Lake Fork Reservoir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Fork Reservoir
Marshy inlet on Lake Fork
Lake Fork Reservoir Location in Texas Show map of Texas Lake Fork Reservoir Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Wood County, Texas Rains County, Texas Hopkins County, Texas
Coordinates	32°48′15″N 95°32′22″W / 32.80417°N 95.53944°W / 32.80417; -95.53944
Type	reservoir
Part of	Sabine River
Primary inflows	Lake Fork Creek Caney Creek Little Caney Creek
Primary outflows	Lake Fork Creek
Catchment area	493 sq mi (1,280 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	27,264 acres (11,033 ha)
Max. depth	70 feet (21 m)
Water volume	675,819 acre-feet (833,610,000 m3)
Shore length1	315 miles (507 km)
Surface elevation	403.0 ft (122.8 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Fork Reservoir is a large, human-made lake in Texas. It is located across three counties: Wood, Rains, and Hopkins. You can find it near the towns of Quitman, Alba, Emory, and Yantis, Texas.

This lake was created in 1980 when the Lake Fork Dam was built. The dam holds back the water, forming the reservoir. By 1985, the lake reached its normal water level, which is about 403 feet above sea level. Lake Fork covers an area of about 27,264 acres, which is like having over 20,000 football fields! It also has a long shoreline, stretching for about 315 miles.

The dam itself is very long, about 12,410 feet. It holds back Lake Fork Creek, which flows into the larger Sabine River. Other creeks like Big Caney and Little Caney also feed into the lake. The Sabine River Authority, a state group, owns and manages both the dam and the reservoir.

Lake Fork Reservoir was originally built to provide drinking water for the city of Dallas and its nearby towns. But it's most famous for something else: fishing! It's known as one of the best places in the world to catch huge largemouth bass. In fact, 15 of the top 20 biggest largemouth bass ever caught in Texas came from Lake Fork.

Fishing at Lake Fork

Lake Fork Reservoir was designed to be a perfect place for fish. Even before the lake was completely full, fish were put into its waters. The Texas Parks and Wildlife department made Lake Fork a top spot for bass fishing. Between 1979 and 1987, over 732,000 Florida-strain largemouth bass were added to the lake.

The lake has great places for fish to live. About 80% of the original trees were left standing in the water, creating lots of hiding spots. Plants like hydrilla, milfoil, and duckweed also grow in the lake, providing more cover and food. Besides bass, you can find other fish species here, including catfish, sand bass, yellow bass, black and white crappie, sunfish, bowfin, gar, and bluegill. Smaller fish like shad and minnows, along with crawfish, are the main food for the bigger fish in the lake.

To help keep the amazing bass fishing at Lake Fork healthy, special rules are in place. The Texas Parks and Wildlife department has a "slot limit." This means that any bass caught between 16 and 24 inches long must be put back into the lake right away. Anglers can keep a total of five bass per day. These five bass can either all be under 16 inches long, or they can keep one bass over 24 inches long along with four bass that are under 16 inches. These rules help make sure there are always plenty of big bass in Lake Fork for everyone to enjoy.

Lake Fork Climate

Lake Fork Reservoir has a climate known as a humid subtropical climate. This means it usually has hot, humid summers and mild winters.

The hottest temperature ever recorded at Lake Fork Reservoir was 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) on July 19, 2006. The coldest temperature recorded was -7 degrees Fahrenheit (-22 degrees Celsius) on February 16, 2021.