Upper Otay Lake is located in San Diego County near the city of Chula Vista. From San Diego, take hwy. 805 South to Telegraph Cyn. Rd. Then go East 8 miles (turns into Otay Lakes Rd.) to Wueste Rd. (don't turn right, keep going until you see Wueste Rd. LEFT) to the upper lake.

General Info:

    Upper Otay Res. is a small lake of 20 surface acres set at an elevation of 490 feet. The lake is open year-round, sunrise to sunset on Wed., Sat., Sun. and holidays. Closed Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

Other lakes in the area:
Otay Lake - Lower
Loveland Lake
Murray Lake
Barrett Lake
Chollas Lake

Boating Info:

    Only float tubes are allowed.

Fishing Info:

    Fishing permits are $8 per day and may be purchased at the "Iron Ranger" pay station (on site - bring exact change) or at the Lower Otay lake concession. Fishing is offered on a catch and release (zero kill) basis, with barbless artificial lures only for all species of fish. There are Florida-strain largemouth bass, bluegill, and bullhead here. Rainbow trout were planted a few times in the past but it is unlikely there are any left. Be sure to visit the CDFW web site for complete regulations before heading out.

• Read and Post Upper Otay Lake Fishing Reports Here

Comments and Tips:

   The lake used to be a hatchery for Florida strain largemouth bass. Over 20,000 fingerlings were transported from Florida and put into the lake during the late 1950's. They were bred and planted into many of the lakes here in So. Cal.

   If you know something about this area or have some photos that you'd like to share, please E-mail and I'll post it here!