Water Ski Capital of Texas (Lake McQueeney nickname)

Lake McQueeney (near the town of Seguin) is known as the “Water Ski Capital of Texas.”  The lake hosts water skiing, jet skiing, and wakeboarding. The “Ski Bees” ski club on Lake McQueeney provides many shows during the summer months.
   
“Water Ski Capital of Texas” is not an official capital designation that has been approved by the Texas Legislature, but perhaps it will be soon.
   
     
Wikipedia: Lake McQueeney
Lake McQueeney is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River located 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas, USA. The reservoir was formed in 1928 by the construction of a dam to provide hydroelectric power to the area. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority on May 1, 1963. The lake’s prominent feature is Treasure Island, a residential area that has been subjected to major flooding in 1972, 1998, and 2002. Most of the lake is approximately 10 feet (3 m) deep, with deeper sections along the center channel of the river. Lake McQueeney is a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, and swimming, and is maintained at a constant level year round.
 
Fish and plant life
Lake McQueeney has been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake McQueeney include catfish, white crappie, sunfish, spotted bass, and largemouth bass. Vegetation in the lake includes cattail, pondweed, American lotus, spatterdock, rushes, water hyacinth, water lettuce, and hydrilla.
 
Recreational uses
There are no public parks or free boat ramps on the shore of Lake McQueeney. Many private homes line the perimeter of the lake. In the center of the lake is an extensively developed island called Treasure Island on which many vacation and summer homes have been built.
 
Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
Lake McQueeney
Lake McQueeney is located in Guadalupe County approximately two miles west of Seguin. The pond area is 400 acres with a storage capacity of 5,050 acre-feet. The lake’s prominent feature is Treasure Island, a residential area reached by a connecting bridge. Most of the lake is approximately 10 feet deep, with deeper sections along the center channel.
 
Access
McQueeney Marina and RV Boat Launch, 1901 Terminal Loop Road, (830) 557-9900. From San Antonio, take IH-10 East or IH-35 North to McQueeney FM 725 exit. Take FM 725 to Happy Haven Road, and follow Terminal Loop Road to Marina.
 
General Recreation
Boating, water skiing, jet skiing and fishing. Lake McQueeney is home to the ‘Ski-Bees’ ski club and is used heavily year-round by water skiers.
 
Fishing
Game species include largemouth bass, Guadalupe bass, striped bass, crappie and catfish. Largemouths spawn on McQueeney from late February into mid-April. Fishing early or late in the day minimizes contact with water recreation. Purple-yellow and black-chartreuse 4-inch plastic worms are good baits, as are a black jig ‘n’ pig (winter) and surface baits in hot weather. Throw around all structures on Treasure Island waterfront, especially during spawning periods. Look to rocky and gravel areas for Guadalupe bass, which follow same seasonal patterns as largemouths. Most stripers, which reach more than 15 pounds, are caught by anglers fishing for largemouths. Crappie are taken on medium minnows and jigs around the boat docks and under lily pads near the bridge. Trotlines and juglines are permitted for catfish (mostly channels and yellows). Channels in the 3-pound range are common. McQueeney held the state record for yellow catfish (104 pounds) for more than 30 years. Popular baits are chicken liver, worms, french fries and hot dogs soaked in fish attractor.
 
Contact
General Division Office
933 East Court Street, Seguin, TX 78155
Phone: 830-379-5822
Fax: 830-379-9718
   
TravelTex Activities
Lakes
City: Seguin   Region: Prairies and Lakes
Lake Placid is small lake on Guadalupe River southwest of city offer a public boat ramp. Lake McQueeney, 5 miles northwest, is touted as “water ski capital of Texas.”
 
HoytRentals.com
Lake McQueeney
Lake McQueeney, also known as the “Waterski Capital of Texas,” is a private lake featuring clear Guadalupe River water. McQueeney is nestled in the Texas Hill Country between San Antonio, which is 50 minutes to the South, and Austin, which is 55 minutes to the north.
 
The Lake Breeze Ski Lodge at Lake McQueeney also offers hourly ski pulls and ski lessons. The Ski Lodge phone number is 830/557-5736.
   
About McQueeney Hall
McQueeney Hall was built in 1914. It was the first general store in McQueeney, Texas, started by Ed Wuest. The general store originally sold clothes, groceries, seed, feed and other supplies to the small community. In 2004, the general store was completely renovated and converted into McQueeney Hall, a true Texas honky-tonk ballroom to serve as a live music venue and private party facility.
 
McQueeney is a small town on Farm Road 78, four miles west of Seguin in west central Guadalupe County. The town was originally built by German settlers around 1870.
 
When the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway was built through the area in 1876, the local stop was named Hilda. In 1900 C.F. Blumberg built a store a mile east of the Hilda rail stop. Hoping to persuade the railroad to move the stop from Hilda to his store, he called the site McQueeney, in honor of the superintendent of the Southern Pacific line. The post office which opened in 1900 was also called McQueeney, but the railroad did not move the stop from Hilda to the store site.
 
In 1914 McQueeney had two general stores and forty residents. At the end of the twentieth century, McQueeney had approximately 2500 residents.
 
Lake McQueeney, also called Lake Abbott, was built a mile northeast of the community in 1925 by means of a dam across the Guadalupe River. It became a popular area for recreation and summer homes. Lake McQueeney for years has been considered the waterski capital of Texas and to this day produces great waterskiers and wakeboarders.
 
Metro San Antonio In Focus (2004)
Pg. 64: Seguin
Just fifteen minutes from the downtown square rests beautiful Lake McQueeney, which is often heralded as the “Water Ski Capital of Texas.” There, at a spot known as Lake Breeze, the Lake McQueeney Ski Bees show-ski team, celebrating its 51st anniversary this year, entertains crowds from across Texas every Thursday night during the summer as young skiers make large human pyramids, show off with dare-devil wakeboard tricks and beautifully choreographed ballet lines.
   
2 July 2003, San Antonio (TX) Express-News, “Water fun abounds at Lake McQueeney” by Stephen Dove, pg. 1H:
Built in 1925 by damming the Guadalupe River, Lake McQueeney has become known as “the water ski capital of Texas.” It is one of five area hydro lakes.