Tennessee Valley Fly Fishers

Fishing North Alabama’s Creeks and Rivers

North Alabama’s small creeks and rivers offer great fishing opportunities. These knee-deep creeks feature crystal clear water, riffles, pools loaded with sunfishes, rock bass, red eye bass and an occasional smallmouth bass.  There is often little fishing pressure and the fish are eager to take a fly. Like trout, some sip,some gobble, while others charge the fly resembling a torpedo launched from across the creek.

Many of these creeks are on private land and owner permission is required while others have been declared navigable waters by the state and can be floated or waded freely.  Additional information, including a list of navigable creeks and rivers, can be obtained by visiting Outdoor Alabama. Be aware, the landowner own both banks of navigable creeks and rivers and access is limited to public bridges and highway right-of-ways (Generally 30 feet from the center line of the road). Goggle Earth and a GPS make locating access points easy. Visit Outdoor Alabama for information on where to fish and your copy of a courtesy card useful in requesting access from landowners. 

Small creeks and rivers are especially sensitive to fishing pressures. With the per person limits of bream (50) and black bass (10) being so high, the practice of catch and release is vital to the health of the fishery. It only takes one or two limits to seriously impact a small creek for years to come. A good rule of thumb is, the smaller the water the greater the impact. It is vital that we all do our part in maintaining our local fisheries by encouraging fisherman to “limit their kill instead of killing their limit”.