Barth Pit is an open pit iron mine from the 1960’s that was connected to the Humboldt River in 1984 when a flood event washed away the remaining dike. The pit lake is entirely on private property, but public access is tyically allowed around a majority of the lake.
- Region
- Eastern
- County
- Eureka
- Type of water
- Lake or Reservoir
Pertinent Information
The lake covers jsut under 18 surface acres and origiannly had a depth of 280 feet. Fish are not stocked in the lake, but rather are captured from the river and upstream fisheries, such as South Fork Reservoir. Sportfish species include Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill Sunfish, Channel Catfish, Asian Carp, and an occasional Rainbow Trout. Due to the steep banks from the mining activity, most of the active fishing occures close to shore rather than in the deeper open water. There is no developed camping sites but there are sandbars that get exposed once spring water levels drop.