Purtis Creek SP

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whatwake
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Purtis Creek SP

Post by whatwake »

Has anyone camped/fished their recently? My wife and I will be camping their Mar. 23-25. Any tips on lure colors etc...
CopanoCruisin
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by CopanoCruisin »

Where may be this Purtis State Park? Texas State parks are my favorite camping spots!!!!!!!!!!!
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whatwake
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

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CopanoCruisin wrote:Where may be this Purtis State Park? Texas State parks are my favorite camping spots!!!!!!!!!!!
Here be the link. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/find ... tis_creek/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Its northeast of Dallas.

From your name I assume you fish Copano Bay, I'm bring 12 guys down there in April, staying at one of Miss Kittys rentals, We plan on fishing around the Red Fish Lodge area.
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Tradercj
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by Tradercj »

I have not camped or fished here, I just had time to drive through year before last,
took a couple of pictures and put the lake on my to do list.

Canoe Rental (2010 - high water after rains)
Image

Camp Site:
Just down from the pier that is by the camp sites there is a line of tree stumps that extended into the lake.
Image

Image

Dam:
Image

There is a limit to the number of boats allowed on the lake at one time.
Busy holiday trips might limit your ability to launch.
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Gutter Girl
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

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Well, reading this thread a couple of weeks back and realizing how close I was to the park made me want to go do a little reconnaisance.

I went on Sunday right after church - about 90 minutes from Lewisville. It was a beautiful day and this this is what greeted me:

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and this:

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After stopping at the drive-up window to pay the lady (oh wait - I didn't have to pay because I have a park pass!), I looked the map over and decided to check out the campsites first. I liked what I saw. Sort of close together but not exactly and most have some privacy. No shelters over the picnic tables - fyi. One bathhouse with toilets and showers and in pretty good shape. This next picture is of campsite #20.

Image

It wasn't but 30-40 steps from the table to the water. You could launch your kayak right there. I think you could easily launch from 21-23, maybe 24 but it would be a longer walk.

I had some pictures of the fishing piers located by these sites but can't find 'em yet. They were quite nice. One had wood railings, one did not. Maybe 30-40' from the bank. Plenty of room for people to fish from. Also a fish cleaning station by the larger of the two piers.

This is the pier in the day use area.

Image

Close by is the bait shack.

Image

Whatwake, take note of the satellite dish. If your favorite college team is playing next weekend, you could always stop by for an update!

The day use area was very nice. Lots of picnic tables and grills plus the canoe/kayak/paddleboat rental was nearby. Boat launch just beyond that. I was not impressed with the swimming area but I admit I did not look too closely at it. And there was playground equipment for the kids. This shelter is for group use and is adjacent to the day use area.

Image

Across the road and down a bit are 4-5 water only sites. Spacious but a bit open for my taste. Funny thing, as I drove by I noticed a smoldering firepit. Nobody was at the site but someone had obviously been using it! I flagged a park ranger down and later saw her raking the firepit.

I was there for about 5 hours. Hiked their shorter trail, looked at all the campsites, visited the amphitheater that doubles as a chapel for 9:30 church on Sunday and lunched at the day use area. All in all, a very nice visit. I can easily see myself camping here for the weekend. The lake was not that big and I did see some structure on the lake. Guess that's what makes it the best little bass fishing lake in TX. Plenty of spots to launch a kayak whether you were there camping or just visiting for the day.

If I can find my other pictures, I'll post them. I've got a couple of pictures of the lake that would give you an idea of how big they are. If not, I guess I'll just have to go back, take more pictures and spend the night at that!

GG
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by rodloos »

Thanks for the "pictorial". I live in Garland so it shouldn't be a very long drive for me, yet for some reason I've never visited there. I think I'm going to have to remedy that.
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whatwake
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by whatwake »

GG thanks for the recon! Hopefully some of the sites closest to the water will be avaible. Great pics!! I hope to add some.
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by BOPGUNNER »

Thanks for report. Been about 4 years ,from last visit there. Was not kayaking then. But was a nice place for camping and dock fishing. I see a weekend trip coming.
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whatwake
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

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I just looked at the TPW website and the park is flooding. Camping areas are open except for the primitive area. Day use is closed along with canoe/kayak rentals and the bait shack has been flooded along with the hiking trails. We are still going and hoping on catching some nice largemouths.
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Gutter Girl
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by Gutter Girl »

whatwake wrote: the park is flooding.
Boy, that changes things! Obviously we are going to want pictures now!

GG
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whatwake
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by whatwake »

Pics to come. The park is very nice. Most of the camp sites are big. I wasn't able to get sites on the water. Site #20 seems to be the best. You get some privacy and your close to the water. We stayed at site #14, it was big and private. We would but the kayaks in the back of the Element and drop them by the lake. We caught a few bass. My wife caught her largest fish, a 6-8lb bucket mouth. Overall we will be back. :)
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whatwake
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by whatwake »

Heres my wifes pic of her fish.
Wifes big bass
Wifes big bass
Here's mine
Here's mine
:? We will be back and this time I'm gonna catch the big bass.
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by BOPGUNNER »

Thanks for report. :clap:
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capn crunch
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by capn crunch »

The last time we stayed at that park, we combined it with a trip over to Canton for their one weekend a month sale days. nice park.
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by Tide-N-TX »

Does the limit on boats on the water at any one time include kayaks?
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whatwake
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by whatwake »

Tide-N-TX wrote:Does the limit on boats on the water at any one time include kayaks?
I wouldn't know. You would have to call the park for that info.
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by d j »

wife and i park hosted there acouple years ago rule then on largemouth bass was cath and relese, but fun to catch
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Jerry Hamon
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Re: Purtis Creek SP

Post by Jerry Hamon »

Great place. We were there last month. They did a lot of improvements over the winter. It is usually booked solid from April 1st til after Labor Day.
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