The Best Lakes in East Texas

Lake Palestine is a 25,560-acre reservoir on the Neches River, 15 miles southwest of Tyler on Texas 155, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. It stretches across parts of Anderson, Cherokee, Henderson, and Smith counties; the original dam was finished in 1962 and enlarged in 1972, and the Upper Neches River Authority manages it, per the Handbook of Texas. Frankston sits about four miles west of the lake.

TPWD rates the catfish and the white and hybrid striped bass fishing as excellent, with largemouth bass, spotted bass, and crappie rated good. Its tips: hybrids and white bass are especially active from the dam up to the Highway 155 bridge in winter and into spring; largemouth anglers do best in the upper end of the lake, in Cobb and Stone Chimney creeks, and Saline Bay; and crappie bite near Highway 155 in spring on small jigs or minnows. The lake has hydrilla and native vegetation, especially in the upper end and creek arms such as Kickapoo Creek, and maxes out at 58 feet deep.

For access, TPWD lists public ramps including Kickapoo, Flat Creek, Deep End, Cherokee Landing, and Chimney Creek, plus Chandler River Park — and notes that more than a dozen private marinas, motels, and campgrounds offer additional ramps and services.

If you've heard of Gun Barrel City as a lake town, the lake is Cedar Creek Reservoir — not Lake Palestine. The Handbook of Texas places Gun Barrel City on Cedar Creek's eastern shore. TPWD describes the reservoir as 32,623 acres, about 15 miles west of Athens between US 175 and Texas 274, impounded in 1965 and controlled by the Tarrant Regional Water District.

TPWD rates catfish and white and hybrid striped bass as excellent here, with largemouth bass and crappie rated good, and notes that blue catfish outnumber channel cats in the legal size range. Its advice for the white bass and hybrids is simple: follow the birds to find the schools, especially in spring. Largemouth fishing is best in the clearer water and weedy coves of the lower reservoir; the water gets progressively muddier upstream.

Lake Tyler is the City of Tyler's own water-supply lake system, southeast of Tyler off Texas 64. TPWD lists Lake Tyler (west) at 2,224 acres and Lake Tyler East at 2,276 acres; the city dates Lake Tyler to 1949 and Lake Tyler East to 1967, and says together they yield about 30 million gallons a day for the city.

TPWD calls the water moderately clear and rates both lakes highly for largemouth and spotted bass, with good sunfish for bait or fly fishing and usually good crappie size. Lake Tyler East has good stands of native vegetation and abundant hydrilla. One local rule to know: a City of Tyler ordinance prohibits bow fishing on both lakes.

The city maintains four public recreation areas and three public boat ramps around the lakes. The Lake Tyler Marina on Lake Tyler West charges a small launch fee; the city's other ramps are free, and the lakes' rules are in Chapter 19, Article VI of the City of Tyler Code of Ordinances.

Lake Fork's reputation is earned. TPWD describes the 27,264-acre reservoir on the Sabine River in Hopkins, Rains, and Wood counties, 5 miles northwest of Quitman, as the source of more than 65% of the Texas Top 50 largest bass and more than half of all entries in TPWD's ShareLunker program. Quitman is about 35 miles north of Tyler, a drive of roughly 50 minutes.

Part of the reason is management. TPWD has run the bass fishery under restrictive regulations since the lake opened to the public in 1980. Today largemouth bass fall under a 16–24 inch slot: bass 16 inches or shorter, or 24 inches or longer, may be kept, with only one 24-inch-plus bass per day and a five-fish daily bag for all black bass combined. Always check TPWD's current rules before you go.

TPWD also rates Lake Fork's channel catfish as excellent and its crappie and sunfish as good. Fishing spots include hydrilla, boat houses, docks, points, bridge pilings, and TPWD's artificial brush piles. But TPWD warns that submerged timber is a substantial boating hazard, so run carefully.

Caddo Lake is the only naturally formed lake in Texas, created hundreds of years ago by a huge logjam on the Red River, according to TPWD. A dam for flood control came in the early 1900s — the first in 1914, replaced in 1971 — and today the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers controls the lake. It sits on Big Cypress Bayou along the Texas–Louisiana border, northeast of Marshall in Harrison and Marion counties, and TPWD lists it at 26,800 acres and no more than 20 feet deep.

