Lake Conroe

Lakes in the East Texas Area

Map showing the location of Lake Conroe

In East Texas, there are over 50 lakes offering a variety of outdoor sports for vacations or weekends. These lakes provide fishing, swimming, water skiing, houseboats, jet skis, sailing and other outdoor and hiking activities.

Within easy driving distance are lakes such as Toledo Bend Reservoir, Caddo Lake, Lake Fork, Sam Rayburn, Lake Tawakoni, and many others.

Click for a list and map of all East Texas lakes

Lake Conroe Location & Characteristics

Lake Conroe is a 20,118 acre lake in Montgomery County impounded in 1973. The lake lies on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, just west of Interstate 45 off State Highway 105. It is located about an hour north of Houston.

The lake is over 20 miles in length with an average depth of 20 feet and a maximum depth of 70 feet. It features 150 miles of shoreline, and is bordered on the north by the Sam Houston National Forest.

Lake Conroe is dominated by open water in the lower two-thirds of the reservoir, with some standing timber still present along the river channel in the upper reaches. Most of the standing timber is slightly submerged when the lake is at conservation pool, making navigation hazardous in these areas.

Purpose and Construction of the Lake

Lake Conroe was built as a joint project of the City of Houston, the Texas Water Development Board, and the San Jacinto River Authority in 1973 as an alternate water source for the City of Houston. The dam is 2.2 miles in length (11,280ft).

Aerial view of the dam at Lake Conroe

Like most of the reservoirs in Texas, Lake Conroe was planned and constructed shortly after the record seven-year drought of the 1950s as part of a reservoir-building boom intended by state water planners to prevent a repeat of the water shortages experienced during the drought.

The headwaters of Lake Conroe, formed by the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, are located about 17 miles west of Huntsville in western Walker County. The river flows southeast for about ninety miles through Montgomery County to its confluence with the East Fork of the San Jacinto River on the northern rim of Lake Houston in northeastern Harris County.

Besides providing an alternative source of water supply for the City of Houston, Lake Conroe began in September 2015, to supplement groundwater sources in Montgomery County as a source of drinking water.

Facilities and Things to Do at Lake Conroe

Visitors to the lake enjoy boating, fishing, hunting, golfing, swimming, water skiing, jet skiing, and other water sports. Various marinas offer boat rentals, and local fishing guides are available.

Luxurious hotels and condominiums, quality RV Parks, waterfront boat storage with valet launching, luxurious waterfront real estate developments are other attractions around the lake.

The National Forest Service provides two paved public boat ramps and a small boat launch at the Stubblefield Lake picnic area and campground at Lake Conroe. The service charges a fee for use of the paved ramps. Regular visitors can purchase an annual pass; visit the Forest Service website for fees and other information. Privately owned marinas also offer boat launch facilities for a fee.

Read more about facilities and access at Lake Conroe at the website of Texas Parks & Wildlife

Fishing at Lake Conroe

Largemouth bass are the most sought after species in Lake Conroe. Catch rates are very good and the opportunity to catch a trophy bass is very high at Lake Conroe. In 1998, the biggest largemouth bass ever collected by TPWD in an electrofishing survey was taken from beneath a boat dock and weighed in at 14.1 pounds.

Channel catfish are by far the most abundant sportfish in the lake, offering most any angler a good opportunity for good catches. Bluegill on Lake Conroe grow to enormous sizes.

Crappie are also very popular and offer good opportunity for anglers seeking table fare. Black and white crappie made a comeback in the lake with the efforts of the Lake Conroe Restocking Association's spring stockings of advance juvenile crappie. Good catches of crappie can be had in early spring and in the fall.

The introduction of hybrid striped bass in 1995 has added another dimension to the sport fishery, offering open-water opportunities for anglers who enjoy going after these hefty fighters.