"BEST" Lakes in the West

[hurleyr]

Hi all,
I'm trying to plan my summer boat trips and was looking for some input. I've been to Powell, Mojave, and Havasu and tend to prefer Powell for family (and views), Havasu for boys trips :D :D and Mojave for a compromise.
I haven't been to Shasta but heard it's a nice lake. How does it compare to the ones listed above?
Which lakes are the best in the West? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hurley.....

[rivercrazy]

I think you nailed it pretty much with what you said. Havasu for partying, Powell and Mohave for the family. Although Gasoline Alley in Mohave is a pretty darn good party spot. The only thing to really watch out for on Mohave or Powell is the wind. Otherwise they are both incredible.
Other lakes on my top 10 California lakes are (not in any order)
Don Pedro
Tahoe
Bass Lake (for the scenery and lake front houses)
Pine Flat
Delta
Never been to Shasta but I hear its awesome too.

[svlperry]

lake mead is a cool place to

[RACER52]

Shasta is the way to go up north. Don pedro, berryessa are both good fun also.
Shasta is big enough to not see all of it.

[Ducatista]

Shasta, Naciemento, and Don Pedro all all beautiful lakes worth checking out....as well as Mead.

[91nordic29]

havasu is also a great family spot. there is a really nice campground cattail cove (http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/cattail.html) at the opposite end of the lake from the usual "party spots".
or you could come to arizona and spend two weeks exploring all our lakes.

[Kilrtoy]

Havasu for boys trips
Something we should know,
I stop doing boy trips when I quit playing little league.
Now its me and Bitches trips.....
The only way meat is coming on the boat is if it has a fine ass bitch with them........

[BiggusJimbus]

Shasta Sucks.
Don't go there.
:D :D :D :D :D

[Rock-it man]

Originally posted by BiggusJimbus
Shasta Sucks.
Don't go there.
:D :D :D :D :D
Your right we dont need any more traffic up at Shasta !!!

[BADBLOWN572]

Rivercrazy nailed the list. Don Pedro is awesome, the Delta is cool, but if you want a nice relaxing weekend where you can ski all day long you head up to Pine Flat. Glass all weekend long and no one there. Mojave is awesome, but stay away from Catherines. Drive up to Cottonwood if possible and launch there. Catherines is a zoo and full of idiots.

[1Bahnerjet]

SHASTA'S the Place, Don't Worry its Huge I don't think it can be Crowded, Well maybe at the Ramp's :rolleyes: The Delta has more Boat Accidents than anywhere else in Nor-Cal :(, it also has the Smoothest Water :D

[anxious]

mammoth pools is pretty nice. great weather, camping pine trees, streams, fishing etc.
if you dont like any of the lakes mentioned above you can always try elsinore. :D :D jk

[hurleyr]

It looks like this topic sparked some interest. This is what I've heard, not necessarily in order:
1)Powell (best for houseboating)
2)Mojave (partying houseboating, or gambling if staying at Laughlin)
3)Havasu (partying, partying, partying, housboating & some family)
4)Mead (houseboating & gambling if in Vegas)
5)Tahoe (scenery & lake front houses)(negative cold water)
6) Shasta (some lake front houses & other activates)
7) Delta (great water skiing not much scenery)
8) Naciemento (small lake and up tite atmosphere)
Not sure about the others:
Don Pedro (scenery, glassy water, no crowds?)
Bass Lake (scenery and water front houses)
Pine Flat (??)
Berryessa ??
Arizona Lakes?
Mammoth Pools?
In response to:
Shasta Sucks. Don't go there.
It's just us HB pals :( ! Besides after reading all the Cat Attack Smack (RIM), I think most the HB board has already planned a trip to see who’s talkin and who’s walkin :D :D :cool:. I'll be a watchin! And don't worry, we'll tell all the others that puddingstone is the best! :D :D :D Ya, Ya, Shasta sucks.
;)
Hurley..

