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Pickwick Lake Fishing Report

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

Smallmouth in the South: the tailrace lake where current grows brown giants.

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

Sources: USGS gauge 03590945, 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.

Pickwick Lake stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 5 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 100 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 from SECOND CREEK AT MANBONE ROAD NR WATERLOO, AL.

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 temp98 F
High / Low98 / 76 F
WindE 5-8 mph
Pressure1013.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 13%
Sunrise / Sunset06:27 / 19:14
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 · Overcast, 98/76 F, wind 6 mph, rain 13%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Pickwick Lake: 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 Pickwick Lake 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 Pickwick Lake 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 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

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 5 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 94 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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

Smallmouth: protective slots on portions: check TWRA/ADCNR by zone (three states touch the lake).

Access

McFarland Park, Florence Harbor, J.P. Coleman SP (MS), Pickwick Landing SP (TN).

About this water

43,100 acres on the Tennessee, AL/MS/TN. TVA, impounded 1938. The smallmouth tailrace of the South.

Fishing Pickwick Lake: the full guide

The smallmouth tailrace

Pickwick's identity flows from Wilson Dam: cold, oxygenated current that grows the South's best river smallmouth (six-pounders every winter on the bluff current seams). Downstream, the lake spreads into ledges and grass with largemouth of tournament class. When generators run, everything eats: the schedule is your bible.

Tailrace protocols

The Wilson Dam tailrace is the smallmouth cathedral: heavy current, big fish, real hazards. Boats hold on the seams and throw swimbaits or hair jigs; the discharge schedule dictates everything from safety to strike windows. Respect first, five-pounders second.

Down-lake variety

Below the smallmouth water, Pickwick spreads into ledges and grass with a largemouth program that wins June tournaments: Bear Creek and Yellow Creek arms fish classic TVA. White bass and stripe stack below the dam every spring: the everyman's bent-rod season.

Common questions

How big do Pickwick smallmouth run?

Six-pound fish come every winter, sevens are documented: the current-and-shad diet builds Tennessee River giants. February-April is the trophy window.

Current is the calendar

Pickwick lives and dies on generation: TVA's turbine schedule at both dams sets feeding windows more reliably than dawn or dusk. Running current positions bass on every ledge and bar face; slack water scatters them. The smart Pickwick day is planned backward from the release schedule: fish hard when water moves, scout or rest when it stops. The app is the almanac.

What is the Pickwick tailrace safety rule?

Life jackets on, kill switch attached, and never anchor in heavy generation: the Wilson discharge moves like a freight train. Fish the seams from repositioning drifts, not fixed anchors.

Is fishing good at Pickwick Lake 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

Wilson Lake29 miBay Springs Lake29 miCedar Creek Reservoir37 miWheeler Lake58 miDuck River75 miLewis Smith Lake79 mi
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