Located on the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama, Pickwick Lake covers 47,500 acres. About 75 percent of the lake is within Alabama. What remains is in Mississippi and Tennessee.
While the lake offers excellent fishing for catfish, crappie and largemouth bass, it’s best know as a trophy smallmouth lake.
The most popular smallmouth fishing area is the section downstream of Wilson Dam to the end of Seven-Mile Island. The best fishing occurs when the generation discharge from the dam creates the strong current that puts smallmouth into the mood to feed.
The most popular areas to fish for crappie are Bear and Second creeks.
During the winter months, the Wilson Dam tailwaters provide excellent opportunities to catch sauger when they migrate upstream to spawn.
Bank access is available on the south side at Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. McFarland Park and Waterloo provide fishing on the north side.
Read more about how successful anglers find and catch Bama’s fish.