The Sabine River dammed into roughly 185,000 acres — twice ranked the top bass lake in America.
Toledo Bend Reservoir is a Sabine River reservoir straddling the Texas-Louisiana border, built 1964-1969 without federal financing — commonly cited as the largest man-made reservoir in the South, and the only lake Bassmaster Magazine has ranked #1 on its 100 Best Bass Lakes list twice.
Toledo Bend Reservoir was built on the Sabine River between 1964 and 1969 as a joint venture of the Sabine River Authority of Texas and the Sabine River Authority of Louisiana, with construction costs of roughly $70 million split evenly between the two states — the only public water and hydroelectric project of its kind built without federal financing. The dam and reservoir sit along the Texas-Louisiana border for about 65 river miles, covering roughly 185,000 acres with an estimated 1,200 miles of shoreline, commonly cited as the largest man-made reservoir in the South. On the Louisiana side, covered here, the reservoir borders Sabine and De Soto parishes, with Many as the primary service town and Zwolle as the second-largest nearby community, known for its Zwolle-style tamale tradition tied to the area's Choctaw-Apache, Adai, and Spanish/French heritage. The lake is best known nationally for largemouth bass fishing: Bassmaster Magazine ranked it the #1 lake on its "100 Best Bass Lakes" list in back-to-back editions, the only lake to hold the top spot twice. Beyond fishing, the Louisiana shoreline is dotted with Sabine River Authority public parks and two Louisiana state parks, North and South Toledo Bend.
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