The lake and the dam that creates it are owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and managed by the City of Corpus Christi.

The reservoir covers 25,670 acres (103.9 km2) in Live Oak and McMullen counties, and has a capacity of more than 695,000 acre-feet (857,000,000 m3) of water.

Choke Canyon Reservoir provides drinking water for the city of Corpus Christi.

Plant life in the lake includes American pondweed, coontail, water stargrass, rushes, cattail, and hydrilla.

The site hosted a rare bird, a Spotted Rail, in December 2020, attracting hundreds of birdwatchers.