Kayaking Lopez Lake
  

Lopez Lake offers superb paddling, kayak fishing, SUP boarding, camping and hiking opportunities, assuring that everyone will have a great time.Located east of Arroyo Grande, Lopez Lake Recreational Area is an outstanding destination for paddling enthusiasts. The beautiful surroundings make a great destination for a weekend getaway or a day trip, if you are short on time.

Wildlife sightings are common. Keep a lookout while paddling for the abundance of wildlife, including bears, bobcats, skunks, wild turkeys, and birds galore. Paddlers have reported sightings of deer and foxes in the area, as well as small critters like raccoons and jackrabbits.

There are boat launches in two of the lake’s arms. One launch is located by the marina, which has a paved launch ramp. The other arm has a hand launch access from the beach at Mallard Cove. If you plan to paddle, it is best to get on the water at sunrise. This is a popular location for windsurfers, due to the gusty winds that pick up by midmorning. By mid-morning, it often becomes too windy to paddle and the lake is taken over by windsurfers.

Lopez Lake has one of the best reputation for producing large world-class bass. In fact, Lopez Lake produced two of the top 15 heaviest largemouth bass ever caught, which exceeded 21 pounds! There’s also a healthy population of trout, catfish, redear sunfish, and crappie, which makes it a popular fishing destination year round. The Department of Fish and Game plants thousands of pounds of rainbow trout in the lake each year.

Map of Lopez Lake

  
 
 
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