[rivercrazy]

Don Pedro - Pretty much a mix of all them. Some good partying, great flat water in upper stretches, great houseboating, some good scenery.
Pine Flat - Flat for great waterskiing
The "ocean" for real adventure!
Bass Lake - Probably not the best for boating. But the scenery, atmosphere, hangin out, great restaurant, decent fishing, etc...

[hurleyr]

Rivercrazy,
I agree, nothing better than the ocean. I love the Catalina run. Unfortunately I had to downsize a bit on the boat size thus am sticking to lakes for now.
Thanks all for the awsome response. It's helping greatly in planning our summer boat trips. If you all have any pictures, Postem!! It just makes Summer seam that much closer.
Hey RIM and Biggus,
I just booked this place for June 13-20th. Come buy and have a beer :) :) :) ! Puddingstone number 1, Shasta Sucks, Shasta Sucks, Shasta Sucks ;) ;) Ya, Ya, Ya.
http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/9500.html

[hurleyr]

Trinity Lake? :D :D :D :D I may plan my July trip at Trinity. Is there a couple thousand of you that would like to join me? How about RIM and Biggus I'll invite you guys over for the party LOL.
Rockin the boat!!!!!!!!!!! :D :rolleyes: :p

[77charger]

Powell is nice but needs a lttle more water.
Needles sucks and parker rules(oh wait those are rivers):D

[burtandnancy]

It's going to be a few years before Mead and Powell get back up to their normal levels: Powell down 101', Mead down 91...

[NashvilleBound]

There really are not any good lakes left in CA. Shastas about the last of them. We should do a Catalina race with the 2 247's and see how we do. That would be a kick in the pants. Tho I am very hesitant about putting the sled in salt water....
Come out to TN once, let me take you out for two days on the water and you will never boat in CA or AZ again.....promise!

[hurleyr]

Nash,
I'd love to do Catalina. Never attempted it in a small rig though. I prefer a deep V, especially this time of year. It would be a blast! And, rust sucks!! :mad:
Does anyone know how low Shasta has gotten?

[NashvilleBound]

I think this is the link I use....
Daily Stations:
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?SHA

[LakesOnly]

I just can't believe that nobody mentioned Camp Far West! Water is good and warm, no speed limit, open headers okay, etc.
Berryessa has 165 miles of shoreline and something for everybody: the bridge for partying, the big open lake, the narrow/fingers for the calm water, etc. And like CFW, it has no cold sierra run-off (unlike Shasta, which can get pretty cold at times....nice lake otherwise).
Anybody been to Clear Lake?
LO

[Mohavekid]

Lake Oroville and Bullards Bar are great for family and houseboating.
Both are quite large, almost as big as Shasta. No wind like Mead, Havasu or Mohave.
No crowds to speak of and lot's of smooth water. I went to Oroville this past July 4th and had the ramp to myself.
Water is warm too as the elevation is only about 1200 feet.

[acatitude]

Shasta is an awesome lake , plenty of arms to run thru and Berryessa is a good lake when the wind comes up and gets a little chop going, don pedro is also good and the delta rules, so many places to go and a lot of good bars along the river, just kinda mucky water, also being in sac tahoe is close also. The most variety is around no. cal.

[LASERRAY]

Originally posted by NashvilleBound
There really are not any good lakes left in CA. Shastas about the last of them. We should do a Catalina race with the 2 247's and see how we do. That would be a kick in the pants. Tho I am very hesitant about putting the sled in salt water....
Come out to TN once, let me take you out for two days on the water and you will never boat in CA or AZ again.....promise! OK! Let me knock out 18 of my teeth, marry my cousin, court my sheep, put on my Hank Jr. wifebeater and we'll go boating together in TN.! You bring the Pabst Blue Ribbon, and I'll bring the Pork rinds!:D :D :D

[Cas]

