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By Mike Hernandez,
Meteorologist, Realtor and Television Personality
Whenever I look back on some of the fondest memories of my younger days there always seems to be a lake involved.
For me, it was mostly about fishing. I remember spending many early mornings watching the sun come up over the horizon and seeing the suns rays sparkle on the surface of the lake like a hundred million diamonds. The calm stillness over the lake made it look like glass. I remember that the temperatures were normally cool in the early mornings. That didn’t last very long on those hot summer days in Texas.
I’d spend a few minutes trying to decide whether to go with a top water lure or maybe something that was weighted and worked under water. For me it all depended on what the lake was telling me to do.
You see, a lake will tell you what the fish are biting on, and even where, if you’re paying attention. My Dad taught me that and so much more. We spent many enjoyable hours on a boat or by the shore together. That bonding time is what made those fishing trips so very special to me.
I also remember waking up to the smell of coffee and bacon and eggs being cooked on one of those green Coleman stoves. Those breakfasts were the best!
I can still smell the coffee if I just close my eyes and let myself go back to those times. My Dad taught me a lesson about fishing that I still use to this day. He said “ If you have good food to eat and a warm, dry place to sleep, even if the fish aren’t biting you can still have a good time.”
Simple enough right?
But you don’t know how many people I know that go on a three to four day fishing trip with wieners and a loaf of bread because they’re going to eat all the fish they catch and end up eating hotdogs on stale bread instead. Nope not us!
Yup, I had a blast growing up near our magnificent Texas lakes. We are blessed to have so many to choose from. I thought it would be a good idea to talk about some of our states best lakes since summertime usually means having some fun on the water.
As summer wears on, both the heat and humidity start to climb, so there’s nothing like dipping your toes in the fresh water! What a wonderful way to spend time with the family. Whether you’re boating, fishing, skiing or camping, it’s all FUN!
LAKE TRAVIS
Lake Travis is one of the most popular lakes in Texas stretching 65 miles with 270 miles of shoreline. That’s a lot of lake! It sits right outside of Austin in the heart of the Lone Star state and folks from all over go there to swim, do some tubing, picnic, fish, ski, scuba dive, camp and even zip-line. Yup there is a lot to do there. If you’ve grown up in Central Texas you’ve probably had the opportunity to do some tubing down the Guadalupe River or some other places, well tubing is fun at Lake Travis too! It’s almost a right of passage for a young teenager and I highly recommend it. If fishing is your thing, large mouth and striped bass, catfish and sunfish are in abundance, if you can hook’em.
There are facilities to camp overnight or day camp at Bob Wentz Park. You can find food, picnic tables and even volleyball courts along with restroom facilities.
If you’re so inclined, go by and check out Hippie Hollow Park, where the nudists go! Ok so maybe saying “ go and check out” is not the right way to say it but you know what I mean, right? So grab your bathing suit, or not, and we’ll see you there!
LAKE TEXOMA
As the name implies Lake Texoma is partly in Texas and partly in Oklahoma. But it’s just too pretty not to include it on this list. It sits right at the confluence of the Red and Washita Rivers on either side of the Texas- Oklahoma border. It’s not only big, it’s the 12th largest lake in the entire U.S. and has over a thousand miles of shoreline! Over 6 million people head there each year to sail, wind surf and fish. There are more than 700 campsites and ten campgrounds to chose from.
And check this out, there’s over a dozen marinas and two wildlife refuges! Lake Texoma is also home to the Lakefest Regatta each spring.
Striped bass grow big here along with catfish. And if you like to hike, there are 25 miles of trails to explore.
LAKE O’ THE PINES
If you’re looking for a lake that has some beautiful scenery Lake O’ the Pines has got to be on you list. It sits on the Big Cypress Bayou in East Texas and has pine trees as far as the eye can see. I’ve been to this lake a few times through the years and it is something! I love water and I love Pines, so for me this place is great! This is a great fishing lake too! Largemouth, white and even spotted bass along with crappie, chain pickerel and sunfish grace these waters. Boat ramps, camping grounds and parks make for picnicking and boating. One last thing, this lake also has a large beach area for some sunning and funning!
LAKE LEWISVILLE
There are many fantastic lakes in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, any one of which is a great place to visit, but I picked Lake Lewisville as the one I wanted to share with you. It’s located in North Texas near Lewisville. it was actually originally named Dallas Lake. It’s the second largest lake in the Trinity River area and is a great weekend hang out for everyone. Party Cove is one of the more popular spots to kick back and have some drinks and good food and some wonderful music.
It’s also a great place for golfing, wake boarding, water skiing and of course fishing. There’s a big annual fishing tournament to try to catch some of those largemouth, striped, white and spotted bass. You can catch some crappie and catfish if that’s more your speed. Me, I love catching those stripers!! Boating? Swimming? Maybe sunbathing? Well there are many parks dotting the lake.
INKS LAKE
Going to go down the road a little bit just Northwest of Austin where Inks lake State Park is located. Swimming, camping, boating and hiking are big here. There are nine miles of trails to go backpacking along the Devil’s Waterhole. Sounds dangerous and a bit scary, but it’s actually an awesome place to climb and hike. And something not many other lakes can claim to have is a bird blind where visitors can sit back and watch all the different feathered friends that inhabit the area. You might see owls, turkeys, vultures, wood ducks, mallards and cardinals.
There are 200 campsites with playgrounds and more than 20 cabins to rent. You can also rent canoes, kayaks, food and camping supplies.
Now there are many, many other great lakes that we enjoy here in Texas. If you live in Houston, Dallas or the Hill Country there are several in each of those areas to choose from. All have their own special charms that make them your favorites.
For me, the key to making these spots special are the memories we make with family and friends.
Life can and will take us onto other things, maybe even taking us away from our favorite places but the sweet memories we made there, we will always carry with us.
So go out and have some fun and make some memories of your own!!
Until next time…
