Horseshoe Lake is located near the golf course in Bidwell Park, Chico, California. It was constructed about 1930 as a reservoir to provide storage of water diverted by gravitational flow from Big Chico Creek for irrigating the golf course. Its original purpose was abandoned after a few years when it became apparent that maintaining the diversion flume cost more than pumping water. Horseshoe Lake has remained as a shallow, turbid pond, fed by winter and spring runoff, gradually losing water between wet seasons, but never going completely dry. Horseshoe Lake water is usually turbid and quite green due to a dense bloom of bluegreen bacteria. This water bloom is undoubtedly a result of the large quantity of nutrients entering the lake in the feces of the domestic ducks and geese.

The fishing at Horseshoe Lake is alright, mainly an abundance of channel catfish with the occasional , bluegill, large-mouth bass.

Supposedly there are black and white crappie, carp, brown and black bullhead catfish, and small-mouth bass.

A link to Paul Maslin’s study about Horseshoe Lake from 1990-1997 can be located by clicking here.

Additional links reguarding Horseshoe Lake can be found below:

• Chico Wiki
• Going Outside