McCrakin Lake Fishing in Anderson County, Texas

• Overview

  The Anderson County end of Texas holds McCrakin Lake. The country here is open plain. This is a pocket water of some 14 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. You are 11 miles from Elkhart. Palestine is 13 miles and Grapeland 19 miles. Also within reach: Brushy Lake just 0.2 miles, Long Lake roughly 0.5 miles, Mud Lake just 1.7 miles, Glaze Lake roughly 2.9 miles and Indian Lake just 2.9 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on McCrakin Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Nearby survey and observation records mention black bullhead, bluegill and blue catfish. Take it as evidence of what swims here, not a promise for one session. McCrakin Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 83°F and January near 46°F. There is no frozen season to plan round. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Expect McCrakin Lake to follow that timing. Warm spells bring fish up, cold snaps push them down.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It is recorded as an oxbow, which means still water with a river's shape. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Brushy Lake is 0.2 miles off. Ask locally about McCrakin Lake if anything is unclear.