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Lakes in nevada county

Scotts Flat Lake Level Drops

Scotts-Flat-Lake-fall-2009

September 28, 2009

As you can see from the picture I took from my deck last Saturday morning, Scotts Flat Lake is down to its usual fall levels. On May of this year, the water level was at around elevation 3,070. Nevada Irrigation District chart shows that it contained 500,000 acre feet of water. (An acre foot is one foot of water spread over one acre or 43,560 cubic feet of water) NID estimates that the water level is now at 3,046 feet with about 300,000 acre feet of water.

Looking north at Cascade Shores Campgrounds & boat moorings
Looking north at Cascade Shores Campgrounds & boat moorings

Most if not all of the boats which were moored on the north side of the lake are gone.  Scotts Flat Lake is known for sailing  and most of the boats that were moored in the lake were fairly large sail boats. You can get the rates for mooring on the lake during the boating season by calling NID at (530) 273-6185. If you are interested, I suggest you call now, since most of the moorings are grabbed up early, way before the boating season starts. By the way, my house is in Cascade Shores at an elevation of 3,700 feet.

Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Collins Lake, Oregon House, California

Collins Lake Marina
Collins Lake Marina

Although Collins Lake Recreational Area is not in Nevada County, it is close enough to our area to be considered a great place to go fishing, boating or camping. Collins Lakes sits at an elevation of 1,200 with a surface area of over 1,000 acres with 12 miles of shoreline.

There are many activities at Collins Lake; which include:

Water skiing, tube or wakeboard are allowed. The water ski season begins May 1st and ends October 15th of each year. However, small, personal watercraft such as jet-skis and small personal watercraft are not permitted to operate on Collins Lake. Boat rentals are available. Of course, swimming is allowed, with the surface temperature of the clear water hovering around 75F to 78F degrees in the summer.

Camping facilities are available, along with cabins in addition to 150 campsites with hookups and 30 campsites without hookups.

Collins Lake Camp Site
Collins Lake Camp Site

The most noted feature of Collins Lake is its fishing. They are raising trophy rainbow trout in underwater net pens during the winter and releasing them in late spring. There are a total of 12 pens, each about the size of a bedroom (12’x 10’x 12′) which is located at the marina. These same trout are expected to triple in size to become 3 to 4 pound trophy-sized fish when released in spring time.

Not only that, they already have California’s largest trout stocking program north of Sacramento and have constructed net pens that will further increase this successful program. For every plant of rainbow trout normally received from Fish and Game, Collins Lake purchases 3 plants of larger trophy sized trout from private hatcheries. In 2007, there were a total of 28,000 pounds of trout planted. The average size of trophy trout planted each week during the spring was 2 to 6 pounds, with some whoppers topping 10 pounds! They are also famous for trophy trout and bass fishing.

For contact information and reservations call 800-286-0576 and locally 530-692-1600

Their website is at Collins Lake


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Hiking, History, Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Lake Englebright in Nevada-Yuba County

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lake-englebright2

Englebright Lake offers a great deal of recreation including boating, camping and fishing. It’s located in Nevada-Yuba Counties, California. The lake was named after Harry Lane Englebright (January 2, 1884-May 13, 1943) who was a politician that served in the United States House of Representatives. He was a House minority whip between 1933 and 1943.  He was a mining engineer prior to entering politics in 1926 and was reelected every two years for the rest of his life.

Englebright Dam is a concrete arch structure and was constructed for the storage of hydraulic gold mining debris. The dam spans 1,142 feet across and is 260 feet high. The dam is in the steep Yuba River gorge known as the Narrows, holding back a 9 mile long lake with a surface area of 815 acres. It has 24 miles of shoreline and is at an elevation of 527 feet.

The shoreline is rocky and steep, with some areas of sandy beaches with pines and oaks.

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Operating Hours:

Office hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The park is open all year.

Camping:

Camping at Englebright Lake is unique as all campsites are boat-in only and located along the lake’s 24 miles of shoreline. Each campsite consists of a table, fire grill, lantern hanger and level spot for tents. Portable restrooms are centrally located in all campgrounds. Drinking water is available near each launch ramp.

