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Hello, I am thinking about visiting the area and possibly moving there in a few years. I have been looking at the numerous lakes in the area and lakefront property. I guess what I am getting at is what is the best lake to be on or around? Thanks, Jim.
Well we really only have two lakes here for boating. One is Canyon lake and the other is Medina lake. Here are the pros and cons of each in my opinion:
Canyon:
Pro - Deep clear lake, typically constant level, but not always. We go through floods and droughts. Right now its drought and low. lots of ramps for entry to lake that are free. Beautiful lake side property with beautiful views, beautiful hill country setting.
Con - Big open lake so windy a lot and can be hard to find smooth water, tends to get crowded, you may own lake front property but you may not have a boat dock. The Corps of Engineers will not allow it.
Medina Lake
Pro - Beautiful hill country setting, crystal clear water, beautiful lake front property and yes you can have your very own boat dock. Can almost always find smooth water against the cliffs.
Con - Unreliable water level, when this lake is low it is extremely low. Really depends on rain amounts. Right now its drought and low low low. About 99% of the property around the lake is private so few places to put in with out paying a fee. Tends to get crowded when water is up.
Thats my .02
Thanks for the reply and info. I also was wondering how lake Buchanan and the other lake below it was for the same reasons. Thanks, Jim .
Lake Buchanan is my lake of choice. I love it! I go to Canyon the most, but when we want to have a nice weekend at the lake and camp out we make the drive to Buchanan. The land isn't cheap at all! If you want to live lake front you're going to pay a lot for it. I know, I'm looking. But, you can have a boat dock. The lake is huge! You'll always have room, but the wind can be a pain. If you want drop me a message and I can load some pictures of both lakes for you, or E-Mail them to you. I hope this helps.
Try lake LBJ. In the lake chain from north to south, it lake buchanan, inks lake, then lake LBJ. Its actually loacated in Kingsland, tx. It is a year round constant level lake. Its wide open in parts, but it has a lot of coves and river runouts that make for incredable wakeboarding! Its better than Lake Austin IMO. The water is warmer as well!
-Matt
Bighitmatt, do you have any pictures of LBJ? That's one of the lakes I haven't went to down that way. It is on my list though!
Keep going down the Guadalupe river from canyon lake and you head into New Braunfels. These lakes are smaller as they are just small damns on the river, but amazing wakeboard water. Almost all the lake you can have a boat dock, except near the damn. Even when crowded the water will smooth out in minutes. You will have to pay a price though to live on these lakes. The three lakes are Lake Dunlap(1st in my choice), Lake McQueeny (last), and Lake Placid(2nd). You will find some pros every once in a while on our lakes. There is a wakeboard school on lake placid. http://wakeoutlaws.com/campdetail.ph...C462152bbb260e This is camp details and Pro Gabe Lucas lives on this lake. Also these lake levels do not fluctuate that much since the damns are spill over damns. Only once or twice a yr do they lower the lakes for damn maintenance.
To see some pics of Lake Dunlap look at my picture albums on my profile or click here https://forum.moomba.com/album.php?albumid=144
Visited San Antonio a couple years ago. Going back for a conference next spring. Can't wait. Trying to arrange so Mrs Kane can go too.
San Antonio is a good time. Always something to do.
I agree, I grew up in New Braunfels and lived a block off lake Dunlap. Like Limishowman said it is always smooth. It takes some getting used to and some experience to handle other boats on such a narrow river, but it worth the butter for sure. Before loading up your ballast though check the depth, I bottomed out there two years ago while wake surfing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Limishowman3
Limishowman would I be safe in guessing you show Limousine steers?
I'm going to be out on Canyon Lake this weekend if the weather holds as is and the wind doesn't pick up. Anybody in the area want to meet up:?:
Bird, hurry up and get down here. while you are here if you want to check out Dunlap let me know. my friend has a house on the lake and he can show us around it also if you want.
