Pickwick Lake - Smallmouth Fishing Bonanza!
Origin
Pickwick Lake offers 496 miles of shoreline, 85 miles of which is island shoreline. At normal maximum pool, the reservoir contains 924,000 acre feet of water, with a surface area of 43,100 acres. The origin of the name Pickwick dates back to the War Between the States.
History
Construction of the reservoir began December 20, 1934 with the first concrete being poured November 15, 1935. The dam was closed and filling of the reservoir began February 8, 1938. The lock opened for traffic February 19, 1938. The first generator went into operation June 29, 1938. The initial cost of the Pickwick project totaled $31,841,299 with the total cost after adding four generating units being $45,657,481. For construction of the reservoir 506 families had to be relocated and 427 agreements for gravesites, with 407 gravesites were moved. Pickwick Landing Dam has a maximum height of 113 feet, and a maximum width of 7,715 feet, with 4,687 feet of that being left embankment, and 977 feet of right embankment.Location
Located in northwest Alabama on the Tennessee River, Pickwick Landing Dam sits in Tennessee, but the majority of the reservoir floods Alabama. The total surface area at full summer pool is 47,500 acres. Pickwick Lake runs 50 miles from Pickwick Dam to the Shoals area in Alabama and Wilson Dam. McFarland Park at Florence can host major tournaments. Bass Habitat
Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are the most sought after species by anglers. Pickwick Lake's greatest reputation is its superb smallmouth bass fishing. A 14-inch minimum size restriction limits harvest of smallmouth bass in Alabama controlled waters. One of the most popular smallmouth fishing areas is the "Shoals" that reach directly downstream of Wilson Dam to the end of Seven-Mile Island. Generation discharge from Wilson Dam creates a strong current in this area that smallmouth bass love. The lower reaches of Pickwick provide excellent habitat for both largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Smallmouth bass habitat in Pickwick Lake is so good that several line class records have been certified by the International Game Fish Association. For more information on fishing Pickwick, check out this article by Reed Montgomery.
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