The flooded bald cypress is what makes Caddo different: TPWD estimates about 95 percent of the Texas side has aquatic vegetation, with cypress trees scattered throughout. Largemouth bass is the most popular sport fish, with good numbers of trophy-size bass over 8 pounds, alongside crappie, white bass, sunfish, three kinds of catfish, and chain pickerel. TPWD highly recommends a boating map for this shallow lake; you can buy one at the state park and at other shops in the area.

Caddo Lake State Park in Karnack is the easiest entry point. It has historic cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, canoe rentals, and boat launches and paddling routes through Saw Mill Pond and Big Cypress Bayou. From Tyler, it's about 76 miles, roughly an hour and 35 minutes by car. Go at least once.

Beyond the lakes above, Texas Parks and Wildlife publishes a fact sheet for each of the region's other major reservoirs. The sizes, depths, impoundment years and main fish species below come from each lake's TPWD page and run from largest to smallest.

1. Toledo Bend Reservoir: 181,600 acres on the Sabine River in Shelby, Sabine and Newton counties, straddling the Texas–Louisiana state line, with the dam in Newton County about 24 miles northeast of Jasper. Maximum depth is 110 feet, and it was impounded in 1967. TPWD lists largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and white and striped bass.

2. Sam Rayburn Reservoir: 114,500 acres on the Angelina River, with the dam in Jasper County about 15 miles north of Jasper. Maximum depth is 80 feet, and it was impounded in 1965. The main species are largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and white bass, and TPWD calls largemouth the lake's most popular game fish, with an excellent year-round fishery.

3. Lake Livingston: 90,000 acres on the Trinity River in Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties, with the dam west of Livingston and 50 miles north of Houston. Maximum depth is 77 feet, and it was impounded in 1969. TPWD lists largemouth bass, bluegill, blue, channel and flathead catfish, white bass, striped bass and crappie. Zebra mussels have invaded the lake, so clean, drain and dry your boat and gear before going to another lake. Texas law requires you to drain the water.

4. Lake Tawakoni: 37,879 acres in Van Zandt, Rains and Hunt counties, 15 miles southeast of Greenville. Maximum depth is 70 feet, and it was impounded in 1960. TPWD lists striped and hybrid striped bass first, followed by white bass, catfish, crappie and largemouth bass.

5. Wright Patman Lake: 18,994 acres on the Sulphur River in Bowie and Cass counties, 10 miles southwest of Texarkana, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Maximum depth is 40 feet, and it was impounded in 1956. TPWD lists largemouth bass, blue, channel and flathead catfish, crappie, sunfish and white bass.

6. Lake Bob Sandlin: 9,004 acres on Big Cypress Creek, 5 miles southwest of Mount Pleasant in Titus, Camp and Franklin counties. Maximum depth is 65.6 feet, and it was impounded in 1977. TPWD lists largemouth and spotted bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill and redear sunfish.

7. Lake Cypress Springs: 3,461 acres on Cypress Creek, 15 miles northwest of Pittsburg in Franklin County, with water TPWD rates as clear. Maximum depth is 56 feet, and it was impounded in 1970. TPWD lists largemouth and spotted bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill and redear sunfish. A triploid grass carp permit is in effect, so any grass carp you catch must go back in the water unharmed.

8. Lake Murvaul: 3,397 acres on Murvaul Bayou in Panola County, 15 miles west of Carthage. Maximum depth is 36 feet, and it was impounded in 1958. TPWD lists largemouth bass, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish, and some species have special bag and size limits here.

9. Nacogdoches Lake: 2,212 acres on Loco Bayou, 10 miles west of Nacogdoches off FM 225. Maximum depth is 40 feet, and it was impounded in 1976. Largemouth bass are the most popular game fish, and TPWD says bass numbers are relatively high. Crappie and sunfish round out the main species.

10. Lake Athens: 1,799 acres, about 5 miles east of Athens and south of FM 317 in Henderson County. Maximum depth is 50 feet, and it was impounded in 1962. TPWD lists largemouth bass, white bass, crappie and redear sunfish, and largemouth have special bag and size limits.

11. Lake Jacksonville: 1,320 acres, 3 miles southwest of Jacksonville off US 79. Maximum depth is 62 feet, and it was impounded in 1957. TPWD lists largemouth and spotted bass, crappie and sunfish, and warns that it can be a difficult lake to fish, though it has produced largemouth bass over 15 pounds.