This is why Bois d'Arc is on the map. TPWD stocked it hard with selectively-bred Lonestar/Florida-strain largemouth, and on a young, food-rich lake they're growing fast — double-digit fish are already coming to the scale and the ceiling keeps climbing. Spring: shallow in the timber, coves and gravel beds on soft plastics, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, squarebills, jerkbaits and frogs. Summer and winter: offshore on timber, channel swings and the mapped brush piles in 20–30 feet with Texas rigs, football jigs, deep cranks, Carolina rigs and big worms. Fall: shad baits — A-rigs, lipless, swimbaits. The big deal here is the 16-inch maximum length limit — every bass 16 inches and over must go back. That's not red tape, it's the plan: releasing the giants is exactly how this lake becomes a legend, so get the picture and let her swim.

If it's a bent rod you're after, the crappie deliver. The lake is loaded with timber and brush, and crappie use all of it. Spring: shallow on feeder creeks, cover and the bridge pilings — jigs and minnows both catch them. Summer into fall: deeper cover and brush piles in 10–20 feet, and the shaded FM 897 bridge pilings are the cool spot on a hot day. Winter: the deeper brush piles and submerged trees, where they stack up — forward-facing sonar shines for finding suspended schools. Bring plenty of jigs and hooks, because the dense cover will eat a few — that's the price of fishing where the fish live. Don't be shy about changing jig color and size until they tell you what they want.

Channel and blue catfish are active and eager here, and they're the easiest bite on the lake for bank fishermen and families. Fish cut bait, shad or stink bait along channel edges and flats, especially right after sunrise. A tip straight from the lake: live minnows fished for crappie down in the timber will get eaten by catfish, gar, drum, bass and sunfish too — so keep a heavier rod ready, because you never know what's about to load up. The forgiving, all-ages catfish bite is a great fallback when the bass get finicky on bright, high-pressure days.

Bois d'Arc has a solid white bass population and they're a blast when they school. Best action is early morning and the last light of the day, when they push shad to the surface — watch for busting fish and diving birds, then throw small spoons, swimbaits, inline spinners and lipless baits into the school. Through the day they roam open water and relate to offshore structure and channel edges, so your electronics earn their keep. When you find a school of whites feeding, it can be a fish a cast — a great way to keep kids and new anglers hooked while the bass rest.

The lake was stocked with bluegill sunfish as forage, and they're everywhere in the shallow cover — perfect for getting a kid their first fish on a piece of worm under a cork. Fishing the timber and creek arms with live bait, you'll also run into gar and freshwater drum, which pull hard and surprise a lot of folks. It all adds up to a lake where you rarely get skunked: if the bass won't play, something else will, and that's a big part of what makes a new, healthy fishery so much fun to explore.

This is the biggest edge on the lake and it's free. TPWD's Habitat Structure Viewer maps the 40-plus brush and rock piles NTMWD sank in the eastern half, with GPS coordinates you can load right into your graph. Pull them before you go and build a run of known fish-holding spots instead of idling around blind. On brand-new water with no history and few contour maps, that map is the closest thing to a cheat code you'll ever get.

Everybody throws into the thickest trees. The better play is often the edge — where the standing timber meets open water, a creek channel, or a depth change. Bass and crappie use those edges as highways and ambush points, and you'll lose far less tackle fishing the outside line than burying baits in the heart of the woods. Run your bait down the tree line and let them come to it.

On Bois d'Arc every bass 16 inches and up must go back, by law. But it's more than a rule: this lake is being grown into a trophy fishery on purpose, and every big female you release goes back to spawn more giants. Get your photo and measurement fast, keep her wet, and turn her loose healthy. The angler who releases a 7-pounder today is why somebody catches a 12 here in a few years.

Bois d'Arc bass haven't seen ten thousand baits yet. On young water, reaction baits and search lures shine because the fish commit instead of studying — a chatterbait, a squarebill, a spinnerbait covers water and gets bit. Lean into that now, because this window doesn't last forever; as any lake ages and gets pressured, the fish get smarter. Fish it aggressive while it's still green.

Summer days are hot and the lake gets busy with skiers and pleasure boaters. The fix: fish at night. Black spinnerbaits and bladed jigs throw a strong silhouette and vibration that bass find in the dark, and propbaits or buzzbaits over the timber can be dynamite on a full moon. You'll beat the heat, beat the crowd, and often catch the biggest fish of the trip. Bring plenty of light and bug spray.

A 16,000-acre lake full of timber is a lot to search blind, so this is a forward-facing-sonar and side-imaging lake as much as any in Texas. Use your graph to find suspended fish on the brush piles, schooling bait in open water, and the fish relating to the deep trees in winter, then make targeted casts. If you're serious about the offshore game here, good electronics aren't a luxury — they're the difference-maker.

We'll keep saying it because it's the one that hurts: this is a young lake full of stumps just under stained water. Idle in and out of the timber, keep your speed sensible on unfamiliar water, and watch your graph for the trees that haven't rotted down yet. A destroyed lower unit or prop turns a great day into an expensive tow. Know the lake before you go, and when in doubt, slow down.

Much of the timber was left in place on purpose for fish habitat and water quality, especially west of the FM 897 bridge. It makes great fishing but it's a young lake with stumps just under stained water — run slow near the trees and watch your graph.

Yes — a 16-inch maximum length limit for largemouth bass. Every bass 16 inches or longer must be released. It's designed to grow the lake into a trophy fishery, so the big ones go back. All other species follow statewide regulations.

Bois d'Arc filled in 2021 and opened to the public in 2024 — Texas's first major new reservoir in over 30 years. It covers 16,641 acres with a maximum depth around 70 feet.

There are three free public boat ramps operated by the water district (NTMWD): the FM 897 ramp near the middle of the lake, and the North and South FM 1396 ramps. All are open 24/7. There is no marina.

No. There's no marina, fuel, store, or camping, and no designated swim areas. Fuel up and buy bait, tackle, ice and food before you go — Brannan's Bass Shop in Powderly is a good last stop on the way.

About 40 minutes northwest, up around Bonham in Fannin County. Brannan's Bass Shop in Powderly is right on the way for bait, tackle and your license.

Largemouth bass (the headline — a stocked trophy fishery), crappie, white bass, channel and blue catfish, plus bluegill sunfish and some gar and drum. It's best known for fast-growing largemouth.

Yes — a Texas fishing license is required for anglers 17 and older. You can buy and print one in store at Brannan's Bass Shop.