Moon California Recreational Lakes and Rivers: The Complete Guide to Boating, Fishing, and Water Sports (Moon Handbooks) [Paperback]

Tom Stienstra (Author)

Book Description

Series: Moon Handbooks | Publication Date: May 13, 2008

Acclaimed outdoors author Tom Stienstra knows where to find the best of California’s lakes and rivers, from the wild and pristine Smith River in the Redwood Empire to the clear waters of Big Bear Lake, only two hours from Los Angeles. Moon California Recreational Lakes and Rivers leads outdoor enthusiasts to the best spots for boating, fishing, and water sports in the Golden State. The fourth edition of this definitive guidebook includes detailed descriptions of nearly 400 lakes and rivers, as well as many top-10 lists, such as the Top 10 Places for Water-Skiing. Complete with detailed regional maps as well as directions and ratings for each location, Moon California Recreational Lakes and Rivers provides readers with first-rate expert advice and all the necessary tools to head outdoors.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

For 30 years, Tom Stienstra's full-time job has been to capture and communicate the outdoor experience. This has led him across California - hiking, boating, fishing, camping, biking, and flying - searching for the best of the outdoors and then writing about it. Tom is the nation's top-selling author of outdoors guidebooks. He has been inducted into the California Outdoor Hall of Fame and has twice been awarded National Outdoor Writer of the Year, newspaper division, by the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He has also been named California Outdoor Writer of the Year five times, most recently in 2007. Tom is the outdoors columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; his articles also appear on www.SFGate.com and in newspapers around the country. He broadcasts a weekly radio show on KCBS-San Francisco and hosts an outdoor television show on CBS/CW San Francisco. Tom lives with his wife and sons in Northern California. You can contact him directly via the website www.tomstienstra.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 4th edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598800183
• ISBN-13: 978-1598800180
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supplements California Fishing, June 1, 2008

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moon California Recreational Lakes and Rivers: The Complete Guide to Boating, Fishing, and Water Sports (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

Tom Stienstra has had an enviable career as an outdoor writer and enthusiast. In addition to his outdoor column for the San Francisco Chronicle, his "research" for each updated edition California Hiking, California Fishing, and California Camping, all best selling titles in multiple editions, keeps him in the field more than half the year. Would that we all were so fortunate. 'California Recreational Lakes and Waters' is really a supplement to the more popular 'California Fishing' volume, also put out by Avalon Travel under their Moon imprint. Like the former volume, this one discusses fishing in some detail, but the emphasis here is more on boating and water sports. Those looking for the best class V kayaking rapids in the state will find what they are looking for in this book. So will windsurfers, boaters, swimmers, and those still addicted to their canoes. (Steinstra is one of the latter, and his preface describes his life long love affair with his 15 year old green monster.) Just over 350 bodies of water are described, and subjectively rated, in this book (Little Lake Gregory near my house only gets a 6 on a scale of 1-10!) so you can easily find a body of water near you to explore on any day you should have free time. Given the price of gasoline these days, "nearby" is of upmost importance.

I do have some ambivalence about the marketing decision made by Avalon not to simply combine this book with California Fishing. There is substantial crossover between the bodies of water covered in each. Nonetheless, hard core fishermen are an audience unto themselves and other forms of water recreation are becoming increasingly popular in the state. Bottom line: this book gets five stars for doing what it sets out to do. Classic Stienstra, it is at once informative and amusing, and if it gets you outside, the book is more than worth the price.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Canoeing Opportunities, July 18, 2011

By 

Laura G. (Oakley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Moon California Recreational Lakes and Rivers: The Complete Guide to Boating, Fishing, and Water Sports (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

As a California newcomer, I found this book most helpful not only for locating canoeing opportunities, but to get oriented to the state's abundant water resources. The organizational format was outstanding for enabling quick focus on the region of interest. In particular, the reader will find the bold-type headers in water narratives easy to follow and precise in description. Maps are excellent, and accurate.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars california lakes and rivers, March 20, 2010

By 

Nosek "Nosek" (Laguna Niguel, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Moon California Recreational Lakes and Rivers: The Complete Guide to Boating, Fishing, and Water Sports (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

This book is broken down into small chapters on every lake and river in California. More of a book / text than a map or illustration.
Very thorough and detailed. Good to use as a secondary reference once you have picked where you want to go from more of a map/description
book. Well worth the purchase price but not my first choice for a search of California Lakes or Rivers. Check out Recreatioon Lakes of California by Dirksen.