Lake Nacimiento, Reservoir in San Luis Obispo County, California, US

Lake Nacimiento is a reservoir covering roughly 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) with 265 kilometers (165 miles) of shoreline in the Santa Lucia Mountains of San Luis Obispo County, California. The winding arms and inlets branch between wooded hills and form a sprawling network of narrow waterways.

Nacimiento Dam, a 210-foot earthfill structure, was completed in 1956 by the Monterey County Water Authority to supply irrigation water and control flooding on the Nacimiento River. Monterey County developed and paid for the lake, while San Luis Obispo County kept rights to 17,500 acre-feet of water per year. In October 2007 work began on a pipeline carrying lake water to Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero and San Luis Obispo, which went online in January 2011.

Anglers and boat operators know the branching inlets well and follow them according to season and water level. Local names for certain arms and bends reflect the close connection residents have with the artificial body of water.

Most land around the lake is private; overnight camping outside the resort area near the dam is not allowed, and going above the high-water mark counts as trespassing. The lake lies near Paso Robles, and its level is usually kept below capacity until May 1 because winter surges from the Santa Lucia Range can fill it quickly.

The lake's branching arms give it the shape that earned it the nickname Dragon Lake. In 1981 Cory Wells, a member of the band Three Dog Night, caught a white bass here that set a world fly-fishing record lasting over 27 years. The reservoir holds introduced white bass, which spawn in the river and inflowing creeks each spring.