The latest Lake Wedowee Alabama fishing report shows spotted bass and slot-limit largemouth dominating this clear 10,660-acre Tallapoosa River reservoir, where isolated timber and rocky points produce the bites that win weekend tournaments.
Lake Wedowee is the Tallapoosa River held back by R.L. Harris Dam, completed by Alabama Power in April 1983 and stretching twenty-four miles across Randolph and Clay counties. Anglers also call it R.L. Harris Reservoir, and most tournament trails list it both ways. The water runs clear most of the year, spotted bass have no size limit, and largemouth between thirteen and sixteen inches are slot-protected and must go back. That single rule shapes how locals fish here. The 2023 Alabama Bass Trail 100 winners, Rusty White Jr. and Brian Elder, weighed 20.07 pounds by ignoring the numbers bite and hunting isolated cover in two to eight feet of water with deep water nearby. Ten-thousand acres of clear water, timber flats, rocky main-lake points, and bluff walls on the lower end. The Atlas shows you where.
“Lake Wedowee 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
Fishing Lake Wedowee on video
Fishing in Lake Wedowee — Absolutely Outdoors
Absolutely Outdoors (Wedowee coverage)
02 · Bite Windows
Solunar Forecast
Major and minor solunar windows shift daily with the moon’s transit. Fish the windows above, or check the Seasonal Playbook below for Lake Wedowee’s current pattern.
03 · The Calendar
Seasonal Playbook
March through May is the window Wedowee regulars fight for. Jackson Bonner calls it dynamite — water climbs from the upper fifties into the seventies, and when temps hit 57 to 60 degrees in February the fish move shallow early and stay there through the spawn. Target the Little Tallapoosa River mouth first. Muddy inflow holds the warmest water in the lake in late winter, and a Bagley balsa squarebill or a half-ounce black-and-blue jig on the rocky banks between the SR 431 bridge and Swagg Ramp produces when nothing else will. By early April the spawn runs in Fox Creek, Crescent Creek, and the Foster Bridge flats — wacky worms, lizards, and ChatterBaits in two to six feet. Slot-protected largemouth are thick on beds, so you must sort for overs. Spotted bass spawn on the same rock but five to ten feet deeper. Post-spawn fish slide to secondary points and eat shaky heads through mid-May.
June through August the lake sets up clear, deep, and technical. Surface temps push past eighty-five, spotted bass school on main-lake rock points, and the largemouth bite slides out to ten to twenty feet on the timber flats near Crescent Creek and the lower-end bluff walls. First light is shallow — topwater walkers on main-lake points, swim jigs across stumps, a buzzbait on the bank before the sun gets high. By nine the shallow bite is done. Deep-diving crankbaits on the rock points, drop-shot on the bluff walls down to forty feet, and a Carolina rig dragged across the timber flats earn the keepers. The night bite matters here. Lighted docks hold crappie and spotted bass from June through August, and a swimbait on a quarter-ounce jighead fished under a dock light will pull fish when the day trip failed. Striper and hybrid schools chase shad off the lower-end points after dark.
September into November, shad push into the creek arms and the bass follow. Water temps drop from the mid-eighties through the sixties, the clear water stains up after the first hard rain, and the topwater bite opens back up. Shad migration runs up Fox, Crescent, Allen, and Foster Bridge creeks — lipless crankbaits, ChatterBaits, and a shad-pattern medium-diving crankbait worked on secondary points produce all day long. Jay Gazaway, featured in Alabama Outdoor News, targets resident bass rather than chasing migrators — he keys on bluffs in ten to twelve feet of water in November and rotates a topwater plug, crankbait, lipless bait, spinnerbait, and jerkbait until he finds the active depth. Bone and shad squarebills fished fast and deflected off cover will trigger reaction strikes from spots and largemouth both. By late November the schooling slows, but steady bluff-wall work on the lower end still pulls good bags into winter.
December through February the bite tightens but never dies. Bass stack on the lower-end bluff walls from fifteen to forty feet, the A-rig turns on once the surface drops below fifty-two, and the warm-water tributary pattern sets up on the Little Tallapoosa mouth whenever a front pushes muddy inflow into the upper lake. The 2023 Alabama Bass Trail 100 was won here on January 23 by Rusty White Jr. and Brian Elder with 20.07 pounds — boat sitting in twelve to twenty-two feet of water, casting into two to eight feet at isolated clumps of timber and small rock piles next to deep water. Strike King and Blue Ridge crankbaits and a True Shot roller spinnerbait were the baits. February builds toward the pre-spawn on the warmest water in the lake — the Little Tallapoosa arm runs two to four degrees warmer than the main lake and fish stage on rocky banks all the way from the 431 bridge up through the Foster Bridge corridor.
