March 2022 Wilson / Pickwick Lake Forecast

                With the river continuing to flood the bass and stripe bite continues to be on fire. White bass are being caught in the eddy pockets from just below the dams up to 2-3 miles downstream. Rockpile recreation area and Safety harbor below Wheeler Dam are two good places to start. Smallmouth bass are being caught in the same general spots. The bass tend to be a little deeper and more on wing walls, points, and larger current breaks.

                Catfish bite has been good all week and should get better as the month progresses. Big blues are being caught below Wheeler Dam from the power lines down to near Cox Island. Big chunks of cut skipjack or whole shad are the best bait choices for big fish. Smaller catfish are stacked near the Shoals Creek bridge, Town Creek, and the mouth of McKerinan Creek. Start your search in 25 to 30 feet of water.

                Crappie are still a little slow but a few fish are being caught in Shoals Creek on Wilson Lake and Spring and Cypress Creeks just below Wilson Dam. Best bite is 6-12 feet of water on wood cover. Look for the fish to continue to move up as the weather warms. A few good strings were caught by shoreline anglers this week in McFarland Park.

February Wilson / Pickwick Lake Forecast

                The cold water hasn’t slowed down the bass bite much on area lakes. Pickwick headwaters continue to produce good strings of bass and stripe in the lower tailrace area. When the flood gates are open search for fish in eddy pockets off the main current flow in 2-6 feet of water. If current allows drop baits just behind wing walls and dikes for the best smallmouth bite. Wilson has been slower but the bite should improve with warming temperatures later in the month.

                Crappie have been slow with the rising flooding waters. A few fish are being caught down river in the Indian and Yellow Creek areas in 20-30 feet of water. Shoreline anglers are picking off a few in McFarland Harbor and the Rockpile Recreation area below the Wilson Dam.

                Sauger have slowed dramatically from the flurry we saw back in November. A few fish are being picked up at night and early morning by shoreline anglers. Red / Yellow hair jigs tipped with a minnow is best option.

                Catfish have been hard to come by lately. A few fish are being picked up in the deep waters of Wilson Lake but not many. Eating size cats are hit and miss in the Cane Creek area on Pickwick and around the Shoals Creek bridge on Wilson Lake.

                For guide booking call 256-412-0969 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

January Lake Forecast

                The smallmouth bite should continue to be really good in the Wilson and wheeler tailraces. Good strings were caught again this week. Start your search in eddy pockets near the dam. Fish have been holding in 3 to 7 feet of water. Humps and wash holes below Wheeler Dam have been yielding both big catfish and smallmouth bass. A few spots and largemouth are being caught in the backwater flats below both dams. Jigs, crank baits, and small swimbaits have been the ticket.

                Crappie are still biting well on lower Pickwick Lake. Bear Creek and Yellow Creek areas the best bet. Fish creek channel ledges in 18-30 feet of water. Look for fish on wood structure along creek ledges and other isolated cover. The Second Creek area near Waterloo and Little Bear Creek in the upper lake have also produced good numbers of fish.

                Catfish bite has been slow all winter and continues to lag. For big fish go to Wilson Lake and search for wood cover in 40-60 feet of water. The Jackson Island ledges near the dam has also produces some smaller fish. To fill the coolers with eating size fish try bridge piers in Shoals Creek, Town Creek, and the Natchez Trace Parkway bridge. For what ever reason small er fish are on the bridges very well right now.

For guide trip info contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I will resume guide trips March 15^th