Alligator Lake Fishing in Cherokee County, Texas

• Overview

  Set in Cherokee County, Alligator Lake is a Texas water. The surface lies 282 feet up. It covers about 2 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Cherokee County list. Jacksonville is the closest place, 13 miles off. Palestine is 13 miles and Frankston 16 miles. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Alligator Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Documented catches and surveys in the area cover bowfin, redfin pickerel, bluegill, white crappie and largemouth bass. Presence in the area does not guarantee a fish on the day. Alligator Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 83°F, the coldest about 45°F. Summer heat is the limit here, not winter cold. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. At Alligator Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Horseshoe Lake is 0.7 miles off. Treat access at Alligator Lake as something to verify.