Bartlett lake Az

Going to Bartlett lake for the first time ever this weekend and was looking for some recommendations of places to go on the lake. Mostly going to wakeboard and relax. Just curious because I am tired of battling tubers on some of the other lakes.
Thanks

5:45 am

The dam might be ok in the morning for an hour or so. After that you can hit "The Front" and then "The Bering Strait" for a while. "The Gauntlet" will be very busy but is really on the only place that is shielded from the wind. After that you can head to the back by "Malibu Cove" and get in some runs there. Around 10 or 11 the lake will be trashed and you can goto the very back past the third set of bouys and ride, do so at your own risk. I have seen tons of people ride back there, but have also seen one guy get a ticket, although I'm not sure what for. We usually just take lunch at "My Beach" until about 4 in the afternoon and then ride "the back" till dark...

No matter what you do you are going to see tubers out there, PERIOD! Unless of course you go on a weekday...

Bartlett can be very dangerous! You can go for hours and have everyone around you drive correctly and then all the sudden a newb will drive directly at you. Also, when the bass tourny starts you better be in the boat, those clowns have ran over my rope twice when we had a rider down (Flag up too!). They just gas it all the way to get to their fishing spots...

Bartlett Sucks!

That's why I'm storing the boat @ Saguaro. I ride weekdays. Any of you guys want to ride at Saguaro, PM me. I don't have a regular crew.

Sam, I hope you are healing up well.

We usually ride at Saguaro but unfortunately with work only weekends. Real choppy except late Sundays. We have a 20 foot maxum fish ski with a tower that works ok for us but I know my gf would like to board behind a wb boat because ours is a biotch to keep a steady speed. What weekedays do u usually go? We live about 15 min from the lake.

Steve, I do not have a regular scheduled day or days of riding. I will usually know when I am going to ride the day before. I know that may not work for most guys. Probably why I can't get together a regular crew. That being said I am taking the boat out there at some point this week to get some hours on it.

I like the facilities a bit better at Saguaro, plus Century Marine is close if anything happens to the boat. They're the best, IMO.

Amo, PM sent about riding during this week

echo what Mike said. I should be on the water at daylight sat morning.

We're having a big trip out there this weekend. Fri afternoon, camp, and whenever we decide to head back Saturday. Right now I think it's 3 or 4 boats, but Im waiting on possibly 2 more to let me know.

should be fun, minus the tubers and nitro/lund race to the fishing spots.

I went to Bartlett last Saturday for the first time and I was very surprised at how not busy it was for a Saturday. We got there at 7 am and left at about 11 am though, so we may have missed the crowd.

Well I am hoping sunday may not be too bad although now a couple buddies are talking about going to Lake Pleasant instead which is kind of a long drive for us.

+1 to Sam. Bartlett is no bueno.

bartlett is by far the worst lake in arizona. Ive been there a bunch and it is always blown out and terrible. any other lake is better.

Roosevelt might be worse on a windy day...

might as well just go to Pleasant if you're up that far North

Id take bartlett over pleasant any day.

Ty,
Are you crazy? Pleasant has the coves that you can ride in. Bartlett doesn't have any coves or protected area other than "The Guantlet" and it's in the main route between the two docks and busy at all times. I guess you could go to the very back, but most of us aren't even sure if that is legel or not. Hell, I just recently saw a boat up on the rocks at Bartlett, it's freaking crazy there!


I think this picture says it all! Freaking tubers!!

And don't even get me started talking about that thing they call a road to get there... If it starts raining while you are there you better get out of there quick, otherwise your butt is stranded there, because they will just shut down the road and it will wash away... it's happened to us twice. The spot that washes out so bad has a dry creek that cross the road, but when it rains it turns into a river. They recently replaced a big section with concrete, but it's not going to change anything, they should have installed a culvert.

We had a houseboat out there for three years, but we finally sold it.

My crew all pitched in and bought a membership to Firebird this year... it's pretty nasty water (brackish), but it's always smooth!

Otherwise we just load up and take the trip to either Apache (no one is ever there) or we go to river or Meade for the weekend.

The only time I would EVER go to Bartlett again is Monday through Thursday between the hours of 7am and 12pm. It wasn't that hard of a decision to store the boat at Saguaro even though Bartlett is closer to us. I can deal with the lake being half the size.

sam,
hahahaha....i hear ya but Ive just had more good experiences at bart than at pleasant. The only decent sessions Ive ever had at Pleasant have been in Pauls Hideaway and one other cove I dont know the name of. super early mornings are decent anywhere in my opinion, so Im not counting that. Otherwise, I find myself dodging cigarette boats and tons of jet skiers following like gnats jumping the wake behind us. We've almost always been able to find good water at bart, even if we have to move out of the popular areas when it gets crowded. My dream day wakeboarding happened at Bartlett when unfortunately a fire blew through and closed the rode behind us early morning. They shut the road down, locking us in the lake the whole dayw ith one other boat, who happened to be shooting for Alliance. They wrote an article about the day and how unfortunate the fire was, but how awesome it was to share the whole lake with one other wakeboat (us!). That may sway my opinion on the lake.

And I've only ever seen one boat in person run ashore...and I kid you not it was at Pleasant. No picture to prove it, but it was there in the morning of July5th maybe 5 years ago. I guess partying on the 4th under the fireworks proved to be too much for that guy, lol.

