Upper End Of Lake Meredith

Lake Meredith was the best thing that ever happened to the area around Borger and Amarillo,Texas. It provided a place for water sports, boating, fishing, diving, swimming, picnicking, camping, hiking, bicycling, and hunting that we had not previously had. My family enjoyed the lake for many years. Here’s how we used the area at the upper end of the lake.

Upper End Of Lake Meredith

 

In spring of 1972, Lake Meredith was still filling up, so each spring the lake waters would cover green vegetation at the upper end of the lake near the Alibates quarry area. I would go fishing with my Mom and Dad in their boat. We would put in at the Harbor Bay Area and cruise up the lake in their fishing Boat. The water was crystal clear in the upper end so my dad would switch from outboard motor to electric motor when we got there so he would not disturb the fish. We would put on a hook and a minnow with no weight and move slowly along flipping the minnow near the brush until someone caught a crappie. When you caught one crappie there was usually more around so we would stop until they slowed down and move on a little. We would catch 35 or 40 large crappie and head back down the lake. They were large enough to filet, so we did and packed them in the freezer for later.

 

Crappie fresh from the lake, ready to filet. Some fine eating.

 

 

On one trip to the upper end, there was a snake swimming it the water near us and it turned and headed straight for us. When it got closer we could see it was a rattlesnake. The snake reached the boat, raised up and lifted into the boat. You talk about scrambling. My Dad grabbed a paddle and started swinging at him. He broke a fishing rod, but finally killed the snake. We figured he had gotten stranded by the rising water and had headed for the first object protruding above the water.

 

Beware of rattlesnakes swimming near your boat as they are looking for somewhere that they can get out of the water.

 

 

I came to the Alibates Area to fish off the bank on another occasion. I was flipping a minnow in the brush and I saw a coot (duck like water foul) swimming towards the area I was fishing in. I didn’t think much about until the coot dived down and grabbed the minnow and my hook and took off flying with it. So I had a hooked a coot and it was flying around in circles overhead with me reeling him in. I felt I needed to remove the hook for him to survive. I finally got him on the ground and held him down while I removed the hook. He took off like a jet plane and disappeared soon. I can honestly say that was the only time I ever caught a flying “fish”.

 

 

The American Coot looking for a minnow to eat.

 

On another occasion my brother Craig and my cousins Mike and Norman C. decided to go duck hunting in the Alibates Area of Lake Meredith. We arrived and set out the decoys in the water near a sand dune covered with thick brush and made a blind out of the brush to hide in. The ducks were flying that day and we were patiently waiting for them to head our way. Then all hell broke loose. We heard three loud booms and about jumped out of our pants. Then the water splashed all around our decoys. Someone had snuck up on my decoys and thought they were live ducks and blasted them while they were on the water. The shotguns blasts went right over the tops of our heads. My cousin Norman was a huge man who had played guard for Texas A&M and he was pissed. He called that guy every name he could think of and told him to get the hell out of there before he shot him. The guy said he was sorry and hightailed it. In surveying the plastic decoys, he had sunk two and peppered holes in most of the rest of them. We continued to hunt and got some ducks later that morning but my decoys were never the same after that.

 

The duck decoys floating peacefully on the water right before they were attacked by the hunter who shot them down without mercy on the surface of the water.

 

 

 

My brother and I also hunted deer, turkey, and quail in the upper end of the Lake Meridith area for years after that.

 

When you find a good area for outdoor activities, use it to its fullest potential. We enjoyed many hours of fun activities at the upper end of the lake. I understand Lake Meredith has all but dried up now. Too bad for you young people living in that area.

 

The upper end of Lake Meredith at sunset.

Land entry to the upper end of Lake Meredith we used to get to the land hunting and fishing areas.

Part of the area we hunted at the upper end of Lake Meredith

Thanks for reading The Upper End Of Lake Meredith,

Hawg Jaw Bill