COLBERT COUNTY-A poll released by the Birmingham-based Bassmaster Magazine confirmed what many anglers around the Shoals have been saying for the past couple of years; Pickwick Lake is the best bass fishing lake in Alabama.
The poll, which ranked the Top 25 bass lakes in the Southeast, listed Pickwick as number 5. It was the highest ranked lake in Alabama – beating out popular bass fishing destinations such as Guntersville Lake, which was ranked ninth and Logan Martin, ranked 25th. North Carolina’s Shearon Harris Lake was ranked as the top bass reservoir in the Southeast, followed by the Santee Cooper Lakes in South Carolina, Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee and Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
The annual rankings are based on information collected from state fish and wildlife agencies and input from bass anglers throughout the nation.
“I am not surprised. Pickwick has been amazing this year,” said Tennessee River fishing guide Cameron Gautney of Muscle Shoals. “I am seeing a lot more boats on Pickwick. People are coming all from all over the country to fish Pickwick.”
Gautney said as recently as two years ago, most of his clients wanted to fish for bass on Guntersville Lake. Now, 90 percent of his fishing trips are on Pickwick Lake. In the 2016 Bassmaster survey, Gunterville Lake was ranked number five in the Southeast and Pickwick Lake was ranked seventh.
Tim Horton, a Bassmaster Elite Series professional angler and outdoors television personality, said Pickwick Lake is deserving of its ranking as the top bass-fishing lake in Alabama. “The bass fishing on Pickwick is red hot right now. It’s absolutely on fire. Lots of big largemouth and big smallmouth are being caught.”
Horton, of Muscle Shoals, attributes the number of big bass being caught on Pickwick to the proliferation of aquatic vegetation on the lake. “The grass has turned Pickwick into one of the best lakes in the country.
“You used to be able to win most any bass tournament on Pickwick with five fish that weighed a total of 20 pounds. Now 20 pounds will not even get you a check in some tournaments,” Horton said. “It’s taking 30 pounds to win a lot of the tournaments now on Pickwick.”
The 47,500-acre lake, which has been called the Smallmouth Bass Capital of the Word, was completed in 1938.
Pickwick Lake’s upstream neighbor, Wilson Lake, was ranked 18th in the Bassmaster survey.
Gautney said Wilson Lake is also a great place for catching big largemouth and smallmouth bass.
“Wilson doesn’t get the attention that Pickwick get, but it’s also full of big bass,” Gautney said.
Susann Hamlin, president and CEO of Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said both lakes are huge tourist attractions.
“We have people from all over the world who come here to fish our lakes,” Hamlin said. “They come here to fish and stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, buy gas, shop and visit other attractions. It’s great for the local economy. With both of our lakes being ranked among the top lakes in the Southeast, we are going to be having even more visitors coming here to go fishing.”
For more information on fishing in Pickwick lake, or places to stay and attractions in northwest Alabama, contact Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau at 800-344-0783 or 256-383-0783.
