Today, its 13,000 residents still depend upon the petroleum and agriculture industries. Home to one of the first oil wells in the petroleum-rich Panhandle, Borger gushed to life as a notoriously lawless boomtown in the 1920s. Its history long predates Meredith, which was spearheaded by and named for a Borger city manager more than 50 years ago. Just a few miles down State Highway 136, the city of Borger tells a different story. From Wright-On Bait, Tackle & Watercraft Rental at the Sanford-Yake boat ramp to the Lake Meredith Aquatic and Wildlife Museum, Fritch residents’ livelihoods are closely tied to lake traffic. Fritch is the nearest true lake town, a community of 2,000 on Meredith’s eastern shore. Recent years of rain have restored lake levels to around 75 feet, which hasn’t just rejuvenated the area’s boating and fishing traffic-Meredith offers the best walleye fishing in the state-but also breathed new life into Hutchinson County itself. Lower water levels reveal rust-red canyon walls. Scuba divers prefer the view from below, and families picnic, swim, and launch boats at Bandera County Medina Lake Park.įor a guided tour, check with former Olympic kayaker Ben Kvanli of Alamo Adventures, who loves pointing his nimble little boats down the drops and spills of nearby creeks, and leads organized paddle outings on the main lake. “A lot of people have grown up here it’s where they come with their families,” Shirlee says. Owners Shirlee and Mike Crandall once performed on skis at nearby SeaWorld San Antonio. Want to skim over the surface of the lake? You can do that with the help of Wallys Watersports and Boat Storage, which rents kayaks and this year celebrates three decades of teaching the finer points of water skiing. He also loves to show off an amazing collection of memorabilia, including antique boat motors, news clippings, and photographs from the old days. He no longer rents the lodge, but still operates a marina and members-only boat launch there. “The crappie are big, fat, juicy, and tasty,” says Stephen Bonahoom, who opened Bedrock Resort near the dam more than 20 years ago. Walk into any of the cabins or no-frills restaurants that sprinkle the lake’s length, and someone will tell you about the crappie, striper, or catfish they hooked earlier in the day. In the 1940s, someone pulled the then-state record largemouth bass from its waters. Each September, the community of Lakehills on the north side puts on the Cajun Festival, complete with a gumbo cookoff and live music straight from the bayou. Today, people head to the lake to swim, paddle, and wade in water so clear you can count your toes when you’re standing waist deep in it. Gamblers allegedly once gathered on Tiki Island, which rises from its center, and speed boat races and sailing regattas unfolded in its waves.
The roughly 10-square-mile lake, which measures 152 feet at its deepest, was constructed a century ago for agricultural irrigation. We’ll take quiet, off-the-radar Medina Lake, which lures a smaller cadre of fans devoted to its clear, deep waters and old-fashioned family atmosphere. You can keep your sprawling reservoirs buzzing with jet skis and fancy boats.
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