39 public waters in the Tennessee Valley region — 9 lakes/reservoirs and 30 rivers. Every one is public water fishable on an Alabama licence.
See every public fishing venue in Alabama on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Wheeler Lake (67,000 ac) — the second-largest lake in Alabama, from Guntersville Dam down to Wheeler Dam near Decatur/Athens. Largemouth on the grass and ledges, smallmouth in the tailrace, a huge striped- and hybrid-bass fishery below Guntersville Dam, Sauger in winter, plus Crappie and Catfish. The Elk River and First Creek arms are the bass hotspots.
A 106-acre lake off Grandview Boulevard in west Huntsville — largemouth and striped bass, bluegill and gar have been reported. Access has reportedly shifted to residents-only in recent years; confirm current public-access status before a trip.
The Madison County Public Fishing Lake, 15 miles northeast of Huntsville — largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish and crappie, plus roughly 3,000 lb of rainbow trout stocked each winter (Nov–Jan trout season). A $5 daily fishing permit covers ages 12+; boat ramp, pier, bait shop and concessions on site.
A roughly 52-acre reservoir near Hollytree in Madison County — not to be confused with the much larger Lewis Smith Lake near Cullman/Jasper. A small local bass and panfish water with limited published fishing data.
Within the 538-acre J.D. and Annie S. Hays Nature Preserve near Hampton Cove — Bar Lake here got an ADA-accessible fishing pier in 2024, and the preserve hosts an annual Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries 'Fishing for Fun Day' with a seining demonstration. Largemouth bass is the headline target.
A 19-acre DCNR-managed lake in Madison County — no dedicated fishing information is published online; expect the largemouth bass, panfish and catfish typical of Alabama's small public lakes.
A 16.7-acre DCNR-managed lake in Madison County — no dedicated fishing survey is published; expect the largemouth bass, panfish and catfish typical of Alabama's small public lakes.
An 11-acre TVA-managed pond near the Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area, in the Wheeler Lake backwater west of Huntsville. No dedicated species survey is published; expect the largemouth bass and panfish typical of small Tennessee Valley TVA waters.
Part of Sharon Johnston Park, about 20 minutes from downtown Huntsville — largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish, with a $1.50 daily fishing permit at the camp host. No bait is sold on site; covered pavilions and restrooms line the bank.
A clear-flowing Tennessee River tributary along Madison County's eastern edge — smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass are the main targets, plus white bass runs, fished mostly by wading or canoe. The upper reaches often cross private land; access is easiest from county-road bridge crossings.
One of Madison County's best-known float streams — spotted and largemouth bass dominate, with occasional smallmouth, plus rock bass, bluegill, longear sunfish and channel catfish. The lower river floats well from the Walelia landing on Patterson Road down to the Chickasaw landing at Hobbs Island Road; the upper section suits wade fishing.
Rises across the Tennessee state line and flows south through Madison County before crossing into Limestone County, emptying into the Tennessee River at Arrowhead Landing on the Wheeler refuge. A typical warmwater Tennessee Valley creek — largemouth and spotted bass, sunfish and catfish — with no fish-consumption restriction noted on the lower embayment.
Mostly a Morgan/Marshall-county stream that clips Madison County's southwest corner — largemouth, white and spotted bass, plus crappie working the laydowns, and healthy numbers on recent electrofishing surveys. Sharps Ford is the main put-in for the paddle downstream toward the Tennessee River.
A north Alabama tributary in the Tennessee Valley drainage — note that several Alabama creeks share this name, and this is the Madison County reach, not the better-documented Tuscaloosa County stream. No dedicated fishing survey is published for this stretch; expect the largemouth bass, sunfish and catfish typical of small Tennessee Valley creeks.
A Huntsville-area creek draining toward the Tennessee River and Wheeler Lake, known locally via the Indian Creek Greenway. No dedicated species survey is published; expect the largemouth bass, bluegill and catfish typical of Tennessee Valley tributary creeks.
The Flint River's main northwest tributary, joining near Moores Mill — rock bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass are the reported catches on this stretch.
In Madison County, Alabama, Beaverdam Creek is a 7 km river or creek. A warmwater Alabama river or large creek — largemouth and Spotted Bass, redbreast and Bluegill Sunfish, channel and Flathead Catfish, Bowfin and Gar. Access at bridges, county landings and WMA boat ramps.
A Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge water in the Flint River bottoms below Huntsville. The refuge is open to fishing year-round for bass, sunfish, crappie and catfish, though a few named sloughs elsewhere on the refuge have seasonal closures — check current Wheeler NWR fishing regulations before a trip.
A small north Madison County creek in the upper Flint River drainage near the Tennessee state line — no dedicated fishing data is published; expect typical Tennessee Valley panfish and bass.
The Flint River's main northeast tributary, draining the hill country toward Hazel Green — a short minor creek with the largemouth bass, sunfish and catfish typical of the Flint River headwaters.
A Huntsville-area creek known locally via the Aldridge Creek Greenway, draining toward the Indian Creek/Wheeler Lake system — largemouth bass, sunfish and catfish are the expected community.
