Lake Pleasant

My Pops just moved to the Phoenix area and I told him the only way I go to AZ in the summer is to be next to water. I've never been to lake pleasant, but seems like a decent place from pics. My pops drove up there today and said there are alot of big cuddy cabin cruisers and sail boats in the marina so I'm guessing it gets windy. Any body have some good input on what to expect, where to launch or where to go? I'm probably going to make a weekend trip out there at some point this summer

Was out there last Saturday and going back Fri-Sat this week for fireworks on the water.

Pleasant is a fairly large, clean, deep lake but can get busy during summer weekends. 2 Marinas with nice facilities. Lots of inexperienced boaters IMO because of the easy fwy access. Other local lakes like Bartlett & Canyon tend to attract more dedicated boaters since they are more remote.

Sunday brings the party crowd to Humbug cove. Not sure where you're located but I wouldn't drag the boat more than a couple hours to visit. Pleasant is a cool local spot but doesn't compare to the river or Powell.

10 lane or Pleasant marina (2 ramps) are the popular launch spots, both easy with plenty of parking. I'm partial to the South marina ramp.

No sandy beaches to speak of so bring a good anchor & 100'+ of rope or make some friends and raft up.

Dillion's restaurant @ Scorpion Bay, has surprisingly good BBQ. Go for the rib tips.

Cops make a good living on drunk drivers leaving the lake.

Never been ON Pleasant but when I'm in town I make a point of going to Dillions for lunch. I would like to explore it on boat and maybe overnight it. Someday.

I live on the central coast in CA but I leave my boat in Needles so I'd be dragging it 2-3 hours. But I'd rather be on the water hanging with my pops vs sitting in the ac all weekend. Thanks for the input

Anywhere you have marinas you get the second home folks docking bigger boats.

As far as wind its not bad except it does get hit hard during monsoons. Keep an eye on the weather and don't wait to get shelter or get off. The 10 lane can get pounded in storms

Eggbeatn ur Ass said:

I live on the central coast in CA but I leave my boat in Needles so I'd be dragging it 2-3 hours. But I'd rather be on the water hanging with my pops vs sitting in the ac all weekend. Thanks for the input

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It's a big party atmosphere much like Havasu. Being the closest large lake to Phoenix it really gets crowded on weekends, probably more so than Havasu. Nice lake though.

Stainless said:

It's a big party atmosphere much like Havasu. Being the closest large lake to Phoenix it really gets crowded on weekends, probably more so than Havasu. Nice lake though.

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Lake Pleasant....home to the LPPC (Lake Pleasant Party Crew) :eek
They post some good pictures on FB :thumbsup:boobeyes:

I live 15 minutes from doorstep to the lake. I usually go a few times a year, the rest is parker and havasu. Its an ok lake, nothing special. As said before no beaches, all rock, dillons is good and a decent place to hangout. Waitresses usually are pretty hot. Other than that its a bring your stuff and float all day lake, I get bored within an hour honestly. Ive never been on big weekends there, as im always at parker or havasu on those. I do know that the roads to the marinas get backed up for miles and miles on those weekends. Fishing is pretty good, ive caught 20 plus striper in a day there to myself several times. The party stuff is usually holidays from what I know. Regular weekends maybe some but nothing like holidays. Water level fluctuates a ton there, not so much day to day but overall year round it changes probably 50 ft or more. All ramps and marinas charge $10 or so to get in for the day, RV's extra

When we lived on the West side of Phoenix, we would drive to the river for the day versus the summer crowds on Pleasant, if all we had time for was a day trip. It is not a bad lake but gets really busy and for an extra 45 minutes to an hour drive, we were on the river.

We would go there early and late summer when the crowds were less but most of the time we opted for the longer drive for the day.

Activated said:

When we lived on the West side of Phoenix, we would drive to the river for the day versus the summer crowds on Pleasant, if all we had time for was a day trip. It is not a bad lake but gets really busy and for an extra 45 minutes to an hour drive, we were on the river.

We would go there early and late summer when the crowds were less but most of the time we opted for the longer drive for the day.

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That's exactly what I do too.

I do like Lake Pleasant but, like many have said, it is too crowded for my liking on Holidays and weekends. I generally make a lunch run to Dillon's during the week nowadays but damn sure had a good time in my younger years at Humbug... And yes, the sheriffs are thick as thieves there so beware!!!

YOLO said:

I do like Lake Pleasant but, like many have said, it is too crowded for my liking on Holidays and weekends. I generally make a lunch run to Dillon's during the week nowadays but damn sure had a good time in my younger years at Humbug... And yes, the sheriffs are thick as thieves there so beware!!!

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Were you out last Saturday? There was an all orange cat in Eagles Nest then saw it running later in the day. Wasn't close enough to see clearly if it was you.

Also spotted the all white 40-46 skater out there..

Boat Bling said:

Were you out last Saturday? There was an all orange cat in Eagles Nest then saw it running later in the day. Wasn't close enough to see clearly if it was you.

Also spotted the all white 40-46 skater out there..

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Wasn't me. Maybe Charles Brown (Octane Marine) in his Eliminator?

Might end up out there one of these weekends.... Now that we are in Phoenix we need to start going back out.

YOLO said:

Wasn't me. Maybe Charles Brown (Octane Marine) in his Eliminator?

