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With four lakes teeming with scaled beauties in driving distance of Mabank, TX, anglers are spoiled for choice. Load your fishing gear in a tough and rugged Ford Bronco, Ranger, or F-150, and hit the road to wet your hook at the best fishing spots in the region.
1. Cedar Creek Lake
Cedar Creek Lake is the area’s most popular fishing hole, covering an impressive 32,623 acres with 320 miles of shoreline. It’s the fourth-largest lake in Texas and is well-known for its abundant largemouth, white, and hybrid striped bass and catfish supply. Many local fishing guides are available to show you where the biggest fish bite.
Each year, Texas Parks and Wildlife restock the lake with hybrid striped bass, and a whopper of 13.19 pounds was caught here. The record for largemouth bass is 14.65 pounds. The lake boasts several public boat ramps and five marinas. Sandy Shores Marina at Big Chief Drive in Gun Barrel City is about five miles from Mabank on the lake’s east shore, has a boat ramp, ample parking, and is open year-round.
2. Purtis Creek Lake
Purtis Creek Lake in Purtis Creek State Park at 14225 FM 316 North in Eustace, 7.7 miles from Mabank, is only 349 acres but one of the top spots for hooking big catch-and-release largemouth bass, boasting a rod and reel record of 13.73 pounds. Unlike other lakes in Texas, the best time to hook largemouth bass is summer.
Crappie are plentiful, and Texas Parks and Wildlife stock the lake yearly with channel catfish. Anglers also regularly catch sunfish and white bass here. The lake has two fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, and boat ramps. The park also loans rods, reels, and tackle boxes.
3. Lake Athens
The 1,799 spring-fed Lake Athens, a 27.3-mile drive away, is known for its largemouth bass, which typically weighs between three to eight-pound range but has produced a record of 14.19 pounds.
The lake’s white bass can grow to 16–18 inches, and redear sunfish can provide catches up to 10 inches. Although crappie isn’t abundant, they tend to be good-sized. Lake Athens Marina and RV Park at 5401 Marina Drive in Athens provide free public access, a public boat ramp, and a general store and bait shop.
4. Lake Tawakoni
Take a 27-mile drive to Lake Tawakoni State Park at 10822 FM 2475 in Willis Point to wet your hook in the 37,879-acre Lake Tawakoni. The lake teems with white, striped, and hybrid striped bass. Largemouth bass is a popular sportfish in these waters, and anglers reel in crappie around the bridge pilings, artificial fish attractors, and standing timber.
The lake’s biggest attraction is catfishing. Anglers use cut bait, shrimp, earthworms, and liver to hook channel and blue catfish. The park has a four-lane boat ramp and fish cleaning station and offers loaner fishing gear.
Grab your rod and tackle box to wet your hook in the best fishing waters in the region. Head to Tri-County Ford today to check out the new 2023 SUVs and trucks on display.
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