Which lake for first trip, near so cal?

[wakemeup]

I'd say Castaic as well.....we do that for day trips and it seems to work out well for my friends and I - plus it's fairly close...only an hour and a half away. We actually went there on Memorial Day weekend (to get away from the crazies) and there was hardly anyone there. On Sunday afternoon, it was pretty empty.....go during the week and it's even better.

[txmxer]

Castaic was a great time guys, and the lifeguards there are more than awesome and willing to help. Thanks for the advice. Ill post pics and stuff tomorrow.

[txmxer]

Alright guys were making our first trip to havasu this weekend. Just had a few questions, 6mph wind isnt to bad right? Also I always hear to be careful around topock gorge because water levels are low. Is topock gorge on the way from say around london bridge to pirates cove? I went to havasu with a friend and the water levels going that way didnt seem to low. Any advice would be helpful thanks.

[22veguy]

6 MPH is no big deal. Topak Gorge is from Topac ( I 40 crossing) down to Lake Havasu proper. ~10 miles maybe. Very nice ride at the top where the real gorge is. Just be careful as you get close to havasu. It gets pretty shallow in places. Follow other boats and be very alert for shallow spots. Check this website: http://www.coloradoriverinfo.com/wat...10/083010.html Shows Havasu at 447 ft which should be fine. We've been thru there at 447 ft with no problems.

[jogoat99]

The place I love the best is the southern San Joaquin Delta. We just got back a couple of weeks ago where we rented a house with a dock in Discovery Bay. It was heaven, with literally miles and miles of butter. It literally was like a mirror and with a lot of the cuts having tules on both sides, the wakes are cut down after each pass. Weekends can get kind of crowded, but with a thousand miles of waterways you can always find some good water. Plus there are lots of bars and restaurants to stop at. Discovery Bay is about 20 miles west of Stockton, near a town called Tracy. When I get a chance I'll post some pics.

[Coop]

6 MPH is no big deal. Just be careful as you get close to havasu. It gets pretty shallow in places. Follow other boats and be very alert for shallow spots.

x2. The shallow water is not in the gorge, but down near where the river enters the lake. You get shifting sand in that area, so the good path is not always the same. Generally, I stay more towards the right as I am heading north towards the river. Very good idea to follow other boats and look for the light green water -- generally means shallow. Also, between the lake and the gorge is the famous (infamous?) "Sand Bar" where lots of people stop and hang out/party. You'll want to stay to the left as you pass by there (assuming you don't want to stop).

6 mph winds is very good for Havasu.

Have a great time.

[txmxer]

6 MPH is no big deal. Topak Gorge is from Topac ( I 40 crossing) down to Lake Havasu proper. ~10 miles maybe. Very nice ride at the top where the real gorge is. Just be careful as you get close to havasu. It gets pretty shallow in places. Follow other boats and be very alert for shallow spots. Check this website: http://www.coloradoriverinfo.com/wat...10/083010.html Shows Havasu at 447 ft which should be fine. We've been thru there at 447 ft with no problems.

Thanks very much, and just to clear things up if I was going to go from london bridge to pirates cove (passing that bridge with the rope swing) then I would go through the gorge right? If so we went through when I was with some friends in there chaparral and it seemed fine. But I tend to be the paranoid type when it comes to stuff like this.

The place I love the best is the southern San Joaquin Delta. We just got back a couple of weeks ago where we rented a house with a dock in Discovery Bay. It was heaven, with literally miles and miles of butter. It literally was like a mirror and with a lot of the cuts having tules on both sides, the wakes are cut down after each pass. Weekends can get kind of crowded, but with a thousand miles of waterways you can always find some good water. Plus there are lots of bars and restaurants to stop at. Discovery Bay is about 20 miles west of Stockton, near a town called Tracy. When I get a chance I'll post some pics.

Thanks, ill try to check it out.

x2. The shallow water is not in the gorge, but down near where the river enters the lake. You get shifting sand in that area, so the good path is not always the same. Generally, I stay more towards the right as I am heading north towards the river. Very good idea to follow other boats and look for the light green water -- generally means shallow. Also, between the lake and the gorge is the famous (infamous?) "Sand Bar" where lots of people stop and hang out/party. You'll want to stay to the left as you pass by there (assuming you don't want to stop).

6 mph winds is very good for Havasu.

Have a great time.

Thanks and im glad that wind wont be a problem(knock on wood. We wont be stopping at the sandbar as theres just not much there for us (my parents and I). Ill try to stay near the darker water and watch my depth.



To everyone posting at what depth should I begin to worry at the gorge? I usually get cautious in under 20, and nervous for sure in under 10.


Also we plan on beaching on the actual river, so do you guys still go bow out, or is it ok to just drive straight in (we wont be resting the boat on the actual sand, well let it float in about 5-6 feet of water if that sounds right?

[22veguy]

Yep, London Bridge to Pirates Cove = Topak Gorge. If you're nervous at 10' you're going to be a basket case thru the south end of the gorge. Lots of ~ 6' areas. You could check to see what you indicated vs actual water depth is to make you less nervous. Mine is about 1.5' off, I can float safely in indicated 2', which is about 3.5'
Unless you are in a protected cove away from the current, I would put an anchor off the bow and let the river pull the boat downstream. Add a spike/stake off the stern to keep it from swinging around too much. If you're out of the current and not beaching it, you can set any way you want.

[Utemachine]

I was born and raised in Valencia so I've spent a lot of time on Castaic, Pyramid, and Piru. Piru is very small and would be my last choice. Castaic is ok, but nearly half the lake is fishing only. Wakeboarding, tubing etc is confined to a small circle. My pick would be Pyramid. Its a bigger lake, a little more fingery. Just stay away on Saturday

[yearroundboarder]

We take several trips to Mohave every year. Crowds are typical on weekends and holidays. Mid-week, you have the lake to yourself.

Spent two EPIC days at Mead this last weekend. Water up near Echo Bay was glass all day long; rode 'til our arms fell off and saw just a few other boats. Launched from Echo on Friday, then Calville on Saturday and really enjoyed the boat ride up through the "narrows". We stayed at Lake Las Vegas. Water level is lower than in past years, but the ramps have been moved. IMO, this time of year you can't beat Mead.

[txmxer]

Thanks guys we arrived home from Havasu last night. It was a great time, we went towards topak but seeing the bottom and not knowing the way to well we decided to stay away. Spent sunday doing alot of wakeboarding on the opposite side of the lake (the side with the dam) with some really nice water, really fun day for me since I got to break in my new wakeboard, and learned to jump finally. Havasu is great.

Just one question when were driving across the lake the depth will be around 38 or something (surely deep enough) but then the depth gauge starts to flash meaning were in to shallow of water, im guessing its weeds or something that were running over? Can someone fill me in?

edit: forgot to mention on the first trip to Havasu we already experienced the drunk girl behind the huge powerboat, and the one guy who comes in the cove your wakeboarding in and starts doing hot laps in his powerboat (it was around 7-8am and tons of open coves left).