LAKE FORK

Lake Fork Reservoir

Lake Fork Reservoir is a 27,690 acre reservoir located 80 miles east of Dallas between I-20 and I-30 that was built as a water reservoir for Dallas and its suburbs. The reservoir was impounded in 1980 and reached full- pool elevation of 403 feet above mean sea level in 1985. At full pool, the lake offers 315 miles of shoreline, has a drainage area of 493 square miles and a maximum depth of 70 feet. The lake itself resides within three counties: Rains (pop. 11065), Wood (pop. 42,306) and Hopkins (pop. 35,565). Four local communities claim Lake Fork as their home, including Quitman (pop. 1811, the seat of Wood County), Emory (pop. 1250, the seat of Rains County), Alba (pop. 506) and Yantis (pop. 391). Neighboring communities of Mineola, Winnsboro and Sulphur Springs are all within about 20 miles of the lake. Like many Texas reservoirs, the lake is primarily a V- shaped lake formed by the 12,410-feet earthen dam at the junction of Lake Fork Creek and Big Caney Creek but includes an additional smaller branch, Little Caney Creek, between the arms of the other two tributaries. Birch Creek also feeds into the upper end of the western arm. The dam tops out at an elevation of 419.5 feet above mean sea level. The dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the state-run Sabine River Authority of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are responsible for management of the fishery. The west side of the lake is relatively flat, situated on a plain that descends gradually towards Dallas. The east side of the lake borders the rim of the Piney Woods area of East Texas. Without a doubt, Lake Fork is known for its largemouth bass fishing. However, the lake also offers a quality fishery for many other species including yellow bass, crappie, catfish, carp and buffalo. Traffic around the lake is serviced by three primary routes: 515, 17 and 154. 17 runs up the west side of the lake through Alba, 515 runs east-west from Emory across the lake to Winnsboro and 154 crosses the east side of the lake between Quitman and Sulphur Springs.