Canyon lake is a bit to cold for me yet ;)
Wow how did you figuire that out SoTX? Did you show cattle at San Antonio at the stock show? If so what breed? Also when checking out dunlap make sure you have someone who knows the lake, as there are stumps and some low points on the lake. But yall should be good with yalls guide who lives on the lake. Ill be on Dunlap come easter weekend.
Well, it sounds like Dunlap will be the place to go. I'm always willing to go where the party goes. (LOL) TrueTx, Send me some info on your friend and what days are good for him. You can send it in a "PM" on my profile. Thanks.
Well I was a hog man back in my high school days. Graduate NB high in 82. Showed pigs, Berks, hamps and Crosses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Limishowman3
Saw your handle and figured it had to be limousine cattle. I like that nice long stretch side of beef. Hard to beat.
Well you may know my grandpa, I cant remember if he taught at canyon or nb high, he was an ag teacher at one pt. Last name is stolte.
SoTX, i was out at Canyon 2 weeks ago. it was a little cold bu once you get moving it aint to bad. Just make sure you have some towels to dry off with as soon as you get out. Make sure you watch for the stumps out there also, there are a lot more showing this year than last year due to the drought
How low is Canyon right now. I also heard a rumor that they may close Canyon because of draought.
Limishowman my Ag teacher was Wonderlich and I believe he is still at NB high.
SoTX, Canyon was about 12 feet low when i was up there 2 weeks ago. i am not sure how low it is after the rain from last week. the majority of the public ramps are still open.
Yah Wonderlich, I remember hearing about that guy when i showed, my dad probably knows him. I went to Navarro over in Geronimo. Though I pretty much group up in New Braunfels. Last time I went to Canyon Lake was last summer, over near where the river flows into the lake. You may have heard of it Mystic shores. Couldn't find too many places to ride though as the best spot was located right next to a boat launch. I also remember hitting bottom (scary moment) when i was like 50 yards away from shore. Luckily i didn't do any damage. I always seem to have a rough time when i visit canyon lake. rope sucked up in a jet ski. Idiots roll the jet ski and it begins to flood itself. On our old 72 yellow boat gears on the steering wheel locked up and my dad forces the steering wheel and the gears break with the steering wheel spinning freely. That is way I stick Lake Dunlap and also I as the driver.
Yea I stay away from that end of the lake just for that reason. I like it over by the spillway. I absolutely love Dunlap however my daughter always breaks out in a rash after we ski there. So I do not take the family there.
Hey Birdman I was just taged on my facebook with pictures of you on Canyon by Michael Morgan. Is he on this board as well? Are you on facebook?
Oh no! You know Morgan too. Damn, I'm sorry man! (LOL) JK He's a great guy. We were in the Marines together. Yeah, he's on here. He's TrueTexan84. I'm coming down that way tonight and we're going to Dunlap tomorrow around noon. Wanna meet up? If you have Mike's number call him. If not let me know and I'll send you my number in a PM. What a small world! :D
Would love to however I got work tomarrow. And in this economy I need all the work I can get. Yall have fun and we'll keep in touch.
As for Morgan, I do not know him. He is a friend of Moomba on facebook. I got tagged with pictures from Moomba and was looking at them and saw san Antonio and then your name on one of them and made the connection. Small world indeed.
Hey Birdman where are yall putting in at on Dunlap? Under the highway or somewhere else? I usually stay away from under the highway just b/c of the current turning your boat sideways as you put in/out. I always launch near the damn at Shuman Beach Rd. It cost $5 bucks but the water is calm and easy to put in and out.
You know man, I have no clue. I'm just along for the ride and bringing the boat. (LOL) But now when we go that way I'll be sure to put in near the dam at Shuman Beach Road. $5.00 isn't too bad. It's better then having to fight the water and doing something bad to the boat. When you put the price of gas up for the boat and paying to pull the boat around, what's another $5 to launch and load in calm water? :p
Oh yah I completely forgot GBRA is lowering Lake Dunlap 18-24inches for annual dam maintenance. It start from march 24th and ends sometime early April i believe. I sign should be posted at the launch ramp if it still under maintenance. I have never been on the lake when it has been lowered this much. So be extra cautious of stumps near the banks and the boat ramps of where they drop off. I usually goto lake placid which is like 10mins away from dunlap. I want to say this weekend it should be open though not a 100% sure.
