How is Texas for boating?

[SkaterRace]

I'm from Canada and am looking at moving to Texas in the next 3-5 years and am wondering how the boating is down there? Are there any good non-busy lakes or should I be going on the coast? I would like to avoid the coast because of the storms if possible. I don't mind a 1-1.5 hour drive to the lake but much past that and it feels like too much of the day wasted

 

[hugh g]

I guess it would depend on where in Texas you're moving to. Texas is the 2nd largest state in the union with an area of close to 270,000 square miles. But wherever in Texas you move to you shouldn't have any problem finding a lake to go boating in. Best of luck.

 

[SkaterRace]

I guess it would depend on where in Texas you're moving to. Texas is the 2nd largest state in the union with an area of close to 270,000 square miles. But wherever in Texas you move to you shouldn't have any problem finding a lake to go boating in. Best of luck.

Is there a certain area of Texas that is better? I am spoiled here in Canada with so many lakes around that they are rarely busy so would really like to have the same thing while the lake being 3-5km long/wide at least

 

[hugh g]

Is there a certain area of Texas that is better? I am spoiled here in Canada with so many lakes around that they are rarely busy so would really like to have the same thing while the lake being 3-5km long/wide at least

Better for what? Boating? I don't know. Never been there. You can research lakes, rivers etc in the area that you're moving to & find a body of water that appeals to you. But stay off the Rio Grande. That's really busy! Lol

 

[Scott06]

My cousins live in Austin been out on lake travis several times with them. I think in austin area there is a couple good size man made lakes. Water levels can vary based of rainfall

 

[GA_Boater]

Texas only has one natural lake, Lake Caddo which straddles the TX/LA border.

The lakes in Texas are busy, the coastal launches accessing the Gulf are busy. Weekends are the worst.

Are you looking for fishing or plain old boating with some water sports?

A good chunk of my adult life was spent in Texas.

 

[SkaterRace]

Texas only has one natural lake, Lake Caddo which straddles the TX/LA border.

The lakes in Texas are busy, the coastal launches accessing the Gulf are busy. Weekends are the worst.

Are you looking for fishing or plain old boating with some water sports?

A good chunk of my adult life was spent in Texas.

I was looking at mainly just plain old boating to go cruise around with some friends but would probably have a second boat to fish with. Something in the 14-16ft range.

 

[richpeace]

Long time Texas Resident....Here's my two cents...

1. The prettiest lakes are in the hill country, but these are also some of the busiest. By Hill country I mean Austin to the East and Marble Falls to the west. These aren;t lakes like you're used to. They are damned resovoirs of the Lower Colorado River so more like a large highway with coves that you can pull and anchor. The most popular lakes in this chain are Lake LBJ (Horshoe Bay), Lake Travis (water level can be an issue as the lake above it and below it are constant level but it is not), and Lake Austin (beautiful Lake, with lots of dockable restaurants, Scenery and large homes, but very busy).
2. All of the lakes around Dallas / Fort Worth are going to be busy. (Lake Lewisville, Grapevine Lake etc) and theres not a ton of scenery. I live in DFW currently and have no desire to go on these lakes.
3. Lake Texoma - Approximately one hour north of DFW. HUGE lake by comparison to other Texas lakes with very good fishing, specifically for striper. It is a reservoir of the Red River, but does not necessarily feel like a reservoir because of it's size. The wind blows hard up there though the lake can get rough.
4. East Texas - There are a lot of nice lakes out in East Texas with great fishing opportunities, and in my opinion are beautiful with tall pines surrounding the banks. A couple of these lakes are busy with weekenders from DFW and Houston but for the most part are less crowded than the lakes closer to the cities.
5. Broken Bow Lake - If you're near DFW or East Texas I would definitely check out Broken Bow Lake. It's beautiful, partly because they don;t allow and structures on it. Clear water, deep , relatively isolated and overall a great boating lake in my opinion.

I'm sure there are more folks that can give you more specific guidance but I hope that helps a little...

P.S. I've also spent a good amount of time fishing the bays down around Port Aransas and Corpus. Beautiful spots with very good Red and Speckled trout fishing. But they can get busy too...