Group Camping: (reservations required)

Point Defiance Recreation Area features a group campground that is available by reservation only. To help protect our natural resources, groups are limited to 50 people. Call the park office for reservations.

Boating:

The lake provides plenty of space for the boating enthusiast, water skier or angler. Boats can be launched from one of two boat ramps located near the park’s entrance. Due to narrow canyons and sharp bends, the upper 4 miles of the lake are not suitable for waterskiing and/or towing any type of inflatable device. Therefore, these activities are restricted to the lower five miles of the lake. A counter-clockwise direction of travel is strictly enforced for the safety of park visitors. Types of boating allowed, power, row, Jet Ski, windsurf, canoe, sail, water ski, house, and inflatable’s are allowed. There is a full service marina with launch ramps. Rentals: fishing, canoe, water ski boats, houseboats & patio boats. There are also docks, berths, moorings and gas.

Fishing:

To the expert or beginning angler, Englebright means fish. Game fish such as rainbow and brown trout, large and smallmouth bass and Kokanee salmon abound in the lake’s clear, cool water. Catfish and sunfish can also be caught. Fish may be taken from the shore or boat by bottom fishing or trolling with bright, flashy lures.

Day Use:

Picnic facilities are available at the Narrows Recreation Area. Each site has a picnic table, barbeque grill and lawn area. Enjoy a short scenic hike to the dam overlook area or along the less strenuous fishing access trail.

Ranger Programs:Group tours and ranger programs can be scheduled by calling 530-432-6427.
Boat-in Camping: (first-come first-served basis)

 

Contacts:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 6
Smartville, CA 95977-0006
(530) 432-6427 or fax (530) 432-6418
Email: englebright-info@usace.army.mil

Skippers Cove Marina  (530) 432-6302 offers boat  rentals, mooring, gas, sewage pumping and store facilities.

Additional information on the amount of settlement from the gold mining days and run off are available by a recent study made by the USGS at
Bathymetric and geophysical surveys of Englebright Lake

Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Bullards Bar Lake, Dobbins, California

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Emerald Cove Marina - photo courtesy of Emerald Cove Marina
Emerald Cove Marina - photo courtesy of Emerald Cove Marina

While Bullards Bar Lake is not in Nevada County, it is close enough to Nevada City and Grass Valley as to make it a designation for water skiing, house boating and fishing. It’s only 21 miles north of Nevada City off of Highway 49 in the historic gold country. The two closest cities are Nevada City, Grass Valley and Marysville.

The lake surface is at 2,000 foot elevation, 16 miles loan with about 60 miles of shoreline. The boating surface is 4,700 acres, which is a lot of area to boat in. There are only two launch ramps and once you are in the water, you are surrounded by a greenbelt covered with pine, oak, fir, madrone, dogwood and other species of trees native to the area. As you cruise up into the North Yuba Canyon, sheer cliffs of granite come down to greet the crystal clear water.

The North Yuba River is backed up by Bullards Bar Dam which is an awesome sight all by itself. Standing 645′ above the canyon floor, it holds back 960,000 acre feet of water. It’s the second tallest dam in California, 5th tallest in the United States. A hydro-electric dam, Bollards’ Bar Dam is operated and controlled by the Yuba County Water Agency. They are able to manage the water so that recreation access to the reservoir is never restricted.

Bullards Bar offers boat access campgrounds, land based sites, and shoreline camping permits. There are a total of only 160 sites, which limits the amount of people the area can accommodate. Emerald Cove takes site specific reservations for all camping.

For the fisherman, there are kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, german browns, largemouth, smallmouth and black bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. Bullards Bar has a reputation as having the best kokanee salmon fishing in California.

CAMPING
39 Boat access campgrounds – Call for reservations & fees
Pets, Full Hookups, RV & Trailer Storage, Disposal Station, Flush Toilets

BOATING
Power, Row, Jet ski, Windsurf, Canoe, Sail, Water-ski, and Inflatables are allowed.
There is a full service marina with gas and propane available
Rentals: Fishing Boats with Motors, House Boats

RECREATION
Fishing
Swimming, Picnicking, & Hiking
Snack Bar, Groceries, Bait & Tackle

For further information and reservations contact   Emerald Cove Resort and Marina (530) 692-3200


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