Inks Lake State Park is a state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States, next to Inks Lake on the Colorado River. It contains facilities for swimming, camping, hiking, boating, fishing and general enjoyment of the natural beauty. [2]The landscape is hilly with a mix of forest and cleared land with ground that's rocky, mainly consisting of gneiss rock. Containing plants such as cedar, live oak, prickly pear cacti, and yuccas. Devil's Waterhole is a small extension of Inks Lake, which is almost completely surrounded by rock. [3]
History
The park has been historically a hub for resources, employment and recreation.
Many locals talk of Indigenous Americans using the land as a hunting area, although there is no evidence of such online.
Initial development was begun in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Although the plans where never fully fufiled, a boat house and road system with dozens of stone culverts was constructed. [4]
Geology
The park is located in the eastern edge of a Mesoproterozoic exposure within the Llano Uplift. The local rocks are named for the park as the Inks Lake Gneiss, a graniticgneiss dated at 1,232 million years old.[5]
A visible, slightly pinkish rock peeks through the limestone rock in the park, a type of metamorphic rock called Valley Spring gneiss. This metamorphic rock is often mistaken for town mountain granite since they are very similar in color and texture. The small granite that only appears in the park has veins cutting through the gneiss in and around the rock.[3]
Over millions of years, intense heat and pressure are frequently applied to the original rock that eventually formed these gneiss rocks. The original rocks were sedimentary (formed from sand, silt, and mud) and igneous (likely granite).[6]
Conservation Pool Elevation usually stays around 888.22 ft. msl; however, this lake does fluctuate about 1 foot annually.
Inks lake water clarity can be seen as clear to slightly stained mostly throughout the year. It tends to have higher turbidity during the rainy season due to excessive amounts of runoff.
Although diving and swimming are allowed at the waterhole, there is no lifeguard.
Fishing regulations
All species of fish in the park are currently managed under statewide regulations. Bow fishers on this lake are subject matter to a special regulations which is enforced by the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority).[8]
Angling opportunities
Fish have been stocked previously in the reservoir in the late 1980s and early 1990s and currently presents fishing opportunities.[9]
It includes under-rated largemouth bass and Guadalupe bass populations, along with several species of sunfish (bream). White bass are regularly caught in the reservoir, and a low-density white crappie population is present. Channel and flathead catfish occur throughout the reservoir.[10]
Inks Lake offers a wide variety of cover and structure for fish species. The shoreline contains various rock piles, ledges, and rock banks. Brush piles and gravel beds have been placed near fishing piers and other strategic locations to attract more fish.
Several private boat docks, particularly on the west side of the lake, hold fish year-round. Water in the reservoir is fairly clear.[12]
^Reese, Joseph F., et al., Mesoproterozoic chronostratigraphy of the southeastern Llano uplift, central Texas, Geological Society of America Bulletin 2000;112;278-291