Fresh...

[El Dude]

Anybody ever dive freshwater inland? I've been to Perris Lake Dive Park with a whopping foot of viz! Also assorted lakes and creeks in the San Bernardino mountains. I was once detained by the ranger at Big Bear trying to go for a dive while he ran my license for warrants, I didn't know it was illegal to dive that lake! Nothing special, just wanted to get wet and didn't have the gas to get to the coast. It's always nice to see trout, bass, catfish and carp/koi. Anyway, any experiences you'd like to share? Spots?

 

[MBD0607]

If you can, head to Tahoe in early September. Crowds will all be back home, getting the kids ready for school; the lake will be at it's warmest; and the days will still be long.
60-80 viz, lots to see, and no one around. Try Sand Harbor on the Nevada side, and then head to the North shore and dive the State Line wall.

 

[fnfalman]

I dived a couple of joints in New Mexico and Texas. It's different which makes it interesting. Have to shed considerable dive weights!!!

 

[Teamcasa]

Only in swimming pools but I would like to give Tahoe a try.

BTW, Lake Paris? No way would I dive in that mud hole.

 

[scuba e]

There is a reason we call Perris "diaper lake". I wont even put my boat in it.

 

[El Dude]

Yeah Perris was pretty funky. I got my OW cert in low viz conditions (2ft viz NorCal) and I thought I would give it a try especially since everyone I talked to about it said it was ultra low viz. I saw some monster catfish and bass but not much else besides the cement pipes they call a "park". It was funny because I met an instructor and his small class, they were doing skills? I ended up seeing them the next day at Corona del Mar doing more skills. I guess the old dude wanted his students to be comfortable in low viz?

Other than that Jenks Lake was pretty cool, giant schools of the quintessential aquaculture retard, the rainbow trout. Hatchery size, 8-10 inches. I saw enough koi to start a pond business in Lake Gregory and Lake Silverwood. And some really pretty wild rainbows and cutthroat in Bear Creek below Angeles Oaks (for those of you familiar with San Bernardino NF).

Ofcourse none of this compares to the freshwater diving I've done up here in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity counties. Salmon(all sorts), trout(steelhead, cutthroat), sturgeon, turtles and salamanders. I was working on the Redwood NP dive team when we found a Sockeye salmon (the red/green ones you always see on discovery channel), poor guy must hae been really lost, we don't have any sockeye runs where we found him. I haven't made it to Tahoe but I've gotten around in FW. Anybody else?

 

[fnfalman]

I hate the way the damn perches kept biting at my ear lobes!!!

 

[sunfishh]

El Dude I did not know you could dive Lake Gregory. I run the 5k there almost every year. Can we get more details?

 

[El Dude]

Sunfishh,

Yeah man, get there early before the fishermen and the wardens do! I don't know if it's exactly legal to dive but I did it anyway. I mean there's a swimming area, why not diving? I hit up this little cove I used to fish for crappie as a kid over by the elementary school, the same side of the lake as the swimming area? I gotta warn you I got snagged by tackle the whole way. It's been years and about 300 dives since I did it and that was before I thought a dive log was cool. I think I maybe hit 30 ft jus cuz I wasn't too familiar with the SLED tables yet. I was younger and dumber. Nothing comes to mind except all the koi, hooks and a lot of weeds. So It must have been unremarkable, bad lake viz.

 

[Bspurr13]

Give Lake Mohave a try in the summer when it's warm. You can see the bottom in 50' (maybe more) of H2O, and it's huge, with tons of little beaches and finger coves. It's the lake between Mead and Havasu - near Laughlin.