Franklin Lake

    

If you are looking for a challenge in finding your way through a cypress swamp and along sloughs with periodic deadfalls blocking your way, Franklin Lake is a paddling trip you need to try. You can make it from Franklin Lake to the Neches River with some navigation skills and the right water levels.

The weather has to be so to make it to the Lake. I had my doubts about warnings of bad roads threatened by recent rain, but I found the warning to be true. Dirt roads take you to the lake and will be impassable with heavy rain. They roads have ruts and many water holes as you approach the lake.

 

  
I enjoy fishing on most of my paddling trips and Franklin Lakes provides some of the best sized largemouth bass that I have found in Southeast Texas Rivers. The picture to the left shows me with a 4.6 pound largemouth I caught in the fall of 2003. I caught 14 bass on this day. Five of them were between 4 and 5 pounds. A great day of bass fishing for most water, but I have not found the fishing to be consistent at Franklin. You may come home empty-handed.  
Paddlers can travel in a variety of directions back the creeks to and from the lake. It extreme high water it would be possible to the lakes to the south.  
Much of the Franklin Lake shore is a maze of Cyprss knees and trees.  
Take 92 north of Silsbee and watch for Craven Camp Road. Turn right (east) and watch for the sign (to the left) and follow the dirt/sand roads back to the lake.