A small southeast Madison County creek in the Paint Rock/Flint drainage — no dedicated fishing reports are published; expect the largemouth bass and panfish typical of the area's smaller tributaries.
Little Paint Creek is a short 13 km stream in the Tennessee Valley (Jackson, Madison, Marshall counties) that adds distinctive prey fish to the regional mix—longnose gar and bowfin inhabit its slower backwater sections alongside largemouth and spotted bass. Channel and flathead catfish, redbreast sunfish, and bluegill round out the catch.
A small west-central Madison County creek draining toward the Indian Creek/Wheeler Lake system — largemouth bass and panfish typical of the area's minor tributaries; no dedicated fishing data published.
At less than 10 km, Copeland Creek in Madison County punches above its weight as a Tennessee Valley fishery featuring bowfin and longnose gar—species less common in the neighboring Cahaba system. Largemouth and spotted bass, catfish, and native sunfish species offer varied angling in this small but species-rich stream.
A headwater tributary of Limestone Creek in far north Madison County near the Tennessee state line — shares that creek's warmwater community on a smaller scale.
Tyrone Creek spans Limestone and Madison counties in the Tennessee Valley as a 10.5 km creek defined by its population of bowfin and longnose gar, making it a draw for anglers seeking those specialty species. Largemouth and spotted bass, channel and flathead catfish, and redbreast sunfish and bluegill complete the mixed warmwater option.
A small north-central Madison County creek in the Flint River drainage — no dedicated fishing survey published; expect typical Tennessee Valley panfish and bass.
Bradford Creek's 10 km run through Madison County in the Tennessee Valley makes it a compact alternative to larger regional streams, with bowfin and longnose gar adding character to the largemouth and spotted bass core. Channel and flathead catfish, redbreast sunfish, and bluegill ensure consistent panfish and catfish action throughout the season.
Drains the Big Cove valley east of Huntsville toward the Flint River — a well-known local landmark, though no dedicated fishing survey is published for the creek itself.
Spanning three counties (Jackson, Madison, Marshall) in the Tennessee Valley, Tremble Creek is a 10 km waterway where bowfin and longnose gar inhabit deeper pools and slower sections among the region's more abundant largemouth bass, spotted bass, and dual-species catfish population. Redbreast sunfish and bluegill round out the native panfish complement.
A small creek at Madison County's northern tip on the Tennessee state line, in the Limestone Creek headwaters — no dedicated fishing survey published.
Killingsworth Cove Branch threads through Madison County in the Tennessee Valley as a 9.5 km tributary known for bowfin and longnose gar among its slower reaches. Bass (largemouth and spotted), catfish (channel and flathead), and native sunfish deliver traditional warmwater fishing in an intimate, publicly accessible creek setting.
A small creek near Madison County's northern boundary at the Tennessee state line, in the Limestone Creek system — no dedicated fishing survey published.
A 7.7 km Tennessee Valley stream in Madison and Morgan counties, Bartee Branch offers solid smallwater bass and panfish opportunity. Largemouth and spotted bass are the primary draw, supported by redbreast sunfish, bluegill, and channel catfish; flathead catfish, bowfin, and longnose gar add diversity for anglers working the shallows and woody cover.
Located in Madison County's Tennessee Valley region, this 8.7 km creek is a navigable public water managed by Alabama, featuring a full warmwater roster: spotted and largemouth bass, panfish (redbreast sunfish and bluegill), plus channel and flathead catfish. Bowfin and longnose gar patrol the deeper holes and undercut banks.
Cole Spring Branch spans 8.4 km across Jackson and Madison counties in the Tennessee Valley, mixing spotted and largemouth bass habitat with productive panfish and catfish water. The creek's navigable sections yield redbreast sunfish, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bowfin, and longnose gar.
This 8.3 km Madison County creek in the Tennessee Valley supports a balanced fishery of black bass (largemouth and spotted), panfish (redbreast sunfish and bluegill), and both channel and flathead catfish. Early-morning topwater or live-bait approaches work well on the bowfin and gar that inhabit the structure.
Yellow Bank Creek, an 8.2 km public navigable water in Madison County's Tennessee Valley, delivers consistent largemouth and spotted bass fishing alongside redbreast sunfish, bluegill, and catfish (channel and flathead). Bowfin and longnose gar are bonus targets in the creek's slower reaches and deeper pools.
Across its mapped waters, Madison County holds 22 species on PiscaMaps, including Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Spotted Bass, Flathead Catfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Longnose Gar and Bowfin.
Ramps, put-ins and species for every water — plus the carp layer no other US app has.
Open the Alabama map Join PiscaMapsOne Alabama fishing licence covers every public water in the state, the Sipsey Fork trout tailrace included (no trout stamp) — resident annual about $14, non-resident annual about $56, with non-resident 1-day and 7-day options. ADCNR State Public Fishing Lakes charge a small daily permit at the gate, and WMA waters need a WMA licence. Alabama residents 65+ fish free. Buy at OutdoorAlabama.com.