*Pickwick Lake is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and is owned and managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The MDWFP Fisheries Bureau manages the lake's fisheries resources and provides weekly fishing reports.

Covering 43,100 acres, Pickwick Lake, which borders Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi, is the 4th largest impoundment on the Tennessee River. It is owned and managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The reservoir extends 52.7 miles from Wilson Dam (river mile 259.5) in Florence, Alabama to Pickwick Landing Dam (river mile 206.7). The lake is nationally recognized as one of the best bass fishing lakes in the country.

Per a reciprocal agreement, a Tennessee fishing license is valid in parts of Mississippi.

Fishing Report

SpeciesDetail

 

Bass

 

The bass bite has been good to great recently, with some bigger-than-average largemouth bass being caught for this time of year, and fish in the 5-7 lb. range haven't been uncommon.  So far, the big schools of shad are still out in deeper water, hovering close to the bottom in 15-25' of water.  Jig-and-pig/grub combos have been working very well, but finding the right color combo has been the key.  Quite a few smallmouth are being caught currently, and although most have been on the smaller side, this bodes well for upcoming years.  Worms and other slow presentations have been catching fish as water temperature continues to drop.
CatfishThe catfish bite has been fair this past week with anglers having success using cut/whole shad and Kool-Aid flavored chicken.  Target gravel bars and shallow ledges out of the current for a decent bite.
CrappieThe majority of crappie anglers who are catching fish have been using forward-facing sonar.  Mill, Bear, and Yellow Creeks over deep structure and cover have been popular areas.  

Pickwick Lake water level

Pickwick Lake Special Regulations

Creel and Size Limits

SpeciesLengths to ReleaseDaily Creel Limits
Black Bass (combined largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth)Under 15 inches10 per angler
Crappie (combined black and white)Under 9 inches30 per angler
CatfishNo Length Limit1 over 34 inches per angler, no creel limit equal to or under 34 inches.

Statewide creel and size limits apply to all other fish species

*Pickwick Lake (JP Coleman State Park) Interactive Map

Find and learn more about *Pickwick Lake (JP Coleman State Park)...