Lake Cisco

Quick Links: Fishing Regulations | Angling Opportunities | Cover & Structure | Tips & Tactics

Public Access Facilities

Lake Characteristics

Location: On Sandy Creek 55 miles east of Abilene and 5 miles north of Cisco
Surface area: 1,050 acres
Maximum depth: 70 feet
Impounded: 1923

Water Conditions

Current Lake Level
Conservation Pool Elevation: 1,520 ft. msl
Fluctuation: Moderate, sometimes prone to long periods with dropping water levels
Normal Clarity: Clear to slightly stained, visibility up to 6 feet

Reservoir Controlling Authority

City of Cisco
PO Box 110
Cisco, Texas 76437
(254) 442-2111

Aquatic Vegetation

None

Predominant Fish Species

Lake Records
Stocking History
Latest Survey Report

Lake Maps

A contour map is available. Download the map or pick up a copy at the Abilene fisheries office, (325) 692-0921.

Fishing Regulations

All species are currently managed under statewide regulations.

Angling Opportunities

Largemouth bass fishing is good to excellent for numbers of fish. Florida-strain largemouths were introduced 1991. Redear and redbreast sunfish are underutilized at Lake Cisco.

Species	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
Largemouth Bass
Catfish
Crappie
Sunfish

Fishing Cover/Structure

The steep-sided nature of Lake Cisco provides windy-weather fishing opportunities. Willow trees in the upper end of the north arm and the Sandy Creek arm line the creek channel. The reservoir is also loaded with dead flooded brush, boat docks, and rocky bluffs and points. In 2016, TPWD worked with local partner organizations to install brush piles made of recycled Christmas trees. Anglers may use GPS in conjunction with a fish finder to locate these structures.

Use the Habitat Structure Viewer for an interactive map of fish habitat structures and downloadable GPS coordinates.

Tips & Tactics

This would be a great place to take children fishing for sunfish with minnows, nightcrawlers, or mealworms. Largemouth bass can be caught at the lower end around the large boulders and points or in the shallow, more off-colored, waters of the north arm or Sandy Creek. Fall bass fishing with buzzbaits can be heart-stopping. Spring fishing with worms or jigs flipped into willow trees, or hard and soft jerkbaits fished along the rocky and brush-covered coves, is hard to beat.