Clean your boat trailers! Giant Salvinia is a highly invasive floating aquatic plant that is present in this lake. Please remove all vegetation from your boat trailer before leaving the launch areas.
*Columbus Lake is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE). The MDWFP Fisheries Bureau manages the lake's fisheries resources and provides weekly fishing reports.
Covering 8,910 acres, Columbus Lake is the largest reservoir along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. It was opened in 1981 and is owned and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The reservoir extends 22 miles from Aberdeen Lock and Dam (mile 357.5) to Columbus Lock and Dam (Stennis Lock and Dam, mile 334.7). Historically, Columbus Lake has been a popular destination for bass and crappie anglers from around the state and the west central region of Alabama.
Fishing Report
| Species | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bass | Bass fishing remains fair to good. During the day Texas-rigged soft plastics, jig-n-pig combos, rattletraps, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits are all good choices to get some bites in deeper water. Try topwater lures like frogs and buzzbaits early in the morning and late in the evening around stumps and vegetation. |
| Crappie | The crappie bite is fair to good. Anglers are having luck around deeper banks in the old river runs, laydowns, and the gravel pits, and targeting woody cover in various depths to find fish. Contrasting colored jigs work better than minnows in dirty water conditions, but one may outcompete the other depending on the day. |
| Catfish | Anglers are doing well below the dam. The submerged logs along the deep side of the old river run between the marina and the East Bank boat ramp is a good place for tightlining. Most catfish baits (cut/whole shad, liver, nightcrawlers) are catching fish. Jug fishing can be good just along the channel. Hand grabbling season opened Thursday, May 1st in Mississippi and anglers are having success already with blues and flatheads. |
Giant salvinia is a highly invasive aquatic plant found throughout the Tenn-Tom Waterway. It is critical that anglers visiting the lake clean their boats and boat trailers to reduce the possibility of transferring this plant to other water bodies. Giant salvinia is extremely difficult to eradicate once it becomes established.
Columbus Lake Special Regulations
Columbus Lake Special Regulations
Creel and Size Limits
| Species | Lengths to Release | Daily Creel Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Black Bass (combined largemouth, spotted and smallmouth) | 14 inches and under | 10 per angler |
| Crappie (combined white and black) | 9 inches and under | 30 per angler |
Statewide creel and size limits apply to all other fish species
*Columbus Lake Interactive Map
Find and learn more about *Columbus Lake...