Biggest lakes in Texas: the top 10 by size

The list

Sizes are the published surface area where one exists; the others are our own measure of the water's outline and read "about". Reservoirs shrink and grow with their level, so a dry year shows less water.

1. Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir covers 186,000 acres of water. Expect largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and bluegill. At about 110 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer. Its bed shows two point drop-offs and an upper arm worth a first look.

Toledo Bend Reservoir today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

2. Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Sam Rayburn Reservoir spreads over 114,000 acres of water. Expect largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and white bass. It goes down to about 80 ft.

Sam Rayburn Reservoir today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

3. Falcon Lake

At 83,700 acres, Falcon Lake is a huge piece of water. The fish here are largemouth bass, catfish, white bass and crappie. At about 110 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer.

Falcon Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

4. Lake Livingston

Lake Livingston covers 83,000 acres of water. It holds white bass, catfish, crappie and striped bass. It goes down to about 90 ft. The lake bed gives you three point drop-offs and a wind-blown bank to work.

Lake Livingston today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

5. Lake Amistad

Lake Amistad covers 64,900 acres of water. Expect largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass and catfish. At about 217 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer. The lake bed gives you three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves to work.

Lake Amistad today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

6. Sabine Lake

Sabine Lake covers about 59,000 acres. You will find it about 1.1 miles west of Port Arthur. Like most lakes its size in Texas, it should hold largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and bluegill. Its bed shows two point drop-offs and an upper arm worth a first look. Sabine Lake is a natural brackish-water estuary on the Texas-Louisiana border where the Sabine and Neches Rivers meet the Gulf of Mexico.

Sabine Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

7. Richland-Chambers Reservoir

Richland-Chambers Reservoir covers 41,400 acres of water. The lake is about 45 miles northwest of DeSoto. The fish here are largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass and catfish. The deepest water is around 75 ft. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and an upper arm worth a first look. Richland-Chambers Reservoir was built by the Tarrant Regional Water District and is one of the largest reservoirs in Texas by surface area.

Richland-Chambers Reservoir today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

8. Lake Tawakoni

Lake Tawakoni is a reservoir of 37,900 acres of water. It lies next to West Tawakoni. It is the Sabine River behind Iron Bridge Dam. The fish here are largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass and catfish. The deepest water is around 70 ft. Lake Tawakoni was impounded in 1960 behind Iron Bridge Dam and now forms the headwaters of the Sabine River.

Lake Tawakoni today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

9. Cedar Creek Reservoir

At 32,600 acres, Cedar Creek Reservoir is a big lake. It lies next to Gun Barrel City. It is the Cedar Creek (Trinity River basin) behind Cedar Creek Dam. It holds largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass and catfish. At about 53 ft at its deepest, it warms quickly in spring. On the 3-D map the bed has two sheltered coves and an upper arm: good places to start. Cedar Creek Reservoir was impounded in 1965 near Athens, Texas, with its dam at the town of Malakoff.

Cedar Creek Reservoir today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

10. Lewisville Lake

At some 29,600 acres, Lewisville Lake is a big lake. White bass, largemouth bass, catfish and crappie are the draw. The deepest water is around 67 ft. On the 3-D map the bed has three steep ledges and an upper arm: good places to start.

Lewisville Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

Big water, big days

Large lakes make their own weather: a breeze that is nothing on a pond builds real waves over miles of open water. Check the wind on the lake page before you launch and keep to the lee shore when it picks up.