Kings River - Rookie

[MonkeyButt70]

I will be heading to Lindys Landing @ Kings River mid August to take out my recent Kindsvater Flatbottom build and I have never been there. So any advice would be appreciated, for example... what areas in the water to avoid (are there water maps), cool destinations, do they have race fuel there, if I tow my boat with the RV is there a dunk service etc..... any insight would be helpful so that Im somewhat prepared for what Im in for.

 

[4Waters]

Pics of boat so we can better answer your questions.

 

[Meaney77]

Curious, how long is the kings river and is it only deep enough for jets? I pass over it when we head up to Shaver lake. I see people camping and boating but have never been.

 

[Mr. C]

Curious, how long is the kings river and is it only deep enough for jets? I pass over it when we head up to Shaver lake. I see people camping and boating but have never been.

When the water is flowing yes it should be for jets and v-drives Used to go to royal oak. My son is there now and said the farmers will be needing less water soon which means the river will drop in the next few weeks. . I’ll try and get more specifics when I talk to him.

There was a video posted on RDP Facebook page 2 days ago of an early morning run at Kings. I’ll see if I can copy and paste it here.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10221512946044912

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[sintax]

yea, the water typically starts dropping early - mid aug depending on demand, and supply up river. I've never boated on it, but i've floated it a lot. I'd love to boat, or at least jetski it up some someday.

 

[MonkeyButt70]

Pics of boat so we can better answer your questions.

I have a build thread in the v-drive section of RDP. Lots of pics

 

[grumpy88]

The only boating I have done there was on a raft . Fun " white water " rafting there .

 

[fmo24]

I think @74 spectra20 v-drive is a regular up there. He may have some input

 

[bowtiejunkie]

It’s been 10 years since I boated Kings, but when the water is up we’d have no problem boating with a 2005 Sanger V210, including waterskiing. The river bottom then was nearly all sand. In a flatly, it’s one of the coolest places to boat.

Most (maybe all) land bordering that section of Kings River is private property, except Reedley Beach (this is north of Lindy’s. So, be mindful if you stop at Royal Oak or Riverland or King’s River Gun Club Range, you won’t be welcome. Lol. North of that Reedley beach/park is No Wake Zone to Manning Ave bridge. Then, no boating at all north of that - I believe. Down river from Lindy’s the boating ends just south/west of Highway 99 bridge and Riverland. There’s a weir preventing further travel. A few decent sandy beaches right there. Don’t know the boating distance between Reedley Beach and the Weir, but it’s several miles for sure.

The Sheriff would patrol the river pretty well on summer weekends. Keep an eye out, speed limit is generally 35, if memory is correct. Pick and choose where you drag race wisely.

Nothing quite like Kings River. I miss it. The water is cold and refreshing, people are great, and it doesn’t get any better than waterskiing behind a flatbottom. Have fun!

 

[Tpltrbl303]

Pic was at the lagoon at Lindys. 20ft Sanger had no issues. 22 shockwave with out drive had to pay attention in some place. Flatty should be fine. Launch ramp can be exciting with an rv. Good ramp just tight and shallow.


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[rightytighty]

Prolly not good news for you, but I just heard they are cutting the flow next Friday/Saturday, August 1.

A little early this year. There’s little water left at Pine Flat which feeds the Kings.

 

[Shrub Lurker]

Prolly not good news for you, but I just heard they are cutting the flow next Friday/Saturday, August 1.

A little early this year. There’s little water left at Pine Flat which feeds the Kings.

This is correct.

 

[Shrub Lurker]

If you like crazy places, this place is for you. Your prop will be polished within moments. Everyone should go once. Like Parker strip but lots more wrong way lake roaches coming out of the bushes.

 

[Mr. C]

Water came up today( this morning) but is expected to go down again. My son leaves from there in the morning but is going back up early next week. And will give updates.


