Lake Tawakoni - opinions??

All - i live east of Dallas and I have an opportunity to buy a lake house on Lake Tawakoni. Prices seem to be lower and the lake seems to less developed than other lakes in the area such as Cedar Creek. Do y'all know why?

Also, I plan to ski and wakeboard as well as fish. Is Lake Tawakoni good for water sports as well as fishing?

Any general thoughts on the lake, water levels, surrounding area and owning a lake house on Lake Tawakoni or any other east Texas lakes would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Well, it's a lake East of Dallas, so meth heads will abound, and it has some pretty low-rent areas, many in fact, but there are some nice neighborhoods too. Fishing can be very good to poor on that lake. It gets VERY rough in wind, more so than other lakes around here. Recreational water sports can be done down by the dam, there is an underwater forest mid-lake which would prevent skiing/tubing etc.. I think of it more as a fishing lake than recreational lake. Others who have spent more time on it can weigh in with more details, I am not a fan of the lake, water is very stained nasty green to muddy most of the time.

What general part of the lake will the house be? North end, South end?

Best advice I could give you is to tour several areas of the lake. I can tell you restrictions are at a minimum. You can put just about any type trailer or manufactured home anywhere and you can find all types of homes good and bad scattered here and there. I fish there quite a bit and can't remember the last time I saw skiers or jet ski's so I wouldn't think much of it happens. The dam area is where most of the striper guides are at along with locals chasing sand bass. Only one Marina there and they cater to the striper fishermen. The Tawakoni area does have a reputation, earned or not, for shall we say people of questionable values. There is a reason for cheaper than the average residential areas you find at other lakes but you have to do your homework to see if they meet your standard of living. Another thing to consider is what the other poster mentioned and that is the lake is wide open and it doesn't take much wind to really get it rolling. Good luck on your search.

I lived on Lake Tawakoni for 8 years. I had a house that was worth over 100K but could only get 60K for it. We lived in an area with a HOA. There was nice houses then there was some that needed to be bulldozed. That's why real estate is cheap. Drugs were everywhere. I couldn't raise my kids in that environment.
I love the lake. Great fishing. Can turn into the ocean when the wind blows. I agree completely with Frank and Gig'em. Before you make a move I'd spend some time out there. Hang out around Quinlan, West Tawakoni, the lake and get the big picture.

I am just N of the lake in a very nice area with no problems at all 20 min drive to lake, if your wanting to wake board and ski your in the wrong lake for sure, fishing is great.

I have never seen anyone wake boarding and probably 1 skier in 15 years, there are some underwater hazards there for sure if you don't know it.

My wife's cousin lives on Tawakoni, outside of Willis Point. There is a good reason why he keeps a several loaded guns with reach at all times. And his immediate property is patrolled by two very protective dogs. But as he says, where else in Texas can he live on a lake this cheap.

Might have the most stumps of any lake I have ever seen! When the water drops, you won't believe the stumps that exist way out there!

I had a place in Wills Point. Beautiful little town and amazing people! North side of the lake, drugs abound! Prices are low and resale is even lower.

Thank you for taking the time. Great info.

The house is in Hawk Cove, which is on the west side of the lake near the highway 751 bridge. A family friend owns it so I might be able to get a sweetheart deal. Not sure if its a good idea though.

Thanks. Great info. I have been out there a lot over the last year and I really love this house and the cove they are in. The house is in Hawk Cove near the 751 bridge on the west side of the lake. My concern is that I have only seen the lake when it is full. What was the water level like during your time at the lake? Does it fluctuate a lot?

We have lived at tawakoni on a cove by the city park in west tawakoni for 12 years and half that time there was not enough water to get the boat in and out of the cove. There are wake boarders here , my neighbor three doors down has a wake board boat and they use it a lot during the summer. Also neighbor and his wife across the cove run their jet skis a lot. Great fishing lake, not crowded, and home values have not appreciated around here like the rest of north Texas.

Call the Sabine River Authority and ask about lake levels. It was down 9' two years ago. There's a 6' water pipeline going to Dallas. Even in drought conditions they continue to pump water to Dallas. The lake has it's good sides and it's bad sides. From personal experience I'd never live there again.

Was thinking about buying in the area as well, thanks for the insight