12-month calendar
Tap any month to expand pattern notes. Legend: B = Bass · C = Crappie · S = Striper · Cf = Catfish.
Tournament pros have been decoding Lake Wedowee 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.
n/a · fall
Jay Gazaway (via Ronnie Garrison)
Alabama Outdoor News — Lake Wedowee November feature
I like to target resident fish, those that live in a certain area all the time, rather than chasing migrating fish. In November, he focuses on bluffs in that 10- to 12-foot depth range. He says that is always a good depth to start this time of year to find the fish.
The pattern: Gazaway's fall pattern is resident-fish-focused rather than migration-chasing. November rotation: topwater plug (water in 65-70°F range), crankbait, lipless, spinnerbait, and jerkbait on 10-12 ft bluff structure. His Booyah squarebill in bone or shad fished fast and deflected off cover triggers reaction strikes — the bait's erratic action is the key.
2023 · winter
Rusty White Jr. & Brian Elder
2023 Alabama Bass Trail 100 — Lake Wedowee (Jan 23)
The boat was between 12-22 feet, so we targeted structure in 2-8 feet — small piles or small clumps of trees that came out of deep water that gave fish one thing to be the primary killzone. We came to win. We could have gone down the bank and caught 50-60 fish, but we were fishing for big fish. We targeted very specific structure and isolated cover.
The pattern: Winter winning pattern on Wedowee: boat positioned in 12-22 ft of water, casts landing in 2-8 ft on isolated cover. The team used a Strike King custom-painted Chick Magnet for the 5-6 ft fish, a Blue Ridge Bait Co. Roller Shad on the deeper casts, and a True Shot roller spinnerbait for when the crank bite died. 20.07 lbs for $26,000 total payout.
n/a · winter
Jackson Bonner
FishingBama — Lake Wedowee bass fishing feature
Springtime is like a stick of dynamite. When water temperatures reach 57 to 60 degrees in February, fish move shallow and the fishing is incredible.
The pattern: Bonner's late-winter Wedowee pattern keys on the Little Tallapoosa River mouth — muddy inflow runs warmest, and the rocky banks between the SR 431 bridge and Swagg Ramp concentrate pre-spawn fish. A Bagley balsa squarebill is his go-to; a 1/2-oz black-and-blue jig is the follow-up on the same rock when the surface drops below 52°F. Nine- to eleven-pounders show here most springs.
2023 · winter
Brian Adamson & Ryan Lloyd
2023 Alabama Bass Trail 100 — Lake Wedowee (2nd place, Jan 23)
Teams will be targeting fish in the less than 10-feet range throwing shallow crank baits and chatter baits. Catching numbers is not a problem; it's just finding the right size.
The pattern: Adamson and Lloyd weighed 18.50 lbs by fishing a main-river flat on the south end around a sunken boat that held a huge school. Zoom Swimmer in shad, Strike King 6XD in Citrus Shad, and a Big Sac brown jig. On Wedowee the slot limit means five-fish limits are easy — keeper-sized largemouth above 16 inches are the actual scoring problem.
Lodging near the ramps. Some links below are affiliate partnerships (Booking.com, VRBO) — they cost you nothing extra and help keep the Atlas free. Full disclosure →
Old Waters Inn
hotel
121 Main Street S, Wedowee, AL 36278
Historic inn on Wedowee's Main Street — primary downtown lodging for Lake Wedowee anglers, walking distance to Miss Amber's breakfast. Independent property, not a chain.
Services: Boat sales (new and pre-owned) · Service · Adjacent to Highway 48 Bridge ramp
Full-service dealer on AL-48 next to the main tournament launch.
Camping
Fox Creek RV Park
private · Wedowee · RV sites with lake access
RV hookups · Adjacent to Little Fox Creek ramp · Bank fishing
Near New Harmony Church Road off AL-48 West. Walk-to ramp access to the Fox Creek arm.
