MEDINA LAKE, Texas – It was only a few decades ago that Medina Lake was highly regarded by anglers. Now, fishermen cannot even access the nearly dried-up lake.
"Worst off, I'd say, maybe throughout all of Texas," said Randy Myers, an inland fisheries biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
It is Medina Lake's harsh reality that makes it difficult to remember when the lake was at its prime.
"Historically, the lake offered great fishing," said Myers.
Not only was the fishing great, it was record-breaking.
"Back in 1943, Medina [Lake] produced a state-record largemouth bass and that record stood for 20 or 30 years," said Myers.
The lake, which was once 5,500 acres in size, is now down to 660 acres, according to Myers. Only a few small pools remain in which fish can survive, with the largest of those pools at the dam. The fish that are left are not species desirable to anglers.
"Gar and carp and drum, not what fishermen like to target," said Myers.
Gone are the bass, crappie and catfish. Surprisingly, however, no major fish kill has occurred.
"It's been a concern, but it hasn't happened," said Myers.
In other words, dead fish have not been found littering the landscape, for which Myers credited a slow drop in lake levels over time. The fish population has likely slowly declined.
As for those who hope to fish the waters again, not all hope is lost. Should the lake refill to even half-capacity, Myers said Texas Parks and Wildlife planned to restock the reservoir.
"We would stock it very heavily with a lot of different species and get it back to what it once was as fast as it could," said Myers.