Lake Oroville low-water launch ramp opens today
The Department of Water Resources has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 10:00 AM today [Friday September 25] to unveil its new Lake Oroville low-water boat launch ramp at the Bidwell Canyon Marina. The new "stage three" boat ramp provides better access to boaters at Bidwell Canyon marina when lake levels drop below 705 feet. The lake has fallen to that stage during five drought periods since the late 1960's.

Previously, the Spillway's "stage two" ramp was Lake Oroville's lowest concrete ramp at 695 feet. The new Bidwell ramp, which was constructed at 675 feet [operable down to a 680-foot lake level], and will be extended to elevation 640 when lake levels allow for it.

The completed work includes a new 1.75-acre concrete parking lot that includes 46 spaces for vehicles with trailers, eight spaces for vehicles only, including two ADA compatible spaces. Also included are a new 526-foot concrete three-lane boat ramp extending from the parking lot to elevation 640 [should the lake level ever drop that far], and a new 450-foot concrete access road extending from the existing stage two gravel parking lot to the new stage three parking lot.

Fishing is pretty good on Lake Oroville, related Don Reighley at Oroville Outdoors, "Since the lake level has mostly stabilized, the fish moved back near the bank in five to 30 feet of water. The largest bass we heard of was a 22-inch largemouth, but a pair of anglers could easily release 15 or 20 'slot-size' bass per day right now. Best lures are darthead-rigged worms and Gitzits fished on six or eight pound line."

Reighley added, "It's great that the low-water launch ramp is going into operation, because we have three high-profile bass tournaments going on over the next three weekends. All three events would have been canceled and moved somewhere else."