San Carlos Lake was formed by the construction of the

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 ...

and is rimmed by of shoreline. The

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

is located within the

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation (Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed fro ...

, 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 (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

dedicated the new dam in 1930,

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

humorist

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

looked at the grass in the lake bed, and said, "If this were my lake, I’d mow it."

Recreational use

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 and Wildlife Department stocks several species of fish using various methods to improve fishing. Several species are self-sustaining: * Sunfish (''Lepomis sp.'') *

Largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

(''Micropterus salmoides'') * Black

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

(''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') *

Channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...

(''Ictalurus punctatus'') *

flathead catfish The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus ''P ...

(''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 The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

. 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 and Wildlife Department to determine the current lake level.

References

External links

The American Southwest San Carlos Lake Article
* ttp://www.swtfc.org/tribal_profiles_and_map/san_carlos.htm Southwest Tribal Fisheries Commission - San Carlos Apache Tribe
San Carlos Apache Recreation & Wildlife Department
{{authority control Gila River Reservoirs in Gila County, Arizona Reservoirs in Graham County, Arizona Reservoirs in Pinal County, Arizona Reservoirs in Arizona