Nothing to see in the Delta? Wow, it has a ton of great stuff, just not trees and mountains. Well, mountains close by, that is. It's a great place to go, no place else is like it.
Shasta water starts warming up quite fast around mid June except right at the river inlets.
My personal favorites go something like this:
Delta - so much to see and do
Shasta and Oroville - both a great lakes to go to
Rollins Lake - small but beautiful
Berryessa-cuz it's real close
New Hogan and Don Pedro
If you want to see quite a few pictures of those places, check out the "Past Events" page at www.laidbackboaters.com

[Costello]

I kinda like Folsom myself. Plenty of ramp area once the initial snow runoff subsides, and plenty of room to run the boat, or find a cove and kick back. The last few miles of the inlet from the American River are no wake zone with some awesome scenery in Spring and early Summer and a great place to kick back.

[LASERRAY]

Originally posted by Costello
I kinda like Folsom myself. Plenty of ramp area once the initial snow runoff subsides, and plenty of room to run the boat, or find a cove and kick back. The last few miles of the inlet from the American River are no wake zone with some awesome scenery in Spring and early Summer and a great place to kick back. Ok, but how do the lake Nazis treat you?

[NashvilleBound]

Originally posted by LASERRAY
OK! Let me knock out 18 of my teeth, marry my cousin, court my sheep, put on my Hank Jr. wifebeater and we'll go boating together in TN.! You bring the Pabst Blue Ribbon, and I'll bring the Pork rinds!:D :D :D
YOU HAVE 18 TEETH?????? Damn, ya'll lucky! And I dont know what Pabst Blue Ribbon is...we make our own Shine:D
Where we live and boat its all professionals...as in people with 'real' jobs and real(no jets) boats.

[LASERRAY]

I have a good friend that now lives somwhere in Arkansas for the last three years after living in California for more then 40 years. He can't believe that people still live in Cal. Needless to say he loves it there. My wife and I talked this last weekend about "getting out" of Cali. Too many laws, rules, regulations, people, cars, traffic, gangs, welfare, liberals etc.:cool:

[91nordic29]

are beautiful!
i was raised near lake chickamauga lake and the TN river and there were days when you could ski all day and see only one other boat. used to be that you only needed a driver and a skier and if the skier wanted to "drop a ski" you could. would still be in the same spot when you came back for it. come to think of it, that is how i learned to slolam (back in the day) at havasu wearing my dad's bright orange rubber life belt thingy.
:)

[NashvilleBound]

Our first summer there, after living in CA our whole lives, we were skiing and used our flag to signal "someone in the water". We actually had someone come accross the lake to see if we needed help. It was too funny....almost as funny as seeing my sister-in-law running on top of the water to get away from the 5' harmless water snake. Now that was funny...at least to me from inside the boat! Ah, the memories...can't wait to there full time.
And LaserRay...thats only the beginning of the list.....brotha

[91nordic29]

oh, yeah, i forgot. dont need a flag, ya'll! just thrown your arm up in the air!

[Kilrtoy]

Laer ,
you forgot about pregnant 12 year olds

[NashvilleBound]

Originally posted by Kilrtoy
Laer ,
you forgot about pregnant 12 year olds
Ah now...lets play nice;) ;)

[Dr. Eagle]

I'm a Californian, so my list is limited to lakes I have boated on...
Shasta is a great place to take a Houseboat vacation.
bummer is that the lake drops so fast in the summer. Full in spring and down 60' by mid July.
Don Pedro, awesome lake...large w/enough facilities to fix most broken things. Lake drops pretty quick, but not as fast as Shasta.
Oroville is nice, big when full. Seems to generally be a bit on the low side lately.
Folsom, cuz it is 2 miles to the launch ramp for me. Pretty crowded in summer though, but no biggie for me... pull the boat out and come back later if it is too bad...
Second vote for Rollins Lake, small but cozy.
Tahoe once a year, unpredictable water conditions though. Because of the large surface size west side is usually better.
Havasu is awesome, like to make it once or twice a year because of the whole scene.
Mead is nice, but dangerous. Wind comes up and it is like the friggin high seas. Been there and gotten the waves over the bow. Almost swamped the boat...
The Delta is a lot of fun, and lots to see and do. Only thing you have to get over is the smelly crappy dirty water. Other than that it is great!!! Very dangerous too because of all of the narrow channels and interstections. Lots of collissions out there...
There are beautiful lakes and waterways all over. Texas has some awesome lakes (went to a couple when visiting my son at Ft. Hood) and so do lots of other states. Just gotta get out there and USE them!!!
:D :D