Here is some information on Dunlap and GBRA. http://www.gbra.org/Recreation/LakeDunlap.aspx might want to contact them.
Well thanks for all the info. Any word on the temp of Lake Placid this time of year?
A little cool. But you will warm up quick. Water gets warmer when you get closer to the damn. Went two weeks ago when air temp was like high 60s and cloudy and didnt need a wetsuit. No one is wearing a wetsuit this time of yr, maybe real early or late otherwise dont need it.
If you're willing to drive, there's some killer areas to ride out here. I mostly ride Lake Austin and have become very spoiled by it. We generally go out during the week and have the lake to ourselves. Buchanan has some good spots, but when it's low it's hard to find a place to put in. Also when it's windy it gets rough, very rough. We were out there a couple of years ago and it started getting bad. I was standing up in the boat to see and the waves were breaking in my face, literally. There was so much water in the bilge that it was coming up through the floor.
If you drive a couple of hours south to Del Rio, there's Lake Amistad. It's a HUGE lake with HUGE cliffs everywhere. It's very easy to find glass out there pretty much anytime. We make several trips a year down there, in fact we are going in 2 weeks to kick off the season.
I'm not fond of LBJ. It's a nice lake but it's busy and rough. Well atleast it was the 1 time I went. We found some good water going up the river, but it was shallow and hard to get the wake shaped right because of the depth. Surfing was impossible.
I've heard the Gaudalupe has some killer sections, but I've never been down there.
Good luck, there's a lot of water around here and you can easily ride 8 months out of the year in shorts.
Yeah, I really like Buchanan. My family likes to go there. We go there and camp for the weekend or longer. It does get rough out there. Del Rio is a place on my list but I haven't made it out that way yet. I will soon enough. Thanks for all the info. I'll post how our weekend goes down here.
Me and Birdman were out at Dunlap this past weekend and the results were not good. We hit a stump and we were in the middle of the lake. I would definately wait till they raise the level of the lake back up. We also witnessed another boat hit the same stump a few hours later.
What part of the lake were you located? You really do have to know the lake otherwise them stumps will get yah. If you were up towards the damn, I would bet money on yah on hitting a stump. My dad hit a stump up towards the damn when he took my sister and her friends out one day, but if i was there it wouldn't have happen, thats why i told him to just sit back and relax and I will drive from now on.
Yeah man, we hit a stump! It wasn't cool. I was on the wakeboard and TrueTx was at the wheel. It was only a matter of time I guess because as the day went on others hit trees as well. Everybody that was out there with us is giving TrueTx a really hard time for breaking the boat. (LOL) What sux the most is how long it will be before the boat is ready to go back out.
Also, I'm looking for a new friend to take out on the boat! TrueTx has been posted! In the past two months me has broke something on my chopper and now my boat. (WTF) I don't have the money to keep him around as a friend. (LOL) I'm just playing Mike! I know it isn't your fault. I should have known better then to let you drive. It's my fault! (LOL) :p
The rules for Lake Dunlap.
https://forum.moomba.com/picture.php...pictureid=1158
Is what Bird forgot to mention is that as we sat there on my friends dock drinkin beer and watching everyone else ride is how extremely calm the water was. About an hour before sunset there was nobody on the lake and it was perfect glass. That was when i really started catching a lot of ridicule.
Yeah well you didn't get enough! I'm going to give your phone number to people you don't even know and have them call you and ask you why you have to go and mess up such a great day! I hope you can't sleep over it! :mad:
Hey where did yall hit that stump at? Also if yall come down again when im on the lake I will show you the best spots on the lake and where these hazards are located.
Why is wakesurfing illegal on dunlap?
Limishowman3, we hit the stump on the end closest to the damn. We were out towards the center of the lake when it happened. If going away from the damn it would have been closer to the shore on the right side.