Ok guys, need a little help... A couple buddies & I are thinking about doing a camping / fishing trip around mid-may (thats when our schedules free up). We want to go out to a lake, stay for the weekend, and just get away from our busy schedules (one of them is about to get married!). I'm wanting to go to a lake that is within 2 hours of home (McKinney is the starting point)...and we would like to have a fun time... hopefully catching some big ol' pigs.. but if we just catch 2-5lb'ers the whole trip...that's fine. Of course Lake Fork is an option... but it's going to be busy as all get out..

SO, based on that, if you were to take your buddies to a lake.... which lake would you choose...and why?

I'll list my top picks at the moment...

1. Lake Fork
2. Lake Bonham (it's 10 mins from my house)
3. Lake Cooper (would choose Big Creek here..but there's no place to camp!)
4. Purtis Creek (Mini Fork)
5. Pat Mayse



Thanks for your help guys!

1. Lake Fork is a great choice, especially that time of year. Not only will you catch good fish, you'll catch them on top. May is topwater time on Fork, for sure!

2. Lake Bonham is a nice little lake. Has a ton of good fish, but not as many "big ol' pigs" as Fork. Bonham is smaller and will be easier for you to figure out. Once again, throw the topwater (buzzbait).

3. Never been to Cooper, but I've talked to a guide at the Tackle show 2 years in a row that said there aren't a lot of fish in the lake, but most of your fish will be 3 or more pounds.

4. Purtis Creek is an awesome little lake with a ton of 3-5 pound bass. It has the potential to put out some bigger, but since the grass was eaten by carp, those fish are harder to come by.

5. Never been to Pat Mayse.


Does that help?

Yes & no.. It helps me to rule out Cooper. But i still have the other 4 to decide between. Do you have any other lake suggestions?


Oh, and for the record, i'm at Bonham almost weekly.. and you're right, nice fishing...but not so much in the lunker category!

Justin,
I would vote for Purtis Creek. I love that little lake. Not as overwhelming as Fork can be sometimes. If it's just the guys and you are tent camping, load your gear in the boat and motor over to one of the sites with no electricity. Buddy and I did that a couple of years ago and had a blast. It keeps you away from everyone else .

I would choose purtis for this type of trip.

me too. but then I'd choose Purtis for just about any trip

Hmmmm... you guys are starting to make my decision easier!

Lake Cypress Springs... plus you will have several eye fulls of all the bikini candy running around

Cooper- 1. This lake is full of bass- Lake record 15lb +
2. Very little boat traffic
3. if the bass aren't cooperating- this lake is full of
5-10lb hybrids

I'd go to Big Creek. It's a small Twon lake out side of Cooper with big fish potential! You can camp at Cooper State park too.

We have been out to Big Creek before...nice little lake!

Good point Ronnie. I guess it could depend on what you are fishing for?

Don't Forget Ray Roberts.. There is plenty of pigs in that Lake..

If you look at it this way, don't rule out Texoma.

You get blacks, smallies, crappie, sandies, hybrids and Stripers. Big lake, you can fish all day long for something different if bass fishing gets slow. You have all different types of cover to fish.

Plenty of places on or near the water to go have a good time after the days fishing is done. Not to mention all of the nice camp grounds on the lake. For that matter, carry your gear out to the islands and get a way from everyone.

You might think about Lake Coffee Mill and Crockett.Not to far not alot of boats good camp grounds and lots of good fish.

if you know Fork pretty well i would go there
but if you don't then i would go to purtis Creek
main reason is if you don't know the lakes very well Purtis is small enough that you will be able to pretty much fish the whole thing in a weekend