[Craig]

Couple of summers ago, we went back to see T's Dad in Buchanan, TN. NW corner of the state. We rented a pontoon boat :p and went out on Kentucky Lake on a beautiful June Saturday. The lake is beautiful, but we hardly saw any boats! Maybe we were just in the wrong place. :(

[hurleyr]

Thanks again for the great replys. Who would have thought there were so many cooooool lakes/waterways to visit on the West Coast. This is what I have thus far. Sorry if I missed any:)
1)Powell (best for houseboating)
2)Mojave (partying houseboating, or gambling if staying at Laughlin)
3)Havasu (partying, partying, partying, housboating & some family)
4)Mead (houseboating & gambling if in Vegas)
5)Tahoe (scenery & lake front houses)(negative cold water)
6) Shasta (some lake front houses & other activates)
7) Delta (great water skiing not much scenery)
8) Naciemento (small lake and up tite atmosphere)
9) Don Pedro (scenery, glassy water, no crowds, services)
10) Bass Lake (scenery and water front houses)
11) Pine Flat (??)
12) Berryessa ??
13) Oroville
14) Folsom (water level?)
15) Rollins Lake - small but beautiful
16) Clear Lake
17) Trinity Lake (scenery, less crowds/partying than Shasta)
18) Arizona Lakes?
19) Mammoth Pools?
20) Parker (partying, partying, partying)
CAS nice pics. It looks like you guys have had some great get togethers.

[hurleyr]

I've also heard good things about Folsom. We have friends that live near by that one also. Not sure about the "lake Nazisism". I know it can be a drag when you have too many rules beyond what is really necessary. That's why I labeled Naciemento as "up tite". I've had a few stupid arguments with the local "wantabe a real cops" security at Heritage Ranch. My buddy owns a place up there and we had the misfortune of staying at their place for a weekend this last summer. Can't park trailer or car anywhere on the site were a tire is on the road way. :mad: Try that on a busy weekend. Oh ya, this one will really encourage investment in Heritage Ranch they write tickets to the property owners when a one of their visitors violates established rules. Can't show up fifteen minutes earlier than check in or pay an extra day (by the way it cost more for me to stay with my buddy at his place than to rent a campground down the road).:mad: If your not a property owner you have to hike about a mile from the ramp to your "approved parking" area. :mad: In my opinion this one is a scam to force people who don't realize their are better lakes out there to buy property at Naciemento, ie Heritage Ranch. :mad:
By the way Duane, Ole Buddy Ole Pal, if your reading this post we had a great time visiting you guys last summer. :D :D :D Just didn't like all the rules.
Hey maybe we should change this thread to start venting on the worst lakes in the West. Toooooo many rules and Nazi rent a cops.
Is it Spring time yet? :rolleyes:

[NashvilleBound]

Originally posted by Craig
Couple of summers ago, we went back to see T's Dad in Buchanan, TN. NW corner of the state. We rented a pontoon boat :p and went out on Kentucky Lake on a beautiful June Saturday. The lake is beautiful, but we hardly saw any boats! Maybe we were just in the wrong place. :(
On the flip side...How big were those swells at Mohave???
Sometimes its nice to have calm
water!

