Acres Of Water & Miles Of Shoreline
7,340 acres and 60 miles of shoreline
Links
Brief Overview:
Joe Pool Lake is a Corp of Engineers impoundment of Mountain Creek and Walnut Creek. The lake is south of I-20 between Dallas and Fort Worth in the the town of Cedar Hill. The terrain is rolling hills, the shore is undeveloped except for Cedar Hill State Park, Lynn Creek Park, Loyd Park, and two marinas.
A Typical Texas Outsider Day
We usually camp at Cedar Hill State Park and head out looking for calm water for skiing. After some skiing we search for a protected small cove, drop an anchor, and enjoy the water. We also like to cruise over to the Oasis, next to Lynn Creek Park on the north arm of the lake for drinks, food, and live music. Not much else to see or do on Joe Pool
Other Cool Things To Do:
Enjoy the lake by fishing, skiing/boarding/tubing, cruising, picnicking in one of the parks, finding a cove to swim and socialize, camping, or enjoying the scene/food/drinks/music at the Oasis.
What To Do If No Boat:
Lynn Creek Marina rents a ski boat, jon boat, and pontoon boats - so rent a boat and enjoy the lake for swiming, fishing, cruising, or skiing.
Nearby Activities:
Here are a few of the fun things to see and do that are nearby Joe Pool Lake:
- Six Flags Over Texas has some of the best Texas sized thrill rides in the Southwest
- get wet on some super rides Hurricane Harbor
- take in a Rangers Game at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
- win a fortune on the horses at Lone Star Park
- rent a boat and enjoy Joe Pool Lake for skiing, swimming, fishing, or just chillin' out
- check out the Palace of Wax
- enjoy some live country music at Johnnie High's Country Music Revue
- play some golf
- spend some money at any of the huge shopping centers nearby
Restaurants, Bars, & Music:
The floating Oasis Restaurant is the only restaurant on Joe Pool Lake and it has some good food, an outdoor bar and patio, and an upstairs area for music or private parties. This is a fun place to spend some time. Take the kids to the small walkway bridge that leads to the parking lot and let them feed the hungry catfish and ducks.
Wake Boarding & Skiing:
It's not real easy to find smooth water if the wind is blowing because there are no well protected coves for skiing. Try down by the dam or the south end of either finger of the lake, but watch out for shallow water and stumps near the end of the fingers. Joe Pool Marina in the State Park (north east end of the lake) and Lynn Creek Marina have gas and a small ships stores.
Fishing:
Cedar Hill State Park has a fishing pier and plenty of picnic areas and bank fishing areas. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, largemouth bass are the most popular sport fish in the reservoir. The slot length limit is designed to encourage harvest of the smaller bass. White bass, white crappie and channel catfish are also popular with anglers.
The upper third of both arms of Joe Pool Lake is covered with the timber that was left in the lake when it filled. The lower end was cleared, but several large marked brush piles were constructed prior to filling. Numerous flooded stock ponds, bridges, road beds, and other features were left as structure when the lake was built. Hydrilla is found throughout the lake, especially near the dam.
Some Tips & Techniques: largemouth bass are often found associated with hydrilla, pondweed, and underwater structural features. Crappie fishing is good under the bridges that cross the two arms of the lake and white bass school in the lower portion of the lake. Find channel catfish near the creek channels.
| Species | Poor | Fair | Good | Excellent |
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| Crappie | |
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| White Bass | |
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*Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife
Camping, Waterfront Lodging, and Day Use Parks
The lake is undeveloped except for the marinas and parks. Cedar Hill Park has over 300 campsites and Loyd Park has over 200 sites. Your can read our review of Cedar Hill State Park and Loyd Park to learn more about each park. Each park has some good sites on the water, but they are hard to get.
Ramps & Marinas
Cedar Hill (972 291-3900) has two great ramps with lots of parking, Loyd Park (817 467-2104) has a four lane ramp, and Lynn Creek (817 640-4200) has a two lane ramp. The only gas on the lake is at Cedar Hill and Lynn Creek.
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More Pictures
Texas Outside Lakes Rating Scale
Texas Outside rates lakes on a 1 to 10 scale based on:
- Beauty: high scores are given for lots of trees, hills, or pretty houses
- Water Clarity: if you’re standing in two feet of water and can’t see your toes or the water has a deep brown color, we’re talking a 1
- Water Conditions: rough water with waves over a foot (good for PWCs or surfing) due to consistent wind or boat wakes don’t rate high on our scale
- Skiing & Board Conditions: on the weekends if you can typically find a good cove or part of the lake with glass, we’re talking a 10
- Beaches: don’t you hate those beaches when you step into the water you sink in mud up to your knees and loose your flip-flops or it’s all slime and weeds or small rocks – if so, that’s a 1
- Fun Scale: lakes scoring a 10 have fun restaurants and bars, great coves for raft ups or swimming, and fun rental toys
- Cruising & Touring: if you can cruise the lake and look at beautiful houses, nice marinas, pretty coves, or anything similar it will score high
- Restaurants & Bars: nothing better than cruising over and having some good food and listening to some great music on the deck of a fun restaurant – the ride back with smooth water and a fun moon is also pretty cool – we’re talking a 10
- Safety Level: lakes with lots of wild and crazy jet skiers or fast cigarette boats will score low
- Camping: we’re looking for beautiful spacious sites right on the water with a nice sandy beach to swim and park the boat
- Fishing: the bigger the better and they have to be easy to hook
*Fishing information was provided with permission of the Texas Parks and Wildlife (www.tpwd.state.tx.us) in 2006. Texas Parks and Wildlife does not endorse Texas Outside or information presented on texasoutside.com. ©Copyright Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.