Published
The single most useful number before a Lake Leon trip is not the forecast. It is the water level. A few feet decides which ramp works and where the fish sit. We will not print a level here that is stale by the time you read it. Instead, here is where to find the live number and how to read it. For the river and lake from our side, see our Lake Leon and Leon River fishing page.
Quick answer: Check the Lake Leon water level on the Water Data for Texas Leon Reservoir page, which uses USGS gauge 08099000. The lake is full at 1,375 feet. Subtract the current reading from 1,375 to see how many feet low it is. Percent full compares current storage with 27,762 acre-feet.
The Lake Leon water level is the height of the lake surface in feet above sea level, measured by a USGS gauge at Leon Reservoir near Ranger and compared with the full mark of 1,375 feet.
Two free public sites carry it. Both use the same gauge.
| Source | What it shows | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Water Data for Texas, Leon Reservoir (TWDB) | Percent full, water level in feet, storage, recent and historical charts, daily averages | A quick check before a trip |
| USGS gauge 08099000, Leon Res nr Ranger, TX | Raw lake elevation readings through the day | Watching a rise after heavy rain |
| TWDB Lake Leon page | Reservoir history and survey results | Background on size and capacity |
| TPWD Lake Leon page | Fishing facts, ramps, cover | Planning where to fish |
Bookmark the Water Data for Texas page. It answers the trip question in one screen: how full is the lake right now, and is it rising or falling.
Three numbers matter. Here is each one in plain words.
| Number | Value for Lake Leon | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Full elevation | 1,375 feet | The top of the conservation level, also the service spillway crest. Above this, water spills. |
| Conservation capacity | 27,762 acre-feet | How much water the lake holds when full. Percent full is measured against this. |
| Surface area when full | About 1,756 acres | How big the lake is at the full mark, per TWDB |
| Maximum depth | 55 feet | Deepest water, per TPWD |
Feet low. Take 1,375 and subtract the current water level. A reading of 1,371.5 feet means the lake is 3.5 feet low. This is the number that matters for ramps and bank access.
Percent full. This is stored water divided by 27,762 acre-feet. It does not count flood water above the spillway. A lake is wider at the top than at the bottom, so the first few feet of drop take away a lot of water. That is why percent full can fall faster than the feet suggest.
Provisional data. Water Data for Texas notes its numbers are provisional and can be revised. A reading that jumps for one hour and drops back is usually a glitch, not a flood.
A small technical note from the USGS page: to get the elevation in the newer NAVD 1988 datum, add 0.02 feet. For trip planning, ignore it.
More than most visitors expect. TPWD describes Lake Leon as having minimal day to day fluctuation but being prone to long periods of dropping water. The TPWD survey report gives a recent history:
The pattern is slow decline in dry stretches and fast recovery after big rains. Lake Leon supplies water to Eastland and local industry, and it loses water to evaporation in long, hot summers. One wet spring can undo two dry years.
Our Lake Leon, Texas guide has the lake facts in one place, and winter fishing on Lake Leon and the Leon River covers what bites when the water is cold.
The Leon River. It is the river that forms Lake Leon, and it runs right through Inez Spring Riverfront RV Park at Exit 343 in Eastland. Guests fish from the bank and launch kayaks from our private launch, a short walk from their RV site. When the lake ramps are a problem, the river is still there.
Fishing the whole winter? A monthly RV site is $500 for a back-in or $650 for a pull-through, plus your own metered electric at 17 cents per kWh, with a $200 refundable deposit, month to month. You can check the lake level every morning and go when it suits you.
The easiest place is the Leon Reservoir page on Water Data for Texas, run by the Texas Water Development Board. It shows percent full, the water level in feet, storage and recent readings. The raw data comes from USGS gauge 08099000, Leon Reservoir near Ranger, which you can also check on the USGS Water Data site.
Lake Leon is full at an elevation of 1,375 feet, which is the top of the conservation level and the service spillway crest. At that level the lake holds 27,762 acre-feet and covers about 1,756 acres, per the Texas Water Development Board. A reading of 1,371 feet means the lake is about 4 feet low.
Percent full compares the water stored now with the conservation capacity of 27,762 acre-feet. It does not count flood storage above the spillway. Because a lake is wider at the top, losing the top few feet drains more volume than the same drop lower down, so percent full can fall faster than the feet suggest.
The USGS gauge reports through the day, and Water Data for Texas shows recent readings with timestamps going back 48 hours, plus a daily average table. The data is provisional and can be revised. For trip planning, check the level the week you tow and again the day before.
Lake Leon is a water supply lake in a dry part of Texas. Water leaves through city and industrial use and evaporation, and comes back mostly with big rains. TPWD says the lake is prone to long periods of dropping water. Its survey report notes the level was about 7 feet low in May 2023.
Often, but not at every ramp. A few feet of drop can leave the end of a ramp short of the water. Check the current level, read our Lake Leon boat ramp guide, and call ahead if the number has fallen. A kayak is the easy backup, and our park has a private Leon River launch.
Open Water Data for Texas, subtract the reading from 1,375, and you know what the lake is doing. Then pick your ramp, or skip it and fish the river.
Full hookups, hot showers and laundry, a private Leon River launch, one minute off I-20 at Exit 343 in Eastland. Book online or call (254) 629-1197.