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Yes that was him in his 36 Daytona.

Activated said:

When we lived on the West side of Phoenix, we would drive to the river for the day versus the summer crowds on Pleasant, if all we had time for was a day trip. It is not a bad lake but gets really busy and for an extra 45 minutes to an hour drive, we were on the river.

We would go there early and late summer when the crowds were less but most of the time we opted for the longer drive for the day.

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And the river doesn't get crowded? Must be a different river than the one I go to............:yikes

DickieB said:

And the river doesn't get crowded? Must be a different river than the one I go to............:yikes

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Not if you decide to launch in Blythe instead of Parker.

Activated said:

Not if you decide to launch in Blythe instead of Parker.

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Good point!

Great thread.

I'm headed out to the Phoenix area in a few weeks to visit a friend for a few days. I thought of dragging the boat for a day out on Pleasant. She said she's been once, but that was at least ten years ago. I would only need to tow half way as I store the boat at the river. We'd launch It would be on a weekday.

Does the lake have a speed limit?

This Dillon's restaurant... Are there docks outside the restaurant?

NiceGuyEddie said:

Great thread.

I'm headed out to the Phoenix area in a few weeks to visit a friend for a few days. I thought of dragging the boat for a day out on Pleasant. She said she's been once, but that was at least ten years ago. I would only need to tow half way as I store the boat at the river. We'd launch It would be on a weekday.

Does the lake have a speed limit?

This Dillon's restaurant... Are there docks outside the restaurant?

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Yep, adequate tie up space for Dillons, great food and nice looking wait staff!. Weekdays are a kick in the ass! Water nice and clean and smooth on weekdays. Love the 10 lane ramp, lots of parking and easy in and out. Haven't ever heard of a speed limit. Have a great time!:champagne:

We used to get out to Pleasant a few times each year. Be very careful if you stop at any islands because several are covered with scorpions literally. If you are looking for scenery and change of pace go to Canyon Lake, it's fantastic but small, with a great beach at the top of the lake by the damn.

lake p.a.l. said:

We used to get out to Pleasant a few times each year. Be very careful if you stop at any islands because several are covered with scorpions literally. If you are looking for scenery and change of pace go to Canyon Lake, it's fantastic but small, with a great beach at the top of the lake by the damn.

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Haven't been to Canyon in years but without a doubt, it's a damn nice lake, small but very nice. X 2 on the beach up by the dam. Haven't heard about scorpions at Pleasant but I don't get off on the islands either. Good to know! Hell, I get plenty of them at home! (Welcome to Arizona):cool Apache is a very nice lake too, takes a while to get there and you're real dusty when you get there but worth it!

lake p.a.l. said:

We used to get out to Pleasant a few times each year. Be very careful if you stop at any islands because several are covered with scorpions literally. .

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This just literally made me shiver.... YUK!!!!!!!! :yikes:yikes

lake p.a.l. said:

We used to get out to Pleasant a few times each year. Be very careful if you stop at any islands because several are covered with scorpions literally. If you are looking for scenery and change of pace go to Canyon Lake, it's fantastic but small, with a great beach at the top of the lake by the damn.

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Because of RDP, I'm already freaked out about snakes, now you tell me about scorpions? lol

Are the Islands pretty rocky as well?

DaytonaBabe said:

This just literally made me shiver.... YUK!!!!!!!! :yikes:yikes

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Ya sorry. The couple of islands we tried to let our dogs off on were very rocky and covered with scorpions. My dogs had already jumped off the boat into the water and were almost on land when I saw the ground moving and realized it was scorpions. Luckily we were able to get the dogs back on the boat before anything happened. I love Apache Lake but a huge pain to get there and you have hours of cleaning before you can hit the water even if you leave your cover on over the dirt road.

I go to Pleasant often. Prefer weekdays but weekends are OK. Dillons is a perfect boat in place to eat. Take the kids and grandkids to islands and beaches there. Never seen a scorpion, maybe I'm just lucky. Humbug is a good place to anchor and watch boats and people. It's the largest lake close to Phoenix so its a popular lake.

I Just got home from pulling the Miss. L.S. out. Ive docked on and off at pleasent harbor Marina since 99 Going be the last time...Very good service and a great Time:thumbup:

Boat Bling said:

Were you out last Saturday? There was an all orange cat in Eagles Nest then saw it running later in the day. Wasn't close enough to see clearly if it was you.

Also spotted the all white 40-46 skater out there..

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Patrick it was me! The 46 skater was with us too! He is one of our customers. There was a bunch of us tied up in eagles! You should have come over and said hi!

Thanks for the info guys I appreciate it

Great lake, as others have already posted. Lake Pleasant is the "main" big city lake in Phoenix. To give you relivant feedback, I was passed on a weekday, while testing, by the beautiful Orange M35 DCB who had to be rollin 100+ with ease, and I do mean, "ease." I have a slow ass boat with big HP, which is headed to CA. for testing, but thats a complete none relevant story. I am confident you will like the lake. There are some big boats who rip up the lake, the bad Ass M35 Orange DCB, my friends super sick 46' Skater, and Octane Marine's beautiful 36' Eliminator to name a few. Its a fun lake, it has a great party cove that my wife will not got to and two good bars.

Cheers...