FISHING GUIDE · PICKWICK LAKE, ALABAMA

Pickwick Lake (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee) Fishing Guide

Pickwick is a big Tennessee River lake best known for smallmouth bass, along with largemouth, crappie, catfish and striped bass. The swift water below Wilson Dam is the headwaters of the lake, and anglers say smallmouth bite best when TVA is moving water. Three states share the lake, so know whose water you are in and which limits apply.

📍 Pickwick Lake, a TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River where Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee meet. Pickwick Landing Dam is on TN Hwy 128 at Pickwick, Tennessee; the lake runs about 53 miles south along the Mississippi-Alabama line, then east into Alabama up to Wilson Dam in northwest Alabama.

📅 Alabama Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Southeast Lakes map →

Quick facts

TVA built Pickwick Landing Dam from 1934 to 1938; it is about 113 feet high and nearly 1.5 miles long, with two locks.
At summer full pool the lake covers about 43,100 acres with nearly 490 miles of shoreline.
Wilson Dam, at the top of the lake, was finished in 1925; its main lock lifts boats 100 feet, the highest single-lift lock east of the Rockies.
TVA says the Wilson Dam tailwater at Pickwick's upper end is known for record-size smallmouth bass and catfish.
A Tennessee-Alabama-Mississippi reciprocal agreement covers Pickwick from the dam up to Tennessee River Mile 224.8 at the mouth of Bear Creek.

What you can catch

Smallmouth bass
Top target; best when current is running. 15-inch minimum in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee waters.
Largemouth bass
Follow shad into bays and pockets in fall; 15-inch minimum.
Catfish
TVA notes record-size catfish in the Wilson tailwater; only 1 over 34 inches per day in AL and TN.
Crappie
9-inch minimum; 30 per day in AL, MS and TN waters.
Striped and hybrid striped bass
Caught below Wilson Dam with bass; TN limit 2, 15-inch minimum.
Sauger and walleye
Sauger 15-inch minimum in AL and TN.
White bass
TN Pickwick limit 15, no length limit; AL 15.

Month by month

January	Winter fishing; check TVA generation schedules for current below the dams.
February	Winter fishing; current helps the smallmouth bite.
March	Spring fishing; check local reports.
April	Paddlefish season opens April 24 in Tennessee waters only (no paddlefish harvest in Mississippi's Pickwick waters).
May	Tennessee paddlefish season ends May 31.
June	Summer fishing; bass bite better when current runs.
July	Summer fishing; check generation schedules.
August	Summer fishing; check generation schedules.
September	Smallmouth start hitting topwater lures in fall.
October	Strong current through Wilson Dam; smallmouth, largemouth and stripers below the dam and on bridge pilings; largemouth follow shad into bays.
November	Fall fishing; check local reports.
December	Winter fishing; check local reports.

Tips

Below Wilson Dam, fish the calm eddies behind rocks and swim baits down with the current.
Smallmouth often suspend on the first bridge pilings below Wilson Dam; try a drop-shot along the piling.
Watch for back current (about a quarter mile long) below Wilson Dam when several gates are open, and use care in heavy current.
The reciprocal area stops at Bear Creek; fishing farther up into Alabama water needs an Alabama license.
Follow the limits of the state whose water you are fishing, even under the reciprocal agreement.

Rules and license

Alabama DCNR (ADCNR); Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA); Mississippi DWFP (MDWFP); TVA operates the dams · Official rules page ↗

Reciprocal agreement: a valid sport fishing license from TN, AL or MS lets residents of those states fish Pickwick from Pickwick Dam up to TRM 224.8 (mouth of Bear Creek), not including Bear Creek or Yellow Creek south of the Hwy 25 bridge.
Anglers from other states (non-residents of AL, MS, TN): check current rules for which license you need.
Alabama Pickwick: no smallmouth or largemouth under 15 inches; black bass 10 per day (no more than 5 smallmouth); crappie 30, 9-inch minimum; 1 catfish over 34 inches.
Mississippi Pickwick: black bass under 15 inches released, 10 per day; crappie under 9 inches released, 30 per day; no paddlefish harvest.
Tennessee Pickwick: black bass 5 per day, 15-inch minimum; crappie 30, 9-inch minimum; 1 catfish over 34 inches; striped/hybrid 2, 15-inch minimum; walleye 5 (16-inch); sauger 10 (15-inch).
Tennessee paddlefish: 2 per day, April 24 - May 31; culling not allowed.
Alabama: sturgeon and paddlefish must be released; skipjack herring from the Tennessee River can't be sold.
License fees: check current rules with each state.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 14 boat ramps and 2 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Aqua Yacht Harbor
Brush Creek Boat Launch
Cane Creek Boat Ramp
Colbert Ferry Boat Ramp
Grand Harbor Marina
Rose Trail Park Boat Ramp
Waterloo Riverside Boat Ramp
Waterloo Second Creek Boat Ramp

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.