Clear Lake (California)

This article is about the lake in Lake County. For other uses, see Clear Lake (disambiguation).

Clear Lake
Location of Clear Lake in California, USA.
Location of Clear Lake in California, USA.
Clear Lake
Location of Clear Lake in California, USA.
Location of Clear Lake in California, USA.
Clear Lake
LocationLake County, California
Coordinates39°03′42″N 122°49′38″W / 39.0616°N 122.8272°W / 39.0616; -122.8272
Lake typeEutrophic/hypereutrophic
Primary inflowsScotts Creek
Middle Creek
Forbes Creek
Morrison Creek
Seigler Canyon Creek
Shindler Creek
Kelsey Creek
Adobe Creek
Manning Creek
Primary outflowsCache Creek
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length19 mi (31 km)
Max. width8 mi (13 km)
Surface area68 sq mi (180 km2)
Average depth27 ft (8.2 m)
Max. depth60 ft (18 m)
Water volume1,155,000 acre⋅ft (1,425,000 dam3)
Shore length1100 mi (160 km)
Surface elevation1,329 ft (405 m)
IslandsAnderson Island
Fruit Island
Garner Island
Indian Island
Monitor Island
Rattlesnake Island
Slater Island
Stubbs Island
Tule Island
Weekend Island
SettlementsClearlake, California
Clearlake Oaks, California
Finley, California
Glenhaven, California
Kelseyville, California
Lakeport, California
Lower Lake, California
Lucerne, California
Middletown, California
Nice, California
Upper Lake, California
References[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Clear Lake (Pomo: Lypoyomi)[2][3] is a natural freshwater lake in Lake County in the U.S. state of California, north of Napa County and San Francisco. It is the largest natural freshwater lake wholly within the state, with 68 square miles (180 km2) of surface area. It has an age of nearly 500,000 years.[4][5] It is the latest lake to occupy a site with a history of lakes stretching back at least 2,500,000 years.[6]

Clear Lake supports large populations of largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, carp and catfish.[6] Two-thirds of the fish caught in Clear Lake are largemouth bass, with a record of 17.52 pounds (7.95 kg).[6] In addition to fish, there is abundant wildlife within the Clear Lake basin.[6] There are year-round populations of ducks, pelicans, grebes, blue herons, egrets, osprey, and bald eagles,[6] and the basin supports sizable populations of deer, bear, mountain lion, raccoon and other animals.[6]

The expansive, warm water of Clear Lake makes it popular for watersports, such as swimming, water skiing, wakeboarding, sailing, boat races, and jet skiing.

  1. ^ "Clear Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Lake County Tourism Improvement District - Fun Facts About Lake County
  3. ^ Bay Nature - Clear Lake, a Destination for Kayaking and Birding
  4. ^ Suchanek, Thomas H.; Richerson, P.J.; Nelson, D.C.; Eagles-Smith, C.A.; Anderson, D.W.; Cech, Joseph J.; Zierenberg, R.; Schladow, G.; Mount, J.F.; McHatton, S.C.; Slotten, D.G.; Webber, L.B.; Swisher, Brian J.; Bern, A.L.; Sexton, M. (2002). "Evaluating and Managing a Multiply Stressed Ecosystem at Clear Lake, California: A Holistic Ecosystem Approach" (PDF). Managing for Healthy Ecosystems. CRC. ISBN 9780429143236. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "Clear Lake California is the oldest lake in the US". Lake County. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Clear Lake is Unique". Co.lake.ca.us. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2016.