To clarify if the way back of Bartlett is illegal or not: according to the sheriffs out there it IS illegal.
We tried to argue maybe 4 weeks ago that you go through the first set of no wake buoys, have a long stretch of no wake zone, and then hit another set of no wake buoys, which to us would be the end of the no wake zone. This type of setup is very common on narrow lakes/rivers Ive been on when there is a start and an end to the no wake zone. The sheriff didnt buy it, wrote up a ticket. The court hearing is Thursday (2 days away). I'll let you know how that argument goes with a judge. haha. I wont be there, but my buddy who was driving at the time will be.
long post, sorry. take care.
ty

Dodging cigarette boats eh? Hey Sam tell them about the jet skiers we had to dodge from a near collision!
Or Kinsela; tell about the drunk jet skier that nearly hit us when we were staionary!
BOTH AT BARTLETT!!

If you are in Arizona Firebird is the place to ride!! See the thread below... for $2,800 a year it's been more than worth it for my crew! Evening runs after work and early morning runs before work make it awesome. You don't have THE MAN watching every move you make either.. no third required, etc...



http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/237124.html?1120613192

If it were only all fresh water. How is the brackish to ride in Sam? Most of the PWT guys I talked to didn't care for it.

Brackish water sucks! Glass is awesome though and you float better too!

It's saltwater and racing fuel mixture.....

It won't catch fire though, we tried...

bartlett is a definate no. whatever you do dont go on a sunday or during the week. every day sux

ahhahahaha, thats hilarious. how many boats do they let on it at a time?

What is so funny? I've never seen more than three boats on firebird. We go either before or after work though. Several other crews use it too, but everyone respects everyone else and knows how to drive.

infinity

eesh, what was funny was the race fuel comment and trying to light it on fire.

Awh yes Sam, good times with our pyro technics

video of firebird from 5 years ago...
http://www.wakepics.com/video/14498/larry-taylor

The above video also has some Fl, and lake pleasent, but firebird for those who never rode.

Above pictures of Joe shipka and Micheal Vinz, photos by Steve Hahn...

(Message edited by wakeparent on September 22, 2009)

Ah firebird. I have a love hate relationship with that place. Saltier than the ocean and def not brackish, just salt. If you want smooth water for the most part, firebird is the best spot in the phx area to ride. The water is digusting though.

So I think we are doing pleasant. Not a big fan of narrow lakes with bad drivers. Any recommendations on places to try?

http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/lake_pleasant/images/lake_map_large.jpg

Check out the cove area just northwest of Pauls Hideaway. Thats where we normally ride. It is wind protected on both North and South sides and great for early morning rides. The lake is down about 55-60 feet right now so be careful in some of the coves for shallow water.

The back of bartlett is definitely illegal. Got the ticket and went to boating school for it. Boating school was a good experience really, 18 jet skiers and 2 boaters.

Heard rumors of fishermen capping off rounds at people.

Also, a lot of underwater obstacles back there so risky.

Hey Ty, I was out there during the fires a few years ago, best day ever. Hardly any boats, smoke kept the sun out of our eyes, lake was glass. Got some cool pics driving through the fire at night on the way out with flames on both sides of the road. Was thinking of draining the bags on the way up to help out a little. ;)

Also was out there on MX bike when the road washed out and saw all the folks stuck on the lake side. Gave the KX all she had and made it through the 2.5 feet of water flowing in the wash.

(Message edited by big_poppa_pump on September 24, 2009)

chaun,

epic day for sure when we were out there on a fire day.
You have those pics?

enjoyed glass out there all weekend to those who dont like bartlett... jab jab, i kid i kid. but we did probably have a little too much fun this weekend.

yeah bartlett is teeeerrrrrible pleasant is always glass go there instead

Yeah i agree. Pleasant is WAAAY better

I was on Bartlett 2 weeks ago and the water was GLASS, no wind, and no boats at all. Absolutely perfect conditions for riding. This was on a Thursday though, maybe that's why.

(Message edited by lemonhead on October 13, 2009)

I retract all previous statements.... Bartlett is quite possibly the worst lake in AZ. Pleasant is the only way to go...

agreed 100% it is a complete waste of gas to go there don't even risk it.

too far, too choppy, sheriffs everywhere, bass boats, tubers, and jet skiers galore. touche...

I love how the sheriffs now patrol the ramp during the afternoon. I think it should be entrapment or whatever it is called. I was there last week looking at a friends house boat that he is selling and saw the sheriff give out over a dozen BUI's in about three hours. He sits at the top north side of the first ramp and takes notes who is driving the boat and then writes the tickets at the top of the ramp. They installed a new "office" on the water this year and are now finally working out of it on a full time basis. Its just a floating covered dock about two hundred yards from the main dock.

ya stay away from barlett it sucks

heh i'm a little slow. just got it.

ya haha

I wonder why it keeps getting worse and worse... boneheads...

Don't even get me started on all the wood that floats around that lake. Springtime is the worst, practically walked across it one year.

^^^^^there is so much floating debris the last time I went out we went through 2 props

the wood isnt that bad, it's all the unmarked rocks and shallow spots around the entire lake. I've probably been on 4 boats that have nicked bottom at bart. the lake is completely unkept up. too dangerous to even board or boat at.

The other issue is it is over stocked with fish so not only is there a crazy amount of fishermen but they bite you while your in the water....last week one bit my nipple!

I still itch from the rash I got from the water last week.

oh, and add you have to have 4 wheel drive as the water is sooo low as of last week the ramps are now mudslides into the water.

Lol, you guys are too funny.

True story from way back, when the water was way low...down to the original cement blocks (not the fancy new ramps) my wife got the empty trailer hung up because the wheels went past the end. Had to get some burly folks to lift the trailer up a little.

Thanks all to those that helped her out that day. You know who you are.

any one riding at this dump or any other lake tomorrow that needs a third?

I could use a second, third, fourth, fifth.. ;)

btw, the water there is at least 10 degrees colder than the other lakes.

I will be there Sunday. Don't know how many I got going yet.