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[boatsntoys]

We used to love kings river. Haven’t been there in 30 years. Brings back great memories. However, August water is gonna be low. Usually very low. I remember waterskiing there late in the season. When you went down, you were barely tits deep at best.

 

[Kylemenz1]

Love Kings River. Old girlfriends family had a membership in Royal Oak back in the day. I spent a lot of summers there in my late teens.

I was skiing once making the turnaround at Riverland. I looked down and thought “man the weeds sure do stick up night out of the water here!” At that moment my ski stopped and I ejected! It was good to be 17 and have the body of Gumby. Haha. I ran back to where my ski was, picked it up, trotted off to deeper water and the boat picked me up. Good times!!


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[74 spectra20 v-drive]

We just got back week before last, you may not have any water brother! I ran both the Spectra and the Sanger and we had no issue but end of week 7-16 I pulled the Spectra because we had dropped 8" plus from the 13th. Everything is regulated by the water level at Pine flats flow starts getting shut down at around 50% capacity (i believe) we were at 54% when we got there. I am checking with some friends that spend every other week at Lindy's all summer, I think they are there this week, i have a text into them to check on water levels.

My family has been on this river since 70' or 71' and we have always had flat bottoms and spent most of our time at Lindy's. Its a very low key river so if you are new up there don't go Colorado rivering our Kings river man really there is some easy navigation but if you want just give me a call and I can walk you thru some stuff, there are definitely some spots you can get in trouble... good thing its all sand no rocks. Also the new owners at lindys have just put in a new launch ramp and approach area, super nice no issues dropping the day cruiser at all, i have a licence plate bracket across the prop opening on the trailer and we cleared it no problem n and off.

No fuel on the river anymore, I run 91 so not sure about race fuel in town. They don't have a lunch program but Beer or food buys a lot of favors.

Just got a return text and the water level is good this week, we use the peer as our water marker, you can expand this picture, at this level i ran both boats all over the place.

Cliff 562-879-9508

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Here is a good resource for you. go to "pine flats reservoir release" https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/res_PNF.html look at the top right grid (outflow in CFS) full river will be at 7k, we had 5500 when I was there if you drop below 4500 it gets real shallow. Also just heard from my friends up there that they are shutting water down Aug 3. Check this site and get a couple options ready. We used to go every August and stopped the August trips about 10 years ago because we were tired of the water game.

 

[MonkeyButt70]

Prolly not good news for you, but I just heard they are cutting the flow next Friday/Saturday, August 1.

A little early this year. There’s little water left at Pine Flat which feeds the Kings.

Thanks for the info, I just talked with a friend that is at Lindys now and they confirmed the water will be shutoff Saturday at 2am, looks like I will be going next year...

 

[MonkeyButt70]

We just got back week before last, you may not have any water brother! I ran both the Spectra and the Sanger and we had no issue but end of week 7-16 I pulled the Spectra because we had dropped 8" plus from the 13th. Everything is regulated by the water level at Pine flats flow starts getting shut down at around 50% capacity (i believe) we were at 54% when we got there. I am checking with some friends that spend every other week at Lindy's all summer, I think they are there this week, i have a text into them to check on water levels.

My family has been on this river since 70' or 71' and we have always had flat bottoms and spent most of our time at Lindy's. Its a very low key river so if you are new up there don't go Colorado rivering our Kings river man really there is some easy navigation but if you want just give me a call and I can walk you thru some stuff, there are definitely some spots you can get in trouble... good thing its all sand no rocks. Also the new owners at lindys have just put in a new launch ramp and approach area, super nice no issues dropping the day cruiser at all, i have a licence plate bracket across the prop opening on the trailer and we cleared it no problem n and off.

No fuel on the river anymore, I run 91 so not sure about race fuel in town. They don't have a lunch program but Beer or food buys a lot of favors.

Just got a return text and the water level is good this week, we use the peer as our water marker, you can expand this picture, at this level i ran both boats all over the place.

