Pickwick Lake is known mostly for the excellent trophy smallmouth bass fishing. You can usually find good numbers of fish and some big fish mixed in once you learn the better spots on this lake. It’s one of the better lakes in the entire country for targeting smallmouth bass and it gives anglers an opportunity to still fish for these fish when all the great smallmouth lakes up north are too cold to fish.
Catch Big Bass
Pickwick lake is one of the better big bass lakes in the country for smallmouth bass. Angler’s report smallmouth bass over 5 pounds throughout the year and there are good numbers of bigger fish here too. If you’re looking to target big smallmouth bass, this is a tough lake to beat.
Current Plays a Major Factor on Pickwick Lake
The Pickwick Lake dam is a large dam that moves a lot of water through the river system. Because of this, the current plays a large role in where the fish are and how they will be feeding. From Pickwick Lake Dam down, the current breaks on the main lake will be great spots to target smallmouth bass and other species of fish too.
Fish the Creeks
The creeks are popular places to fish especially in the spring since fish will be moving into the shallows to spawn. The fall is also a good time to fish the creek arms for a variety of fish. Good numbers of smallmouth bass are found out on the main lake most of the year, however, you can find smallmouth bass in the creek arms as well, but you will usually find more smallies by fishing the mouths of these creeks as well as points and other cover closer to the main lake.
Fish the Dam
The dam is famous for its excellent catfish and smallmouth bass fishing. You can catch just about any species of fish that swims in Pickwick lake around the dam, but the smallmouth bass fishing has become well known on Pickwick Lake due to the impressive catches that are consistently caught below the dam.
Fish the Main Lake
The main lake is very good for fishing especially, during the summer. Fish the river ledges, points and current breaks and you should be able to catch a variety of different types of fish. The rocky areas will usually hold more smallmouth bass while the areas with vegetation will hold more largemouth bass. The other species of fish in the lake will be mixed in around the rocks and the weeds.
Fish the Points
Pickwick lake has a lot of points to fish especially as you get further north towards the Mississippi / Alabama Border. Primary and secondary points can both definitely be effective. Many of the secondary points back in the creeks will usually be better in the spring and fall while the primary points off the main lake tend to be great summer and fall spots. All points aren’t created equal so make sure you’re looking for areas with access to deeper water. Current breaks will usually hold fish around these points. Rocks wood and vegetation will also help hold more fish.
Fish the Rocks
Pickwick Lake has lots of rocks and smallmouth bass love the rocks. You can find a lot of other species of fish around the rocks as well. Rocky areas near some current brakes tend to be some of the best places to fish if you’re targeting smallmouth bass around the rocks here.
Fish the Shorelines
With miles and miles of shorelines to fish, it may be difficult to pinpoint the best places to fish if you just want to target the banks. Current breaks along the shorelines are great places to target smallmouth bass.
Fish the Weeds
The weeds are going to hold way more largemouth bass than smallmouth bass, however, when you can find some areas that have good depth, some current nearby and some rocks mixed in with the vegetation, these spots can be awesome areas for smallmouth bass.
Fish the Wood
While you will hear a lot about fishing the dam, the ledges and the vegetation on Pickwick lake, don’t rule out fishing shoreline timber. There are many good spots along the shorelines where the current will help position the bass around the wood. Most Anglers will flip these spots with jigs for largemouth bass but don’t be surprised if you catch some smallmouth bass fishing the wood throughout both lakes.
Learn More About Smallmouth Bass
Our smallmouth bass section is huge with information on the best live baits, lures, where to catch them and how to catch them. Visit our smallmouth bass page to learn more.
