San Carlos Lake
Encyclopedia
San Carlos Lake was formed by the construction of the Coolidge Dam
and is rimmed by 158 miles (254.3 km) of shoreline. The lake
is located within the 3000 square miles (7,770 km²) San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
, and is thus subject to tribal regulations.
After it was built, the reservoir filled gradually. Because of irrigation needs, the water level at the lake sometimes is low enough to kill its self-sustaining fish, but during wet years, the water can overtop Coolidge Dam. Since construction of the dam, the lake has been nearly empty at least 20 times, and has been full only three times.
When President Calvin Coolidge
dedicated the new dam in 1930, Cherokee
humorist Will Rogers
looked at the grass in the lake bed, and said, “If this were my dam, I’d mow it.”
The lake has set state records for largemouth bass, black crappie and flathead catfish. Other fish are stocked from cold-water fisheries including brown trout
and rainbow trout
.
Jet-skiing, water skiing and boating are also allowed. Individuals who are not members of the San Carlos Apache tribe who wish to use the lake must contact the tribal office for a permit since the lake is on tribal land.
Soda Canyon Point Campground is located on the north side of the lake. Since the lake level varies greatly during the summer, visitors are advised to call the San Carlos Apache Recreation & Wildlife Department to determine the current lake level.
Coolidge Dam
The Coolidge Dam is a reinforced concrete multiple dome and buttress dam southeast of Globe, Arizona on the Gila River. Built between 1924 and 1928, the Coolidge Dam was part of the San Carlos Irrigation Project. Coolidge Dam was named after the 30th US President, Calvin Coolidge and was dedicated...
and is rimmed by 158 miles (254.3 km) of shoreline. The lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
is located within the 3000 square miles (7,770 km²) San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1871 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe. It was referred to by some as "Hell's Forty Acres," due to a myriad of dismal health and environmental conditions.-Formation:President U.S....
, and is thus subject to tribal regulations.
After it was built, the reservoir filled gradually. Because of irrigation needs, the water level at the lake sometimes is low enough to kill its self-sustaining fish, but during wet years, the water can overtop Coolidge Dam. Since construction of the dam, the lake has been nearly empty at least 20 times, and has been full only three times.
When President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
dedicated the new dam in 1930, Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
humorist Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
looked at the grass in the lake bed, and said, “If this were my dam, I’d mow it.”
Fishing, boating and camping
San Carlos Lake is stocked periodically, and after winters with average or above average precipitation, is one of the largest lakes in Arizona. The San Carlos Apache Tribe Recreation & Wildlife Dept. stocks several species of fish using various methods to improve fishing. Several species are self-sustaining:- sunfishLepomisLepomis is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The most recognizable species of the sixteen in this genus is the Bluegill....
(Lepomis sp.) - largemouth bassLargemouth bassThe largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
(Micropterus salmoides) - black crappieCrappieCrappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
(Pomoxis nigromaculatus) - channel catfishChannel catfishChannel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
(Ictalurus punctatus) - flathead catfishFlathead catfishThe flathead catfish , also called the yellow cat, opelousas, and shovelhead cat, are large North American freshwater catfish. This is the only species of the genus Pylodictis...
(Pylodictis olivaris)
The lake has set state records for largemouth bass, black crappie and flathead catfish. Other fish are stocked from cold-water fisheries including brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
.
Jet-skiing, water skiing and boating are also allowed. Individuals who are not members of the San Carlos Apache tribe who wish to use the lake must contact the tribal office for a permit since the lake is on tribal land.
Soda Canyon Point Campground is located on the north side of the lake. Since the lake level varies greatly during the summer, visitors are advised to call the San Carlos Apache Recreation & Wildlife Department to determine the current lake level.