Barnstormer wrote:That’s cool. I left Santa Barbara to move to Boise because of the excellent fly-fishing. I learned to fly in Boise and my long cross-country for my private pilot license was from Boise to Santa Ynez where my folks lived.

CFOT wrote:My Uncle was a fly fishing guide/instructor in Santa Barbara for years. He moved to Florida for the bonefish and Tarpon.

Body contact activities such as swimming, wading, or water skiing in Lake Cachuma have been restricted since the park opened in the 1950s, reasoning that the lake was a reservoir people depend upon for drinking water. In May 2011, the no body contact regulation was revised to allow human-powered recreational watercraft such as kayaks and canoes on the lake as well as allow dogs on boats and eliminate "incidental body contact" with the water as a punishable offense.[3]

Barnstormer wrote:

CFOT wrote:My Uncle was a fly fishing guide/instructor in Santa Barbara for years. He moved to Florida for the bonefish and Tarpon.

Cool. What was his name? I was born there in '55 and left around '80.

Barnstormer wrote:My Uncle, the black sheep of the family like me, lives in Lompoc. He ran the Search and Rescue team for years back in the day.

Can't speak for seaplane use or how much water is in the lakes but you might look at Lake Nacimiento, Lake San Antonio, and Lake Lopez. They are fairly close by to Cachuma and do allow you to swim etc.