“I was calling about Coyote Lake and all the Santa Clara County lakes. I noticed a few years ago they put new campgrounds at Coyote Lake, which I am kind of wondering why because they don’t want boats out there. Santa Clara County is the only county that makes you go through an inspection for the clams. The inspection is a joke. You have to start your boat and remove all the water. In my case, I had to start my boat and it messed up my plugs so my day was shot because I had to buy new plugs. They added the campgrounds, but you can’t swim there. They can’t fill the lake more than 50 percent. I’m wondering why you add campgrounds when the dam needs to be fixed. Back when I was a kid there was a swimming beach area in the ’80s and you could enjoy yourself. Now they will harass you on the lake after they have inspected you for the clams. Why is it the only county that does inspections? I have been to numerous lakes and no one charges. They charge $7 for the inspection, $7 for a reservation and then you have to pay for parking. I no longer go to Santa Clara County lakes. You can go to Lake Nacimiento and pay $7 period to get on the water. I feel they need to close down the lakes like they wanted and then they don’t have to pay for the rangers.”
Red Phone: Dear Clammed Up On Local Lakes, You bring up several good points. While it is true that you are not allowed to swim in any county lake, there are still plenty of other activities that families can do around around Coyote Lake that make the destination desirable for camping. You’ve already mentioned boating. But there are also picnic areas, fishing and trails for hiking, biking and horse riding. And the 74-space campground is one of the closest ones so it is popular with families who don’t want to drive long distances. The county spent about $1.8 million to improve the site in 2008.
The only lakes in the county currently open for boating are Coyote Lake, Stevens Creek Reservoir, Anderson Reservoir and Calero Reservoir because of the invasive mussels, according to the county’s website. Coyote and Stevens Creek Reservoir are open from April 14 to Oct. 15 for boaters, while the other two are open on a limited basis year round.
The county charges $7 for inspection fees or $35 per year. A band is attached to the boat to show that it has passed the inspection. This must remain on the boat, otherwise it will have to be re-inspected. And if you have a boat from San Benito County, where the zebra mussel was discovered, you are pretty much out of luck because they won’t let you on the water.
The state doesn’t have the resources to require every lake to inspect boats, said Troy Swauger with the Department of Fish and Game. It is up to the county or individual lake to decide what policies are set, he said. Some of the other areas that have inspections include Camanche Reservoir, Pardee Reservoir, San Pablo Reservoir, Chabot Reservoir, Briones Reservoir, Lafayette Reservoir, Crowley Lake, Lake Cachuma, Lake Caitas, Clear Lake and Lake Tahoe.
Even if you do have to pay an extra $7 and parking, it is still cheaper than a trip to Lake Nacimiento. If you figure 15 miles per gallon, which is generous for a truck pulling a boat, and $4 per gallon of gas, a round trip of about 230 miles from Gilroy will cost you more than $60 just in gas.
Hope this helps, good caller.
