Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
Lake Purdy is a 990-acre Birmingham drinking-water reservoir on the Little Cahaba River with largemouth bass, spotted bass and crappie. The boat landing at 3780 Boat Launch Road rents boats Wednesday through Sunday; a jon boat is $20 a day.
Measured readings, not a bite prediction. Where each number comes from · All Alabama lakes today
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Lake Purdy is the lake most Birmingham fishermen drive past. It sits on the Little Cahaba River a short drive off Highway 280, and it is drinking water first: the water utility owns the lake and the woods around it, so there are no houses, no private docks and no jet skis. Outdoor writer Bryan Brasher, who caught his first fish and his first five-pound bass here, called it one of the most pleasantly underrated lakes in Alabama and credited its limited access. That access is the boat landing at 3780 Boat Launch Road. It rents jon boats, motor boats, a rigged bass boat, pontoons, kayaks and paddle boards, Wednesday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anglers on Fishbrain report largemouth bass most often, then spotted bass and black crappie, with channel catfish in recent reports. Two road bridges cross the lake, long wooded islands split the middle, and the dam closes the west end.
“Lake Purdy 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 Lake Purdy’s current pattern.
Spring is crappie time at Lake Purdy, and the landing treats it that way: its February 2026 report announced a crappie contest starting February 17 and said crappie were being caught close to the banks and from boats. That report put the water at about 58 degrees and about six feet low, so check the level before you plan around shallow cover. Bass move up as the water warms. Bryan Brasher's Bassmaster column on this lake describes bass feeding on shad around the shoreline, and the islands across from the landing give you more shoreline than anywhere else on the lake within a short paddle. A $20 jon boat and your own trolling motor will reach them. The landing lets you bring a trolling motor and an outboard of 10 horsepower or less for its no-motor boats. Call 205-991-9107 for a reservation; the shop takes phone bookings Wednesday through Friday and is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Summer is when a lake with no jet skis earns its keep. Brasher wrote about Lake Purdy as the place to go in the brutal months when bigger lakes are covered up with boats, and he laid out a full day. Start with topwater baits around the shoreline while bass are feeding on shad. Switch to crankbaits and catch a few a little deeper. Finish on the deep ends of long, sloping points with Carolina-rigged plastics. The landing opens at 6 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday, so you can be on the water for the early topwater bite. A three-hour rental on the rigged bass boat, with a 25-horsepower motor, trolling motor, live well and depth finder, is $125; the 9.8-horsepower motor boat is $65. The shop also rents no-motor boats at night, in person only before it closes. Bring drinking water and sun cover for a day in an open boat.
Fall follows the shad. The landing's own report describes the bass bite improving as the bait grows larger and the fish feed up ahead of winter, and it names the lures: swimbaits, spinnerbaits, Rattletraps and crankbaits. Those are all baits you fish on the move, which suits a small lake you can cover in a morning. Work the shorelines of the mid-lake islands, then the two bridges, Grants Mill Road on the upper end and Highway 119 on the southern arm. Brasher's shoreline topwater pattern is worth a try at first light on warm mornings. Water level is worth watching on a drinking-water lake, because the level is set by the water supply and not by fishing. The landing reported the lake about six feet low in early February 2026. Ask about the level when you book, and expect exposed points and a longer walk to the boats when it is down.
Winter is quiet and still worth the trip. The landing's report from February 4, 2026 gives the picture: water at about 58 degrees, the lake about six feet low, crappie being caught close to the banks and from boats, and a bass bite that was getting better on swimbaits, spinnerbaits, Rattletraps and crankbaits. Low water pulls fish off the bank cover and onto the points and channel edges, which is where Brasher's Carolina-rig advice fits: the deep ends of long, sloping points. Dress for it, because the jon boats and the bass boat are open aluminum boats with no shelter from the wind. Hours stay the same, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, but call first in bad weather. The shop gives rain checks, not refunds, when weather cancels a trip, and they are good for a year.
The fish reported most often on Fishbrain (184 anglers). Bryan Brasher's Bassmaster column describes bass feeding on shad around the shoreline, and says he caught his first five-pounder here.
Second most reported bass on Fishbrain (101 anglers).
Black crappie. The landing's February 2026 report had crappie caught close to the banks and from boats, and announced a crappie contest.
Channel catfish show up in recent Fishbrain reports.
Tournament pros have been decoding Lake Purdy for five decades. Every tip on this card is cited to the original weigh-in recap or angler interview — no paraphrased fluff, no invented quotes.
You can start your day at Lake Purdy fishing topwater baits for bass that are feeding ferociously on shad around the shoreline.
The pattern: Be at the landing when it opens at 6 a.m. and throw topwater on the bank first.
Then you can switch to crankbaits and catch a few out a little deeper before finally moving to the deep ends of long, sloping points with Carolina-rigged plastics.
The pattern: Follow the fish out as the sun gets up: bank, then mid-depth, then the ends of the points.
Water levels are down around 6ft
The pattern: This is a water-supply lake and the level moves. Ask about it when you book.
Birmingham
The lake's one boat landing and bait shop, at 3780 Boat Launch Road, Birmingham, AL 35242 (205-991-9107). Open Wednesday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday. Bassmaster's Bryan Brasher describes access here as by rental boat. Ask the shop before towing your own boat.
Directions3780 Boat Launch Road, Birmingham, AL 35242 · Wednesday–Sunday 6 a.m.–5 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday
Lake Purdy is a drinking-water reservoir owned by Central Alabama Water, the utility formerly known as Birmingham Water Works. The boat landing sets the boating rules: on its no-motor rental boats you may bring your own trolling motor and an outboard of 10 horsepower or less. Ask the landing (205-991-9107) about any other lake rules before your first trip.
Alabama fishing license required for all anglers 16 and older (residents and non-residents).. Always verify current rules before your trip.
Full Alabama fishing regulations ›15,263 acres
Spotted Bass · Largemouth Bass
12,000 acres
Spotted Bass · Largemouth Bass
9,200 acres
Largemouth Bass · Spotted Bass
Tailwater reach — not an impoundment (no surface-acreage figure)
Rainbow Trout · Striped Bass
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: 2026-11-10
