Lake Fork Reservoir

Lake Fork Reservoir
Marshy inlet on Lake Fork
Location	Wood / Rains / Hopkins counties, Texas, US
Coordinates	32°48′15″N 95°32′22″W / 32.80417°N 95.53944°W / 32.80417; -95.53944Coordinates: 32°48′15″N 95°32′22″W / 32.80417°N 95.53944°W / 32.80417; -95.53944
Primary inflows	Lake Fork Creek, Big Caney, Little Caney
Catchment area	493 sq mi (1,280 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	27,690 acres (11,210 ha)
Surface elevation	403.0 ft (122.8 m)

Lake Fork Reservoir is a reservoir located in Wood, Rains, and Hopkins counties in the state of Texas, between the towns of Quitman, Alba, Emory, and Yantis, Texas.

It was impounded by the Lake Fork Dam in 1980, and reached its normal pool surface elevation of 403.0 feet (123 m) above mean sea level in 1985. It consists of 27,690 acres (112 km²), situated in It offers 315 miles (507 km) of shoreline, and has a drainage area of 493 square miles (1,277 km²). The dam is 12,410 feet (3,783 m) in length and impounds Lake Fork Creek, a tributary of the Sabine River, and other major creeks are Big Caney and Little Caney.

The dam and reservoir with a maximum capacity of 675,819 acre-feet are owned and operated by the Sabine River Authority, a state agency.

It officially serves as a reservoir for Dallas and its suburbs. However, it is best known for its fishing, as it holds 15 of the top 20 Texas State Record Largemouth Bass ever caught, making it one of the premier trophy bass fishing lakes in the world.

Lake Fork Reservoir was created as a textbook fishery, including initial stockings before the lake filled. Lake Fork Reservoir was established, by the Texas Parks and Wildlife, as a premier bass fishing lake, with 732,514 Florida-strain largemouth bass being stocked from 1979 through 1987. Lake Fork Reservoir offers excellent fish habitat with 80% standing timber left intact, and hydrilla, milfoil, and duckweed being the predominant vegetation. Other species of fish include Catfish, Sand Bass, Yellow Bass, Black and White crappie, Sunfish, Bowfin, Gar, and Bluegill. The predominant food source for the larger fish is Shad, Minnows, and Crawfish.