Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
Hays Nature Preserve is a 538-acre City of Huntsville preserve where anglers fish Bar Lake — a Flint River oxbow with a 2024 ADA pier — no license required, plus permit-only Flint River access for bass, bluegill, and catfish.
Hays Nature Preserve is 538 acres of Flint River lowland on the south edge of Huntsville, five minutes off Sutton Road in Hampton Cove — the largest undeveloped parkland inside the city, donated by the Hays family in 1999. Anglers come for two distinct waters inside one preserve. Bar Lake is a no-license, no-permit oxbow pond with a 2024 ADA-compliant fishing pier — the James Gordon Williams Pier, funded by an $85,000 private donation and opened by Mayor Tommy Battle in July 2024. The Flint River runs through the preserve's eastern side; Cherokee Landing is the paddle take-out for the 11.5-mile Ryland Pike-to-Hays segment and requires both a state license and a city permit. The Alabama Scenic River Trail documents the Flint here holding largemouth and spotted bass, occasional smallmouth, rock bass, bluegill, longear sunfish, channel catfish, and bullheads. This is a family-first, quiet-water fishery at the foot of Monte Sano — not a trophy bass destination, but a legitimately documented public fishing water.
“Hays Nature Preserve holds fish in patterns you can set your watch to. The bite isn't a secret — it's what most fishermen don't know about where the grass thins onto a hard ledge.”
Alabama Fishing Atlas Editorial
Major and minor solunar windows shift daily with the moon’s transit. Fish the windows above, or check the Seasonal Playbook below for Hays Nature Preserve’s current pattern.
March through May is the strongest window at Bar Lake. Largemouth push into the shallow oxbow edges and the pier is a reasonable ambush point for cruising pre-spawn fish. Bluegill bed in the shallow flats in late April and May — cricket under a small bobber off the James Gordon Williams Pier is the quiet-family presentation, and a foam popper on a 3-weight fly rod covers the same water harder. The Flint River is up and stained in spring; paddlers and bank anglers working Cherokee Landing target spotted and largemouth bass on small crankbaits and spinnerbaits in the eddies and tailouts. Channel cats are scarce until water warms past 60°F, so late April and May turn on the bottom bite with nightcrawlers or chicken liver off the pier at dusk. Bar Lake needs no license and no permit; the river requires both.
June through August Bar Lake warms fast. Bluegill stay thick on the pier — a cricket under a slip bobber or a foam spider on a fly rod keeps kids' rods bent through the July Fishing For Fun Day. Largemouth go early and late — wacky-rigged Senko on shaded bank cover at sunrise, small buzzbait or popper at first light. Catfish peak in summer — chicken liver or cut shad off the pier end after dinner. The Flint River is the better summer fishery for anyone willing to walk or paddle: the Alabama Scenic River Trail reports the Ryland Pike-to-Hays stretch best in summer and fall, with an ultra-light spinning outfit or short fly rod for spotted bass, largemouth, rock bass, longear sunfish, and channel catfish. Check USGS 03575100 Brownsboro gauge — 7 to 8 feet is the target paddle level.
September through November the preserve is at its quietest and most pleasant. Bar Lake cools off the summer pattern — a small lipless crankbait or a chatterbait covers the shoreline for largemouth feeding up, and bluegill move from the pier pilings to deeper brush that you fish with a small jig tipped with a red wiggler. Catfishing off the pier holds up through October while water temps stay above 60°F. The Flint River fishes well into October — the Alabama Scenic River Trail explicitly lists summer and fall as the best paddling seasons, and the cooling flows pull spotted bass into the pools and riffles. Birdwatching picks up (the preserve is on the North Alabama Birding Trail) so share the trails with the binocular crowd. The annual Huntsville Green Team Earth Day celebration uses the preserve each April but fall is low-traffic by contrast.
December through February the preserve drops to maintenance-mode fishing. Bar Lake is cold, shallow, and slow — occasional bass on a slow-rolled small swimbait or jerkbait off the pier at midday when air temps climb, and channel catfish on cut bait or nightcrawler for anyone willing to sit still. The Flint River runs high and often off-color in winter; the USGS 03575100 Brownsboro gauge spikes with rain events and the paddle trail is not the play. The preserve itself is open year-round — the 10 miles of riparian trails make a productive scouting walk ahead of spring, locating wood, bends, and oxbow connectivity before the water warms. No trout are stocked at Hays — the preserve is not part of the ADCNR winter trout program. For stocked winter rainbow trout near Huntsville, drive eleven miles east to Madison County Public Fishing Lake in Gurley.
