Texas Tidbits: Inks Lake State Park, A Well-Kept Secret

A Hidden Jewel

A few days a go I talked of how I am little homesick. It's this time of year when the fishin' heats up as many species are going through their annual spawning rituals and the likelihood of landing a wall-hanger increases exponentially. In prior years, I didn't much of an excuse to just go where ever and whenever I wanted to. Traveling a few hundred miles to go fishin' in a new spot, or a trusted old spot, was as common for me as going to WalMart was for everybody else.

One such "Man, that looks like a great spot to try" fishin' holes was Inks lake located in Burnet County. I don't remember exactly how I found Inks Lake but it was probably in write up in the Dallas newspaper. I am glad I found it. The lake isn't very big at a touch over 1200 acres, but man, was it loaded with good keeper sized largemouth bass. I didn't have a boat so I was limited to walking the bank looking for likely places to encounter and decimate some fish. When fishing unfamiliar water, I first check out the surface for obvious signs of "fishability"...things like tree stumps, weed beds, fallen trees in the water, cliffs, etc. I then put Texas Rigged plastic worm to good use. I have been fishing with plastic worms for well over 30 years and there's nothing I'd rather have in my tackle box. Period. one of the reasons I like to use the plastic worm is because it becomes my "underwater eyes" as I probe the bottom of the lake for tell tale signs of fish habitat. Each feature on the bottom of a body of water has a distinct "feel" to it as the worm makes contact with it. That? that was a rock. That? A clump weeds. And that? An underwater log. See what I mean? It's as if the worm has a tiny camera transmitting video to my brain. Another reason that Fish.Fear.Me.

At any rate, Inks Lake is a great place for a day trip of fishing or a week's vacation. It has all the amenities, or is relatively close to a place that has what you may need, like food. Inks Lake State Park also has showers for public use as well as a few limited use cabins. Let's just hop on over to the TexasOutside.com website that contains plenty of info on Inks Lake. Look it over here. One of the things I like about Inks Lake is the fact that it is so close to other parks in the Texas State Park family.

It's that time of year, so you'd better make plans now for your trip to Inks Lake State Park. With the economy still in the crapper, I've got a feeling that many people will be taking vacation trips a little closer to home than they otherwise might and Inks Lake is a little-known gem right in your own back yard.