[wsuwrhr]

Originally posted by hurleyr
Thanks again for the great replys. Who would have thought there were so many cooooool lakes/waterways to visit on the West Coast. This is what I have thus far. Sorry if I missed any:)
1)Powell (best for houseboating)
2)Mojave (partying houseboating, or gambling if staying at Laughlin)
3)Havasu (partying, partying, partying, housboating & some family)
4)Mead (houseboating & gambling if in Vegas)
5)Tahoe (scenery & lake front houses)(negative cold water)
6) Shasta (some lake front houses & other activates)
7) Delta (great water skiing not much scenery)
8) Naciemento (small lake and up tite atmosphere)
9) Don Pedro (scenery, glassy water, no crowds, services)
10) Bass Lake (scenery and water front houses)
11) Pine Flat (??)
12) Berryessa ??
13) Oroville
14) Folsom (water level?)
15) Rollins Lake - small but beautiful
16) Clear Lake
17) Trinity Lake (scenery, less crowds/partying than Shasta)
18) Arizona Lakes?
19) Mammoth Pools(cold ass water, nice scenery, windy loggin road to get there, that lake is unlucky for OLDS powered boats, haha)
20) Parker (partying, partying, partying)
CAS nice pics. It looks like you guys have had some great get togethers.

[SoCalOffshore]

I went to Naci several times over the summer and had a great time. The Narrows are pretty wild over Fourth of July. Just don't stay at Heritage Ranch. Not as good as Havasu, but half the drive for me and not as hot.

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by hurleyr
I've also heard good things about Folsom. We have friends that live near by that one also.
Hey maybe we should change this thread to start venting on the worst lakes in the West. Toooooo many rules and Nazi rent a cops.
Is it Spring time yet? :rolleyes:
Folsom really doesn't have too many rules...but there are a few people don't expect. No glass containers on the lake. No alcohol an any beach. On the boat it is fine...:confused: just not on the beach....
Otherwise, no noise issues, no speed limits, no restrictions (other than normal 5mph zones here and there) and 5mph within 200 feet of shore (irregular bottom makes approaching shore possibly dangerous too fast). It is a nice lake, but it does get crowded on weekends. good idea to arrive before 11 am most days and 8 to 10 am holidays.
Nacimiento is nice but the campgrounds are seriously overpriced and the launch ramp can get pretty silly.

[JEThro]

Originally posted by hurleyr
Rivercrazy,
I agree, nothing better than the ocean. I love the Catalina run. Unfortunately I had to downsize a bit on the boat size thus am sticking to lakes for now.
Thanks all for the awsome response. It's helping greatly in planning our summer boat trips. If you all have any pictures, Postem!! It just makes Summer seam that much closer.
Hey RIM and Biggus,
I just booked this place for June 13-20th. Come buy and have a beer :) :) :) ! Puddingstone number 1, Shasta Sucks, Shasta Sucks, Shasta Sucks ;) ;) Ya, Ya, Ya.
http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/9500.html
Hurleyr,A bunch of us from the Banderlog Board are getting together June 11th-13th at Antlers Resort. You should come up a day early. We'll be having a big potluck Saturday night. Here's a link to some info. Jethro
http://www.banderlog.com/dcforum/DCForumID38/104_2.html

[MudPumper]

Originally posted by LASERRAY
OK! Let me knock out 18 of my teeth, marry my cousin, court my sheep, put on my Hank Jr. wifebeater and we'll go boating together in TN.! You bring the Pabst Blue Ribbon, and I'll bring the Pork rinds!:D :D :D
Did somebody say Pabst Blue Ribbon?????????

[Cas]

hurley,
As Jethro said, come on up and join us for any of the trips, they're all a real good time. The Tower Park Runs are just this side of fantastic....great people, great food, great time!
We've been discussing a trip to a lake in the Fresno area, possibly in early July. Keep an eye out for it if you're interested.
Berryessa is pretty much the party lake around these parts. Since you saw the LBBA website, you probably saw the bridge pics. During the summer and especially on big weekends, that area has tons of boats, babes, boobs and butts.
Dr. Eagle,
You must not have been to Shasta or Oroville this past year. Both of those lakes were real full.
Shasta with submerged trees:
http://www.laidbackboaters.com/5925ec30.jpg
We went to Oroville in late July and we were still able to boat to the falls. From what I understand, normally the falls are usually out of the question by then.
Folsom used to be my absolute favorite lake. Now I wouldn't recommend that lake on a weekend unless you like kidney damage due to the rough water. I doubt I'll be going there anytime soon, not worth the drive anymore.

