Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA), located in Lewisville, Texas, is an interesting place where nature thrives within earshot of I35E and beneath flight patterns for DFW Airport. It also serves as a melting pot of fishermen within driving distance of the site on the south side of Lewisville Lake and just North of Downtown Lewisville.

Recently, the location has become something of a hotspot of contention between a faction of local fly fishers who are apparently frustrated with the “immigrants” fishing at LLELA. The contingency there has even created a petition to convert LLELA into a catch and release only site because “ We believe ‘catch and release’ anglers will bring with them more respect for the environment, thus, more respect for the grounds of LLELA.” There you have it; we are better than they are. Obviously, these individuals can not see the forest for the trees. Instead of signing petitions, they may be better served picking up trash in the area and showing the “bait chunkers” (their words) how it is done. Quite possibly, all it would take is more funding to locate trash barrels within range of the fishing population and hire someone to empty those cans. Of all the trashed locations I have already seen, this one is no worse than, say, Texoma below the dam. the problems there could be resolved in much the same way. One of the suggestions I posted did spark a thread, and that was a fly fishers cleanup of the Texoma area. That little seed caught me by surprise, but it takes a certain amount of perseverance, not on view when I fished Texoma on January 11. The volume of people and volume of trash that comes with them may be too much for any single small group to handle.

The LLELA itself is truly an interesting place with nature on display for the naked eye. On the way into the parking area, we paused in our long line of cars to look at the huge Coyote running up the side of the Lewisville Dam. He just stood there about 100 feet up the embankment looking over his shoulder at cars, striking a pose with full confidence nothing at all would happen to him. Unfortunately, because I didn’t want to stack up traffic (backed up by a faulty gate that remained locked for an extra 30 morning minutes) digging out my camera and stopping the parade of people headed for the release area. It seems that the way LLELA came into being, with cooperative efforts of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of North Texas, City of Lewisville, Lewisville Independent School District and Texas A&M University, is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when forces join for the greater good of an area that could have easily been abandoned as a trashy no-man’s land. Be sure to visit the LLELA web site for all the information you need on this diverse nature area. Lisa Cole is the Education Coordinator for LLELA, and would be a good first contact.

The reality of LLELA right now is that it is getting a large amount of heavy action due to the stocking of Rainbow Trout, the year around presence of Hybrids (a cross between Stripers and Sand Bass), as well as the usual suspects; Carp, Sand Bass, Largemouth Bass, Bream and Catfish. The Rainbows proved to be plentiful, but as seems to be the case here in North Texas, any stocking includes a high number of really small fish. This day, as you can see from the photographs, there were a few larger fish thrown in for good measure. My fishing was aimed at those football shaped Hybrids that apparently have the reputation of fighting with all the vigor of a Striper and Sand Bass combined. That makes sense.

Somehow there is more to the story of LLELA. In part two, I plan to interview Lisa Cole (972)219-3930 and others directly involved with LLELA, to see where they see LLELA now and what the future holds. One must be careful though, LLELA could be dismissed by many to be “much ado about nothing”. To call it a “tailwater”, or “tailrace”, and conjure visions of such, could leave the fly fisher with expectations. It has water, flow, rocks, cuts, channels, pools and swirls – but it is also (as all Texas is) stocked with non-natural Rainbow Trout. It is what it is, another unique Texas experience. To be continued …