Largemouth bass are the headline game fish at Hays — the Alabama Scenic River Trail confirms 'excellent fishing for bass, bluegill, and catfish' on the Flint River stretch ending at the Hays/Cherokee Landing take-out, and local angler video reports from Bar Lake document personal-best largemouth caught at the preserve.
Bluegill are a core family-fishing species at Bar Lake and a published Flint River resident at Hays — crickets and red wigglers under a bobber off the James Gordon Williams Pier is the classic Bar Lake bream presentation and the backbone of the city's annual Fishing For Fun Day.
Channel catfish are published for the Flint River at Hays (Alabama Scenic River Trail) and are a standard Bar Lake species — chicken liver, nightcrawlers, and cut bait off the pier at dusk is the water here.
recreation
450 Old Highway 431 South, Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail facility immediately adjacent to Hays Nature Preserve — two 18-hole courses (the Highlands and the River), clubhouse, and practice facility. The most natural pair for a fish-and-golf day at Hays.
state park
5105 Nolen Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
Alabama State Park on the mountain directly above Hampton Cove and Hays — overlook, cabins, lodge, biking and hiking trails. A 15-20 minute drive from the preserve via Governors Drive and Monte Sano Boulevard.
trail
City of Huntsville greenway that connects into the Hays Nature Preserve trail network — extends the 10+ miles of riparian trail and makes multi-hour hike-plus-fish days possible from a single parking area.
museum
1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805
The official visitor center for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and home of Space Camp — Saturn V on display, indoor and outdoor exhibits. About 20-25 minutes from Hays via Governors Drive and I-565.
Hays sits in Hampton Cove at the foot of Monte Sano, a short drive from the Huntsville core. The Hampton Cove course of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is next door — a convenient fish-and-golf combo. Monte Sano State Park climbs the mountain right above the preserve with overlook cabins, a lodge, and hiking trails, a 15-20 minute drive up Governors Drive. Big Cove Creek Greenway connects into the preserve trail network for longer walks. For a family day, downtown Huntsville is fifteen minutes away with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Big Spring Park as the anchor stops — but unlike the Madison County PFL entry, the core draw here is the preserve itself: 10 miles of lowland riparian trails along the Flint River, a documented North Alabama Birding Trail stop, and quiet oxbow water to fish without a license. Lodging is Huntsville-based.
Huntsville
Cherokee Landing is the named Flint River access inside Hays Nature Preserve, at 34.643805, -86.465769 — the downstream take-out for the Alabama Scenic River Trail's 11.5-mile Ryland Pike-to-Hays paddle route. Paddle, wade, or bank access only — there is no concrete launch ramp for power boats on Bar Lake, and Bar Lake itself is not connected to a navigable boat channel. Check USGS 03575100 (Flint River at Brownsboro) gauge before paddling: ideal is 7-8 feet on the gauge, roughly 4 feet of actual river depth. All state and local fishing licenses apply on the Flint River — a permit is required to fish the river within the preserve.
DirectionsHays Nature Preserve is a City of Huntsville nature preserve, not an ADCNR-managed Public Fishing Lake. Per the City of Huntsville nature preserve rules: fishing is permitted in Bar Lake without a permit and is subject to posted limits; fishing the Flint River within the preserve requires a City permit AND all state and local licenses; all pets must be leashed (6-foot max); horses are permitted only on designated equestrian trails; standard state Alabama creel, size, and seasonal regulations apply on the Flint River. No swimming, no alcohol, and no hunting inside the preserve. Hours are dawn to dusk. The James Gordon Williams ADA Pier is accessible via a sidewalk from the front parking area. Bar Lake creel and size rules are posted at the lake — verify signage before keeping fish. For current rules and updates, contact the Huntsville Green Team / Parks and Recreation at 256-427-5000.
Bar Lake: no Alabama fishing license required, no City of Huntsville permit required — fishing is subject to posted limits only. Flint River within the preserve: Alabama fishing license required for anglers 16-64 AND a City of Huntsville permit required. Contact the City at 256-427-5000 for current permit information.. Always verify current rules before your trip.
Full Alabama fishing regulations ›67,100 acres
Bass · Crappie
River
Stripers · Bass
10,370 acres
Bass · Crappie
15,930 acres
Bass · Catfish
More on Hays Nature Preserve:
Fishing regulations, water conditions, and seasonal patterns change. Alabama Fishing Atlas provides informational content only. Verify all regulations with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before fishing, keeping any fish, or launching watercraft. We are not liable for decisions made based on information published here. Full disclaimer →
Data last reviewed: 2026-04-19
