Joe Pool Lake
Joe Pool Lake is the main attraction for most folks that visit Cedar Hill State Park. There are a lot of facilities in the park to help you enjoy the lake. These include a marina, 2 boat ramps, numerous fishing piers, lakeside picnic and camping sites, and a swimming area. There are also a number of other parks and facilities that provide access to Joe Pool Lake. You can learn about Cedar Hill's marina, the two boats ramps and fishing in Joe Pool by continuing to scroll down this page.
Joe Pool Marina
The Joe Pool Marina store sells bait, ice, cold drinks, food, and some basic camping and fishing supplies. The selection of products in the store is not impressive. If you arrive in Cedar Hill needing more than bait, some ice, or a cold soda I would plan to take a trip to the local Wal-Mart. Fortunately it is just a few miles from the entrance to the park and it has a much wider selection of food, fishing supplies, and camping gear.
The marina also rents ski boats, jet skis, pontoon boats, and paddle boats. If you own your own boat and want to keep it on the lake, the marina rents boat slips (on an annual basis). The phone number for the Joe Pool Marina is (972) 299-9010. Call them if you have questions about prices and availability.
Fishing
There are white crappie, largemouth bass, and catfish are the main sport anglers fish for in Joe Pool Lake. Sunfish are also present and very catchable. You can fish from the shore at Cedar Hill and other lakeside parks (Loyd Park and Lynn Creek Park - links to those parks are on the left side of this page). Plenty of folks also fish from their boat. If you don't have your own boat you can rent one from the marina.
Joe Pool Marina also has a pay-to-fish fishing barge. The barge is a enclosed structure that sits on pilings over the water. The middle of the barge is uncovered, providing access to the water. The barge offers a bit of shade, benches where you can sit while you fish and is a relaxing place to spend some time with your line in the water.
A good place to find some great information about fishing the lake, or fishing anywhere in the state, is at the Texas Fishing Forum.
Boat Ramps
The big problem many boaters have is with the time the park opens in the morning - 8 AM. One way to get around this problem is stay overnight in their campground. If you stay overnight in Cedar Hill, you do not have to wait for the gate to the park to be opened in the morning.
There are two boat ramps in Cedar Hill State Park. There is a large boat ramp adjacent to the Joe Pool Marina. It also has a big parking lot where you can leave your rig. Click on any of the thumbnails to see larger versions of the pictures below.
The boat ramp adjacent to the Joe Pool Marina.....
..... the parking lot...
....and a Google maps birdseye view of the Joe Pool Marina, the Joe Pool Marina Store, and the boat ramp.
The second boat ramp is not as wide as the one next to the Joe Pool Marina. It is located along the edge of a large parking lot. There is plenty of room to back into the ramp and there are generous sized parking spaces for your truck and trailer.
Boat ramp access to Joe Pool Lake....
....and a Google maps birdseye view of this area.
Check out other lake access locations at the Joe Pool Lake boat ramp page