring a fishing pole, pack a picnic lunch with some cold brews… don’t bring your dog though… it is a monitored reservoir by cool Park Rangers, don’t touch the what’s left of it water… you will get ticketed… it may seem like nobody is out there watching. but be sure if it. THE HILLS HAVE EYES HERE…
Eerie to be walking at the bottom of the lake…

Ho-​lee sheet.
That was epically awful.
Trails that end randomly.
Stinging nettles.
Gave up on reaching the lake because trekking over scrub and nettled without a machete is really awful.
Climbed back up the long staircase without even having cast our fishing rods once.
What an awful experience.

Loveland Reservoir is located in Alpine and can be a good spot for fishing, it opens at 6am. and closes at sundown or whatever time it says on their sign, the time changes during different seasons. There is no charge to fish at this lake, but you must have a fishing license. There are rangers that maintain the lake, as well as the fish and game. But it is quite a walk down to the lake so be ready for a workout.

Loveland Reservior is different from the other typical San Diego area lakes because it is the only one that is open 7 days a week from sun– up to sundown and that does not charge a fee for fishing. Of course it comes at a price. There is only one cove out of the whole lake that is open to the public.
To access the lake you drive along Japatul Rd. untill you see a gated entrance leading to a dirt parking lot. From there you must hike along a well marked trail to reach the waters edge. The journey going down is easy because its all down hill but when its time to return it can be somewhat of a workout because now you are traveling uphill the whole time. Also there is some challenging terrain to overcome if you want to access more of the cove for fishing so if you have a disability or are grossly out of shape then I wouldnt recommend this place.
With that being said I would recommend traveling light with a bare minimum of gear in order to make the trek more bearable.
The typical freshwater spieces can be found here and I rate the fishing as OK although the bass fishing can be excellent at times. Plastics, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwater, and live bait all get results.
Bluegills go for worms, although most are small and the catfish can be caught on worms, mackeral, chicken livers, etc.
Worth a look if you are in the area of Alpine and looking for some cheap entertainment.