Lake Size: 19,800 acres Shoreline Length (Miles): 310 miles (500 km) Deepest Depth: 100 Ft Latitude: 32.866667 Longitude: -98.433333 Lake Level Above Sea Level: 998 Ft Counties: Palo Pinto County Cities: Mineral Wells Lake Management: Brazos River Authority
Information: The dam was named for United States Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas. Construction of the dam started on May 28, 1938 under the authority of the Brazos River Conservation and Reclamation District (now known as the Brazos River Authority). The dam was completed on March 20, 1941 at a cost of $9,000,000 by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal recovery agency. It is supposed to be one of the clearest lakes in its region.
The reservoir has been affected by golden alga blooms, especially in 2001 and 2003, but it appears many species are recovering. Striped bass provide a fair fishery with good growth potential and strong fighting characteristics. The lake record is 34.19 pounds. An annual TPWD stocking program maintains the fishery. White bass are abundant and of good size. Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are found in this reservoir, though only largemouth bass are abundant at this time. The Florida largemouth strain has been stocked and helps provide trophy potential, as evidenced by the lake record of 16.02 pounds. Crappie are fair, and sunfish are present with some large individuals available for harvest. Channel, blue, and flathead catfish are all present, with some especially large blue cats.
Possum Kingdom Lake (popularly known as P.K.), located primarily in Palo Pinto County Texas, is a 20,000-acre (8,100 ha) reservoir on the Brazos River in the Palo Pinto Mountains, known for its clear blue waters. It has a 310-mile (500 km) shore line. It is unusual for a Texas lake with average depths exceeding 80 ft and clear blue water vs. the usual muddy brown found in most Texas lakes.
It is impounded by the Morris Sheppard Dam which was built primarily for water conservation and flood control although it does have two 11,250 kilowatt generators. The dam is 2,740 feet (840 m) long and stands 190 feet (58 m) high. The construction is unique with buttressed arched wings on either side of the nine spillway gates rather than the usual filled concrete.
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