[hurleyr]

JEThro,
Thanks for the invite! :D I would love to hook up with your group. The July trip near Fresno, Cas mentioned, may be a bit more duable for us. More time off in June may be hard to come by. The wife seems to think paying bills is more important than boats. :rolleyes:
If you have any straglers left past the 13th feel free to stop by our place for a visit. There's always cold brewwwskies in the cooooler. :D :D :D

[Sherpa]

move from "sandbar thread" (I didn't see this one)
Owning my own since 1988, I bought that Califronia Recreational
Lakes Guide book. used to go to alot of different places just to
check them out....
Most of the lakes we goto (for our camping trips) are around 4-5k
foot elevation to beat the valley heat.
here's some from our good experiences:
Bucks Lake. Quincy area 4500 elev.
clear water, decent trout lake, small lake. gas/store/bar/lodge.
sheriff's enforcement during weekdays/weekends. VERY NICE
sheriff.. (Otto is the old guys name) No loud boats.
camping is improved/pit toilet first come first served PG&E.
very scenic, usually quiet.
Lake Almanor. Chester area 4500 elev. gas/stores/bars/cabins.
Large lake. can "blow-out" in afternoon. improved/private, and
public camping. mostly PG&E. good trout lake. sherrif patrol
everyday. very scenic
Butt Lake. Chester area. 4200 elev. no gas, no stores.
(this is where we used to go alot when I was a kid)
very small lake. it WAS the perfect place for what we liked to do.
motorcycles, boat, skiing, fishing, catching crawdads at night, bring the dog, etc. Now it's only a "fishing" lake. NO SKIING.
I don't think jetskiis are allowed either. not sure. very scenic,
pit toilet, PG&E sites. remote.
Antelope Lake. Quincy area. 4600 elev. Extremely remote. small store. no gas. improved PG&E sites. pit toilets. supposedly good
bass fishing. my bro has a hard time though. Very scenic. smaller/
quiet lake. (water-grass grows about 6-12' from shoreline in
mid-late summer. kind of annoying.
Shaver Lake. east of fresno. very scenic. small lake. foresty camp
grounds. stores/marina/etc. low water objects late summer.
Lake Shasta........ need I say anything more-?
day trips:
Cherry Lake. remote. boat in camping. gold country area.
Scott's Flat Lake. Grass Valley area. remote. scenic.
Lake Oroville. Chico area. very big. very steep canyon walls. almost no "day-camp" spots. campgrounds suck.
Sly Park. sacramento area. small. scenic. only went once.
Bullards Bar. very deep water, very scenic. boat-in camping.
store/,marina, etc.
Lake Mclure. modesto area. okay. steep canyon walls.
Lake Don Pedro. modesto area. very hot. camping sucks.
waaay to many wakeboard idiot types.
New Melones.. nice, hot steep. only went twice. modesto area.
here's some I don't think are worth the trip.
LIttle Grass Valley Res. can you say: "bugs from hell-?"
Lake Tulloch. white-trash folk from valejo love this place.
Bass Lake. they want you to buy a $25 permit to use their
water.. it sucked. (The Great Outdoors with John Candy was
filmed there though)
Comanche res. either shore... I call it: Camping on the face
on the sun. white trash dudes, standing in 3 feet of water
drinking all day and never leaving the water to take a leak.
You do the math. (sounds like the sandbar)! lol.. just kidding.
some out of state (from me) lakes:
Lucky Peak, Boise ID. nice lake. close to Boise.
Lake McCall. McCall. ID. very scenic, around 5k elev. lots
to see.
Squaro Lake. -Phoenix. beautiful desert scenery..
Havazoo....... I liked it very much. during spring break. before I
got married....
I'm trying to think of more, but am drawing a blank. take this
for what it is.... if anyone wants any more details, feel free to
just ask.
--Sherpa

