Secluded local reservoir offers a watery recreation spot
If you blink, you might miss it.
About halfway between San Juan Oaks Golf Club and Hollister
Hills, a small driveway leads back into the hills. For those in the
know, the brown sign reading San Justo Reservoir isn’t necessary.
But many Hollister residents who zip past it on a regular basis
have no idea what hidden treasures lie just at the end of the
road.
Secluded local reservoir offers a watery recreation spot
If you blink, you might miss it.
About halfway between San Juan Oaks Golf Club and Hollister Hills, a small driveway leads back into the hills. For those in the know, the brown sign reading San Justo Reservoir isn’t necessary. But many Hollister residents who zip past it on a regular basis have no idea what hidden treasures lie just at the end of the road.
At the end of the road a secluded lake comes into view, revealing rocky shores, dark blue and green waters, and small boats spotting its surface. The lake is perfectly placed between the hills of Hollister and provides peace and quiet for visitors.
San Justo Reservoir is a recreational park where people can go to fish, boat, bike, and even windsurf. The California Department of Fish and Game regularly stocks the lake with trout. In May, Fish and Game stocked the lake with more than 1,500 pounds of trout pushing the total to more than 16,000 pounds of trout this year.
There are many other types of fish that patrol in the murky depths, however.
Bass, catfish, crappies, and bluegills are also known to be in the waters of the reservoir. Though the reservoir does not have a strict policy, there are a lot of local fishermen that catch and then release their caught fish. This helps preserve the fish population at the reservoir to keep people coming back.
Ken Allerton is a pro-amateur fisherman from Hollister who has fished at San Justo since he was 2.
“This is one of Hollister’s best kept secrets,” Allerton said, of San Justo. “I have talked to people who have lived in Hollister for 40 years and have never heard of it before.”
Other people have heard about the reservoir and enjoy going out and fishing there regularly.
Greg Engler and his son, Robert, 10, moved to the area form San Diego about two and half years ago and have been regulars at the reservoir ever since.
“My sister told me about this place when we moved here,” Engler said. “I think we have been here about ten times a year since.”
Others, such as Alex Guajardo, 16, a native to Hollister, have always fished at the reservoir. Guajardo taught himself how to fish when he was 8 years old.
His first time fishing was a painful experience when he accidentally stuck a fish hook all the way through his finger. That did not stop him from learning how to fish, however. Guajardo is now a regular at the San Justo reservoir, fishing as often as he can.
“I come here all the time,” Guajardo said. “I have probably been here 20-30 times since school got out. Coming here to fish is a little get-away from all the high school drama and stuff.”
Even fisherman such as Allerton, who recently won Angler of the Year for the Won Bass Tour, enjoy fishing at San Justo.
“I have been fishing at this lake since 1985,” Allerton said. “I sometimes fish here 4 to 5 times a week. I have had so many fun experiences here and I have a lot of stories.”
Although the fishing tends to be great most of the time, according to Allerton, many of the locals that fish don’t just come for the fishing.
“This lake is real close to home,” Engler said. “It takes us about 8 minutes to get here. It beats driving to Anderson, San Luis Reservoir, or the beach.”
The seclusion provides a lot of comfort for many of the locals that fish out on the waters of the local reservoir.
“It’s real quiet here,” Guajardo said. “It gets me away from all the stuff that goes on here.”
For most people, cost is no issue when they come out to San Justo to fish. It costs just $5 a day to park and $3 for 13 to 18 foot boats. If people do not own a boat, they can rent one from the reservoir for $25 for 4 hours.
There are many different spots to fish at the reservoir, including a fishing dock that was installed a few years ago.
So whether people want to fish on the dock, from a boat, or on the shore, the San Justo Reservoir is a great place to do so, according to locals.
Hollister holds secrets to many great things, locals say. And the San Justo Reservoir is definitely one of them.
“This reservoir is a gem of Hollister,” Allerton said. “We just want people to know its here and to come out and enjoy it.”
