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Cedar Creek Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Franklin County's clear pocket: Alabama's spotted-bass sleeper stacks quality on bluffs the highway crowds never find.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
97 / 98 F
Wind
ESE 8 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Cedar Creek Reservoir serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassSlow

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 102 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp97 F
High / Low98 / 73 F
WindESE 8-10 mph
Pressure1013.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain19% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset06:26 / 19:13
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 98/73 F, wind 8 mph, rain 7%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cedar Creek Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Cedar Creek Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cedar Creek Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 96 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Alabama requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Alabama license (+BCDA permit). Bass standard: check ADCNR/BCDA.

Access

BCDA ramps and campgrounds around the reservoir.

About this water

4,200 clear acres, Franklin County, AL. The northwest's spotted-bass sleeper.

Fishing Cedar Creek Reservoir: the full guide

The northwest sleeper

Cedar Creek Reservoir pools 4,200 clear acres in Alabama's quiet northwest: a Bear Creek system lake running spotted-and-largemouth quality over bluff structure: the state's sleeper tier: known to Muscle Shoals locals, missed by everyone chasing the TVA names.

Bluff-and-point program

The spots ride the rocky structure (jerkbaits and drop shots in the clarity, winter's damiki game on the steep ends), largemouth work the creek pockets' wood, and the clear water demands finesse manners: fluorocarbon, distance, dawn.

The supporting card

Crappie stack planted brush (a solid local program), bream fill the flats each May, and channel cats patrol the creek channels: with the Bear Creek system's sister lakes (Little Bear, Big Bear) minutes away for the multi-stop day.

Franklin practicalities

Bear Creek Development Authority runs access (ramps, camping: modest fees): the water's clarity is the region's swimming draw (summer middays share): and Russellville anchors supplies. The quiet is structural: enjoy the sleeper while it sleeps.

Common questions

Why haven't I heard of Cedar Creek AL?

Geography: the northwest corner sits off the tournament trails. The spots don't mind: quality stacks quietly on the bluffs.

When do Cedar Creek spots bite?

Winter's steep-end suspension game and the spring point rotation: clarity makes dawn and dusk the honest windows year-round.

What other lakes share the Bear Creek system?

Little Bear and Big Bear sit minutes away under the same BCDA umbrella: clear-water sisters with trout stockings (Little Bear's tailrace) and quieter coves. The multi-lake day is the northwest corner's quiet luxury: one permit covers the circuit.

Is fishing good at Cedar Creek Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Bay Springs Lake30 miWilson Lake32 miPickwick Lake37 miLewis Smith Lake47 miWheeler Lake48 miBankhead Lake71 mi
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