[hurleyr]

Is this the book you recommended?
http://www.tomstienstra.com/books-html/cal-boat.html

[Sherpa]

Hurley,
no, it's this one.............. most* of the info is up to date, but not
all.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0943798213/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/102-6606898-8605760
I have bought 3 of these since 1988. We keep all camping info
in the book. what I wish they would add is stuff like specific
campground layout maps for each/all sites, etc. stuff like "the
closest campground to the water's edge is XXX, and it XX-feet.
stuff like that. I'm very anal and over protective of my boat.
I usally take a roadtrip to an "unseen" lake to check it out.
we sometimes take the boat, but usually we don't. we call it
"prerunning the lake" we've done some "prerunning in january
and sometimes needed 4 wheel drive just to get near the lake
itself....... the higher mountain lakes are often gated/locked up
during winter months....... snowshoes anyone-?
makes for a nice roadtrip-experience....
--Sherpa
The califrornia reactional lakes guide is usually stocked at
Orchard Supply harware stores..............
--

[Kurtis500]

Best lake in the west? Hands down, its FIREBIRD!!

[Cas]

hurley,
The book you are referring to is also a good book. Personally, i like all of Tom Steinstra's books, he does a great job with all his descriptions.
The book Sherpa is referring to can possibly be found at a lot of different stores like Walmart, Rite Aid, OSH and many others. I've even seen them at some 7-11's.
Happy Holidays!

[gnarley]

Since no one posted anything about Clear Lake I copied what I posted from the info on worst lakes in the Sandbar because a few had asked about it. Clear Lake is by no means a bad lake, in fact it is quite nice & very large!
We went to Clear Lake 5 times last year, it’s a big lake. From late spring till early August it's great. The lakes average depth is about 15 feet and is the largest natural lake in California dating back to pre-historic times. There’s a lot of history up there dating back to the mid 1800's. It can get rough in the afternoon if the wind comes up and the water temperature is in the high 70's to around 80 degrees in the summer time.
Due to the shallow depth and high water temperature it gets a lot of algae & anytime after August the lake can look green in some places! You can always see little algae spores in the water. There isn't much for shoreline hanging out that I have seen to date but there are several bars and restaurants around the lake, namely Konocti Harbor resort and spa. Konocti is a very big full service resort with marina, boat rentals, docks, restaurants, 2 or 3 bars, 2 Natural Olympic sized spring fed pools that stay around 84 degrees and a full service spa. Oh I forgot to mention the concert venue that overlooks the water. You can hang out below the concerts and listen for free to lots of big name acts!
Clear Lake is a very cool place but I don't want to swim in the water after August and Clear Lake is one of the top trophy bass lakes in California and saw it on the Bass Masters tour on TV about 3 weeks ago.

[oldphart]

Camp far west is great up till about the 4th of July, then it gets too muddy and warm, Englebright is deep & clean just not a lot of camping, Oroville is large and great if the wind isnt blowing 3' waves if it is. The afterbay is pretty good all year round. Bullards bar is a very good unknown lake. Clear lake is any thing but. Think of boating in a large septic tank with huge fields of some kind of sea weed that smells like 10000 fish died 2 weeks ago. Theres Almanor and of course the sacramento river from redding south. Lots of great boating up here in the north land;) ;)

[Cas]

oldphart,
Clear Lake isn't quite THAT bad :D If I remember right, it's pretty good for a few weeks in the late Spring.

[hurleyr]

Just wanted to thank you all for the input. We'll have no problem setting up the boat trips this summer. :D :D

[gnarley]

Originally posted by Cas
oldphart,
Clear Lake isn't quite THAT bad :D If I remember right, it's pretty good for a few weeks in the late Spring.
Cas, I'd say your pretty close. I'd go as far as mid summer then forget Clear Lake and go to Berryessa or the Delta