Cliff 562-879-9508 View attachment 903348

Pic looks great,I really appreciate the information and will definitely not Colorado it up! Looks like I will be going next year since the water is going to be to low. I will reach out to you then. Cheers...Craig

 

[brianwhiteboy]

Been going to Lindy’s almost every summer of my life. Jet boat and flat bottom country all day long. As the crow flies, there’s not a ton of river to boat on compared to the Colorado, but it’s some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever see. Just mind the speed limits and watch out for Johnny Law.

Another solid resource for info. is the Tulare County Sheriff. Ask for the boating division....Officer Brown is who I’ve talked with this summer. They will tell you the approx. flow and general condition of the river. Once the flow falls below a certain rate, the entire river goes to 5 mph. Even the jet ski Joeys can’t run over 5 mph, although the level may be high enough for them.

To add to the confusion, the river slightly north of Lindy’s turns into Fresno county territory, but also a higher speed limit. On weekends, you will see both Fresno and Tulare County Sheriffs on the water. Biggest thing to observe is the no wake buoys. That seems like their biggest pet peeve.

As was mentioned, Lindy’s has newer owners and they’ve dumped a lot of $$ into the place. It looks better now than ever before.

But to anyone new asking....King’s is CLOSED lol

 

[parker guy]

We used to go for years, we were camping back mid 80’s and a tree Royal Oak broke in the middle of the night and landed on a beautiful flat bottom boat....great place and used to be lots of boat racing at Kings River back in the day

 

[c_land]

How’s the water level on the kings river with the good rain and snow the last couple years?

Water orders for farmers should be ramping up about now

 

[Husqy510]

Spent many years at the Kings river in ski boats and v-drives. The key is to talk to people who have navigated the river this year as the sand bars change. It's plenty deep for flattys If you know where the sand bars are.

 

[johnnyC]

best thing is to try and stay in the center of the river, watch the water color... the lighter it is the more shallow... went there for many years in the seventys, the bigest problem was junk in the water on memoral day weekend when the river is flushing down the junk do to rising water, a sea strainer would help with that, quit going because of the sound police. just dont drink too much and watch the water it will tell you where the sand bars are

 

[oldschool]

Drove by Riverland this afternoon and there was water flowing. Pine Flat is at approximately 92% so I’m sure they’ll start letting more water out as it warms up. Last year they had the river closed for quite a while because the water was flowing too fast. It will be into see what happens this year.

 

[oldschool]

She’s flowing.

 

[JJK94]

She’s flowing. View attachment 1368895 View attachment 1368896 a

would imagine there hasn't been any dredging for years and prob a few feet deep down by Riverland

 

[rightytighty]

PF outlow currently appx 3K CFS (this is the water that flows past Lindys, etc) for the past couple of days (up from 2K)

Based on inflows and lake level, they should be raising release to 4k-5K CFS in next week or two. That is plenty of water.

Have fun this summer!

 

[rightytighty]

Last weekend at PF. Not much room left!

 

[rightytighty]

Drove up to lake this morning. Noticed the River is rippin’

Checked outflow and theyve raised it to 5600cfs as of today.

To those interested summer ‘24 is officially on for lower Kings River!

 

[c_land]

Drove up to lake this morning. Noticed the River is rippin’

Checked outflow and theyve raised it to 5600cfs as of today.

To those interested summer ‘24 is officially on for lower Kings River!

I’ve never been. I want to go and take the Motorhome. Is Lindy’s the preferred spot or riverland?

 

[johnnyC]

do people still race on saturday early evening in front of riverland? I always went to lindys asit had a nice back bay to beach the flat

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Kings river is closed just like Parker... too many Sherriff patrols on boats and Sea Dos to have much racing anymore just a calm cool place to chill out

 

[rivermobster]

Last weekend at PF. Not much room left! View attachment 1369032 View attachment 1369031

Wow.

That looks like it's 100 percent full! I haven't been to PF in decades. Best glass I've ever skied on.

