Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area

My dad went here on Saturday to go catfishing. And to our surprise, no water.
Not enough water to launch our small boat. So, it was a day on the banks. And no fishing.
Apparently, They opened the reservoir to let water out. Check ahead of time is my advise.

It was strangely loud here, but it was a great place for a walk with the dogs!
It was very eerie on the evening we went, but it made for a fun experience.
We did see a skunk, so watch out for that.

Nice picnic area,
Fishing seems so so with small blue gill gotten with worms
Entrance fee is $ 10, ranger was there to collect today and another ranger at the boat ramp too today.

A friend of mine and I came here to take the dogs for a swim & walk. 1^st time because I’ve never heard of the place. I found the reservoir on a dog walk site. The walk trail is flat, simple, just gravel. If your going to take the doggies for a walk & swim; you’ll find few places the doggies can use to get to the reservoir to swim easily. Otherwise, the doggies have to climb down some rocks. The walk is 3.4miles to and back. Reservoir was clean and higher than I thought it would be. I went at the end of February 2014. There is a boat launch in the front and bathrooms. I really like that there are a couple of different picnic areas. One closer to the entrance of the boat launch and another over looking the reservoir.
I loved that it wasn’t crowded at all. About three other people and doesn’t look like it’s used as often as some of the reservoirs.
About the location, the address on the Unilocal leads you to a gate on the road that doesn’t allow for entrance. Use the address to get u close and then continue going forward on the road and your see a sign that says Bethany Reservoir to the left. Follow the one car road all the way up to the parking lot.

I just went today (Oct 23, 2013) to see how the lake looks like. The water looks clean better than San Luis at I-​5/​152. I am planning to bring my standup Jet Ski next time but I am not sure if allowed. No sign anywhere, No sign of speed limit. Self pay.

I went fishing with my Dad on a super hot day; 100°. This spot seems secluded and pretty close to Lazy Marina. Since it was our first time there, we had no idea it was a self registration. We turned the right as we entered the spot, and found an area to our left but decided to drive further down the road. That area was definitely better. It had about 3 shaded picnic tables along with a bathroom, which was probably a pit. All the garbage bins were full to the top, and since it was full, trash were left behind near the water.
Fishing was definitely a better experience there than other places I’ve gone to. True story: right as my bait touched the water, I immediately caught a blue gill; too good to be true. Decided to cast my line out to the same spot and caught another! It was definitely fun. A group a couple of feet away from us simultaneously caught larger fish. This is definitely a spot I’ll go back to to go fishing.

Nice looking reservoir with a boat dock, launch and 2 covered areas for grilling. Outdoor bathroom leaves much to be desired. People were grilling, fishing, boating and walking along the reservoir. Nice open space, not too crowded.
*Open from 7am to Sunset
*Dogs do not have to be leashed
*Parking $ 5
*Boat use fee $ 5
Driving in to the parking lot there is a sign that reads: Fee Area Self Registration Required. I never found a place to put the money and didnt spend a lot of time checking.
From the State Parks website: Located in the northernmost part of the San Joaquin Valley, Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area is a popular place for water-​oriented recreation, especially fishing and windsurfing. It also features a bike trail (along the California Aqueduct Bikeway) — and many windmills. It is also the northern terminus of the California Aqueduct.