Flat Rock Park (Day-Use)
private · Wedowee · Day-use only — no overnight camping
Pavilions · Picnic tables · Grills · Restrooms · Swimming area · Nature trail · Designated fishing area
25-acre Alabama Power preserve. Open weekends May-Memorial Day, daily Memorial Day through Labor Day. Reservations (256) 396-2338.
Accessibility
Flat Rock Park on the west side of the lake has designated bank-fishing and swimming areas with paved parking and restrooms. Most Alabama Power public ramps are concrete with paved parking. Verify ADA specifics with Alabama Power Shorelines before travel — call (256) 396-2338 for Flat Rock Park pavilion and access questions.
Lineville restaurant ~20 minutes north of Wedowee on AL-48 — Southern plates, catfish. Convenient stop for anglers launching from the upper-pool access.
25-acre Alabama Power preserve on the west side of the lake with granite outcrops, nature trail, swimming area, designated fishing area, pavilions, picnic tables, grills, and restrooms. Weekend hours May-Memorial Day and Labor Day to late September; daily Memorial Day through Labor Day. No dogs.
Day-use area with miles of walking trails, pollinator plots, gazebos, and bank-fishing shoreline. Dogs allowed on leashes.
Wedowee Downtown Historic District
historic
Randolph County seat. US Highway 431 and Alabama Highway 48 intersect in the downtown square — small-town restaurants, the county courthouse, and the Wedowee historical marker commemorating R.L. Harris Reservoir.
Around Lake Wedowee
If you're launching at the Highway 48 Bridge ramp, Wedowee Marine South is right next door for last-minute tackle or service. For bait and ice before sunrise, Lake Wedowee Bait & Tackle at 13447 Highway 48 (256-357-2498) opens at 5:30 AM most weekdays and earlier on Saturday. Lake Wedowee Lakeside Marina, Market & Grill at 21143 Highway 431 (256-357-2033) sits on the north end with a ramp, bait, and a kitchen for post-weigh-in food. Day-trippers hit Flat Rock Park — a 25-acre Alabama Power preserve with granite outcrops, a nature trail, and a designated swimming beach for the family while you fish the bluff walls below it. Randolph County seat Wedowee sits where US-431 meets AL-48 in the middle of the lake, with diners and gas stations on the downtown square. Tournament weeks the 48 bridge ramp parking fills by 5 AM — plan accordingly.
07 · Launch Day
On the Water
Boat ramps
concrete rampOpen
Highway 48 Bridge Ramp
Wedowee
Parking
spots
Fee
Free
AL-48 crossing of the Tallapoosa River. Most Alabama Bass Trail tournaments launch from this ramp.
Alabama Bass Trail 100 — Lake Wedowee (season opener)
2023-01
Rusty White Jr. & Brian Elder
20.07 lbs (5 fish)
Strike King custom-painted Chick Magnet crankbait (5-6 ft), Blue Ridge Bait Co. Roller Shad (deeper), True Shot Custom Lures Roller Spinnerbait — isolated structure in 2-8 ft next to deep water
Alabama Bass Trail 100 — Lake Wedowee (2nd place)
2023-01
Brian Adamson & Ryan Lloyd
18.50 lbs (5 fish)
Zoom Swimmer swimbait (shad), Strike King 6XD (citrus shad), Big Sac brown jig — main-river flat on the south end with sunken-boat structure
Late February through May when the water warms from the upper 50s into the 70s and the fish stage on rocky banks and spawn in the creek arms. Fall (October-November) is the second-best window for shad-run fish on the creek-arm points.
Largemouth bass between 13 and 16 inches are protected and must be released. Spotted bass have no size limit. The daily bag is five bass combined across largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth.
The Highway 48 Bridge ramp is the most common tournament launch on the lake. Swagg Public Ramp and Foster Bridge are the next most-used launches for main-lake and upper-lake access.
Yes. All anglers over age 16 need an Alabama fishing license, regardless of residency. Daily, weekly, and annual licenses are available online from ADCNR.
Yes. Spotted bass are abundant on main-lake rocky points with no size limit, which makes Wedowee one of the better spotted-bass destinations on the Tallapoosa chain. Electronics and finesse tactics on rock points produce limits year-round.
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 →
Citation
Data sources
—Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) — Outdoor Alabama Harris Reservoir page
—Alabama Power — R.L. Harris Dam and Shorelines project information
—Wikipedia — Lake Wedowee (R.L. Harris Reservoir) article and infobox