 

[rightytighty]

I’ve never been. I want to go and take the Motorhome. Is Lindy’s the preferred spot or riverland?

Hopefully, some with more personal knowledge of the river will be along with a better answer.

Im set up at PF. My lower river experience is minimal.

I believe there are 3 choices: Riverland (furthest downstream— right at hwy 99 crossing). Royal Oak and Lindys landing and further upstream(closer to PF) and more secluded.

Ive heard lots of good about Royal and Lindy’s . Not much about Riverland one way or the other.

 

[brianwhiteboy]

I’ve been going to Lindy’s my entire life. New owners bought it a few years back and have invested a ton of money into that place. A new launch ramp, improved jetty, remodeled the convenience store, bathrooms freshened up, grass is green and watered, roads maintained, utilities at most every site. The place is top-notch and very orderly. It looks better than it ever has.

They’ve gotten a lot stricter though on who’s allowed to camp there as they're mainly catering to RV camping now. There used to be a ton of tent campers that didn’t even use the river for boating and those were the types that brought the commotion in which is probably what drove them to tighten the rules.

I’ve been going there forever, have a nice boat and actually use the river for what it’s for. That being said, I don’t own an RV so tent camping might be an issue now, but I know how to be respectful and lay low. I’ve talked to them on the side about a one-off weekend tent deal and it sounds like there could be some mutual agreement.

Typically, we’ll blast up from LA and do a day trip at Lindy’s with the boat. Worst case scenario I get a hotel if I can’t camp there anymore. Royal Oaks has also changed ownership in the last few years. They’ve raised rates and have gone more to the RV type thing as well. But it’s a nice campground as well. The rumor I heard last year is the owner of Lindy’s was trying to buy Riverland also

It’s definitely a niche type of river mainly with jet boats and flat-bottoms, but some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever find.

This was last year in front of Lindy’s

 

[c_land]

I’ve been going to Lindy’s my entire life. New owners bought it a few years back and have invested a ton of money into that place. A new launch ramp, improved jetty, remodeled the convenience store, bathrooms freshened up, grass is green and watered, roads maintained, utilities at most every site. The place is top-notch and very orderly. It looks better than it ever has.

They’ve gotten a lot stricter though on who’s allowed to camp there as they're mainly catering to RV camping now. There used to be a ton of tent campers that didn’t even use the river for boating and those were the types that brought the commotion in which is probably what drove them to tighten the rules.

I’ve been going there forever, have a nice boat and actually use the river for what it’s for. That being said, I don’t own an RV so tent camping might be an issue now, but I know how to be respectful and lay low. I’ve talked to them on the side about a one-off weekend tent deal and it sounds like there could be some mutual agreement.

Typically, we’ll blast up from LA and do a day trip at Lindy’s with the boat. Worst case scenario I get a hotel if I can’t camp there anymore. Royal Oaks has also changed ownership in the last few years. They’ve raised rates and have gone more to the RV type thing as well. But it’s a nice campground as well. The rumor I heard last year is the owner of Lindy’s was trying to buy Riverland also

It’s definitely a niche type of river mainly with jet boats and flat-bottoms, but some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever find.

This was last year in front of Lindy’s
View attachment 1369793 View attachment 1369794

Looks like a great place to take the kid's yamaha jet out for a weekend

Can you leave a boat on the water overnight? Or is it a launch/retrieve every day?

 

[brianwhiteboy]

Looks like a great place to take the kid's yamaha jet out for a weekend

Can you leave a boat on the water overnight? Or is it a launch/retrieve every day?

Lindy’s has a lagoon section and riverfront spots. You can definitely leave things in the Lagoon overnight. You could as well with the river spots as the level doesn’t really fluctuate too much day-to-day. It does have a fair amount of current so it depends on your anchor and level of comfortability. They have a jetty that blocks part of the current.

The launch ramp is literally right next to all of the spots so it’s super simple to pull it out every night if need be.

