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Wright Patman Lake

Douglassville, Texas — Bowie County.

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18,994Surface acres · TPWD
40 ftMax depth
1956Impounded
5Public access sites
0.6 miShoreline trails

Surface area: TPWD (official surface acres); the USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 126999139) measures 29,506 acres; max depth from TPWD.

Location & fast facts

Where Wright Patman Lake is in Texas

The red circle marks Wright Patman Lake.

Fast facts

About Wright Patman Lake

  • Counties: Bowie, Cass
  • City or town on the shore: Douglassville
  • Location (TPWD): On the Sulphur River in Bowie and Cass counties, 10 miles southwest of Texarkana
  • Impounded: 1956 (TPWD)
  • Controlling authority: US Army Corps of Engineers · (903) 838-8781
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 90 mi from Tyler and 154 mi from Dallas, straight-line (not driving distance)

Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline (Texas: incorporated places touching the lake, otherwise the nearest one).

Fishing in Texas

Official TPWD pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.

Lake map

Wright Patman Lake shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Piney Point Campground (campground)North Shore Campground (campground)Oak Park (wright Patman Lake) (campground)Rocky Point(wright Patman Dam) Campground (campground)Clear Springs Campground (campground)Malden Lake Campground (campground)Thomas Lake Park (campground)Boat ramp (Boat launch)1Boat ramp (Boat launch)2Boat ramp (Boat launch)3Boat ramp (Boat launch)4Elliott Bluff Boat Ramp (Boat launch)51 mileN

Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.

Boat launchShoreline trail Campground
  1. 1Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  2. 2Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  3. 3Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  4. 4Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  5. 5Elliott Bluff Boat Ramp
    Boat launch

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 126999139), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: OpenStreetMap boat ramps (TPWD publishes ramp names per lake, not coordinates). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

0.6 miTrail within 100 m of shore
Under 5%Of the shoreline
NoLoops the whole lake
South shoreWhere

OpenStreetMap shows about 0.6 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Wright Patman Lake shoreline, mostly along the south shore.

Trails along the shore

Getting to the trails

No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Elliott Bluff Boat Ramp, 100 ft from a shoreline trail (OpenStreetMap boat ramp data).

The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 8, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

Campgrounds near Wright Patman Lake

We found 18 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Wright Patman Lake, 10 of them within 5 miles. 3 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

12 more within 15 miles

All campgrounds & RV parks in Texas

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: Recreation.gov (RIDB) · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Air temperature & conditions (nearest NWS station)Loading…
Fetching the latest National Weather Service observation…

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (33.2850, -94.2153). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Wright Patman Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Sun & moon at Wright Patman Lake

Best fishing times

Major periodMinor periodDaylight

    Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in CT (America/Chicago), and accurate to within a few minutes.

    Fish you can catch

    Largemouth bassBlue catfishChannel catfishFlathead catfishCrappieSunfishWhite bassLone Star bass ★

    ★ = stocked recently (see Stocking). Predominant species from the TPWD Lake Finder.

    TPWD Lake Finder: Wright Patman Lake

    Fishing outlook & regulations

    SpeciesTPWD rating
    Largemouth BassGood
    Blue CatfishExcellent
    Flathead CatfishGood
    CrappieExcellent
    White BassExcellent
    SunfishFair

    Regulations (TPWD): All game fishes are currently managed under statewide regulations.

    Aquatic vegetation (TPWD): Vegetation covers less than 10% of the lake's total surface area. Dominant species include chara, American lotus, black willow, and buttonbush.

    Conservation pool: 220.6 ft. msl

    Water-level fluctuation: 4-5 feet

    Normal clarity: Moderate

    TPWD Lake Finder page · Current fishing report · Lake records · Latest survey report

    Ratings are TPWD's own Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent scale. Statewide rules: TPWD Outdoor Annual, fishing. As of Oct 10, 2026.

    Stocking history

    TPWD has 22 stocking records for Wright Patman Lake from 1974 to 2023. The table shows 2019–2023.

    YearSpeciesFishSize
    2023Bass, Lone Star211,135Fingerling
    2023Bass, Lone Star74,415Fry

    TPWD stocking history for Wright Patman Lake

    Boat launches & access sites

    5 public access sites listed, 5 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

    SiteTownOwnerTypeParkingFeeUsesMap
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.3000, -94.1726
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.2858, -94.1721
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.2345, -94.2571
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.2369, -94.2352
    Elliott Bluff Boat Ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.3210, -94.1646

    OpenStreetMap boat ramps (TPWD publishes ramp names per lake, not coordinates)

    Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

    Invasive species

    Reported on or near Wright Patman Lake

    Clean, Drain, Dry. In Texas the law requires draining water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh water, and possessing or moving zebra mussels is illegal. TPWD rules.

    USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

    USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

    Contact & official info

    Lakes & ponds nearby

    Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Texas lakes & ponds · All waters in Douglassville