 

[rivermobster]

I’ve been going to Lindy’s my entire life. New owners bought it a few years back and have invested a ton of money into that place. A new launch ramp, improved jetty, remodeled the convenience store, bathrooms freshened up, grass is green and watered, roads maintained, utilities at most every site. The place is top-notch and very orderly. It looks better than it ever has.

They’ve gotten a lot stricter though on who’s allowed to camp there as they're mainly catering to RV camping now. There used to be a ton of tent campers that didn’t even use the river for boating and those were the types that brought the commotion in which is probably what drove them to tighten the rules.

I’ve been going there forever, have a nice boat and actually use the river for what it’s for. That being said, I don’t own an RV so tent camping might be an issue now, but I know how to be respectful and lay low. I’ve talked to them on the side about a one-off weekend tent deal and it sounds like there could be some mutual agreement.

Typically, we’ll blast up from LA and do a day trip at Lindy’s with the boat. Worst case scenario I get a hotel if I can’t camp there anymore. Royal Oaks has also changed ownership in the last few years. They’ve raised rates and have gone more to the RV type thing as well. But it’s a nice campground as well. The rumor I heard last year is the owner of Lindy’s was trying to buy Riverland also

It’s definitely a niche type of river mainly with jet boats and flat-bottoms, but some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever find.

This was last year in front of Lindy’s
View attachment 1369793 View attachment 1369794

That sounds like heaven to me.

 

[JJK94]

Drove up to lake this morning. Noticed the River is rippin’

Checked outflow and theyve raised it to 5600cfs as of today.

To those interested summer ‘24 is officially on for lower Kings River!

probably be closing for boating pretty soon when the lake brims

 

[gqchris]

I took a trip there about 15 years ago in my blown Southwind Jet. Per advice of my girlfriend at the time, as she said she wanted to go because her friends were going and their families had been going for years.

So, the bad, I got stopped right off the bat by rangers. All checked out with me so they let me go.

The good: Oh man, we had a blast. About 30 peeps all tent camping. Music playing thru camp. Boats anchored off in the river just chilling. I remember banging my girl that night in the tent, It was one of those performances for the books! I was trying to make her scream and it worked! (all adults at the camp). Epic sex. Ill never forget her.

The cherry on top: i took a solo rip one early morning. Glasssssss. Trees felt like they were zooming by. Blower whining. It is on the top 5 list of rides Ill never forget.

Good times, good times!!!

 

[brianwhiteboy]

As stated, the Po-Po can be hard asses depending on the year. I’ve seen them be friendly to hardcore. Lindy’s seems to be the delineation between Fresno Co. Sheriff and and Tulare Co. Sheriff, so you’ll see both at times depending where you’re at.

The speed limit is 30mph or 35mph and there’s several 5 mph no-wake zones as you go up and down the river, right as you pass the three campgrounds. Never used to be that way years back but it’s a nice opportunity to take in the scenery as you idle by.

 

[Mrs. Riley1]

What’s the water depth? Does anyone run an outboard?

 

[rightytighty]

From Lindys right now. Some overall pics for those wondering. Looks freaking nice. Bathrooms are all tile and Super clean! Showers look really nice!

 

[rightytighty]

 

[rightytighty]

 

[Ruzi]

Anyone been to Lindy’s in the last couple days? Wondering if there’s smoke from the nearby fires. PF is still releasing 6k+CFS so water level should be good.

We have a weeklong trip starting on the 6th right as the 110°+ heatwave comes through. Yay.

 

[rightytighty]

Anyone been to Lindy’s in the last couple days? Wondering if there’s smoke from the nearby fires. PF is still releasing 6k+CFS so water level should be good.

We have a weeklong trip starting on the 6th right as the 110°+ heatwave comes through. Yay.

Smoke is in the foothills only. (At this point)

River is fine.

 

[rightytighty]

This is yesterday at Pine Flat . Can see the smoke in the background. Its been clear by 11am then smokes back up during the night.