Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
Little Bear Creek Reservoir is a 1,560-acre TVA flood-control impoundment west of Russellville in Franklin County, Alabama — closed in 1976, one of four BCDA-managed Bear Creek Lakes, and defined by a 13-to-16-inch largemouth slot.
Little Bear Creek doesn't fish like its Upper Bear sister upstream. It's a wider, more open 1,560-acre pool — flood-control first, water supply second, no hydro plant — closed by TVA in 1976, thirteen miles west of Russellville, entirely in Franklin County. ADCNR calls it an infertile, clear-water reservoir that stratifies through summer, with dissolved oxygen restricted to the top eighteen feet in the hot months. The fishery runs on largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass plus crappie, bream, and channel catfish, with a 13-to-16-inch protective slot on largemouth that defines the place. ADCNR stocked 7,500 Florida-strain largemouth in 1981 and ran channel-catfish stockings in 2000 and 2004. BCDA provides three public ramps — Elliot Branch, McAffee Landing, Williams Hollow — plus campgrounds at Elliot Branch (38 sites, 11 peninsula cabins) and Williams Hollow (36 wooded sites plus 10 waterfront). Users 16-65 need a BCDA permit ($8.60/day or $33.60/year); TVA lowers the lake November 1 and refills February 15.
“Little Bear Creek Reservoir 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 Little Bear Creek Reservoir’s current pattern.
Lake level climbs starting February 15 when TVA begins the spring refill, and the fish climb with it. March through May is the peak open-water window — water warms from the low 50s into the 70s, and largemouth stage on rocky points off McAffee and the Elliot Branch arm before pulling into the cabin-cove and beach-cove spawning flats. A suspending jerkbait on long pauses catches staging fish on clear-water points in 6-12 feet. By April a wacky Senko or a Texas-rigged lizard covers the spawning flats. Crappie move into the back of the Williams Hollow arm and hang on timber and brush in 6-10 feet — a 1/16-oz jig tipped with a minnow catches fish all day. Smallmouth and spotted bass stage on chunk-rock points mid-lake; a shaky head with a finesse worm is the go-to. Channel cats turn on by late April when surface temps cross 65°F. Remember the 13-to-16 largemouth slot — harvest sublegals per ADCNR guidance.
June through August the reservoir stratifies and the top eighteen feet is your fishing window — ADCNR specifically calls out this summer oxygen ceiling. Keep your jig or drop-shot above that line. Largemouth pull shallow on shaded banks and cabin docks at Elliot Branch; a green-pumpkin jig flipped to laydowns, a frog on any matted vegetation, a buzzbait at dawn. Smallmouth and spotted bass key on main-lake rocky points and mid-lake ledges in 10-18 feet — a drop-shot, a small tube on a 1/4-oz head, or a Ned rig. Topwater schooling fires at first light when shad ball up on points off McAffee. Crappie suspend above the old creek channel in 12-18 feet; long-line small jigs, then vertical once you mark them. Channel catfish hold the creek-arm mouths on cut bait. Heat and clear water demand a morning bite — first light to 10 a.m. is the window.
September through November shad migrate into the creek arms and every gamefish follows. Largemouth and spotted bass chase shad along the main-lake shoreline, on secondary points up the Williams Hollow arm, and on cabin-peninsula transitions at Elliot Branch — a lipless crankbait, a shad-pattern ChatterBait on the points, a walking bait on calm mornings over beach-cove flats. Smallmouth slide deeper on main-lake rock as surface temps drop through the 60s — a drop-shot vertical on a point in 15-25 feet, a small swimbait parallel to the dam face, a tube on chunk-rock transitions. Crappie reload on brush and timber in 10-15 feet; long-line small jigs to cover water. Channel cats stay reliable on cut bait along the main channel. By mid-November the topwater window closes and TVA begins the winter drawdown — lake levels slowly drop starting November 1 for flood-control purposes, which concentrates fish on main-lake structure and exposes new rock and cover along the shoreline.
December through February Little Bear runs at drawdown pool. TVA slowly lowers the lake from November 1 and doesn't start the refill until February 15 — expect the reservoir several feet below summer pool through the cold months. That exposes new rock on main-lake points and pushes bass onto the deepest available cover. Surface temps drop into the 40s and smallmouth and spotted bass stack on the deepest rock — the dam face, main-lake bluffs, and transitions off McAffee. A suspending jerkbait on long pauses catches sunny-afternoon feeders above 48°F; a hair jig or blade bait fished vertical works the rock piles on cold-front days. Largemouth pull into the back of the Elliot Branch cabin cove and Williams Hollow arm on warming days — a slow-rolled spinnerbait, a jig-and-pig on wood. Crappie hold deep on brush in 18-25 feet; vertical minnows catch them. Check TVA lake levels before every trip — drawdown changes ramp usability.
Primary black-bass species. 13-to-16-inch protective slot — anglers are asked to harvest largemouth under 13 inches to improve growth rates. Florida-strain stocked 1981. ADCNR sampling has shown strong frequency of 8-12 and 15-20 inch fish.
Moderately low population of fast-growing fish per ADCNR — most fish measure 8-12 inches, reaching harvestable size in their second growing season. Statewide 9-inch minimum and 30/day apply. Brush tops and suspended fish over the old creek channel are the pattern.
Present across the Bear Creek Lakes on rock structure. No protective length limit — statewide aggregate of 10 black bass with no more than 5 smallmouth.
Third black-bass species on rock and wood; no protective length limit.
Channel catfish stocked by ADCNR in January 2000 (15,600) and January 2004 (15,636). Main-channel holes and creek-mouth flats.
scenic
901 Highway 8, Phil Campbell, AL 35581
Privately owned 85-acre nature conservatory in Phil Campbell, designated a National Natural Landmark in 1975. Home of the Dismalites (bioluminescent fly larvae) — night tours Friday and Saturday in season. About twenty minutes south of Russellville off US-43/AL-17 on Highway 8, roughly thirty minutes from the Elliot Branch ramp.
trail
26-mile Class I canoe and kayak run beginning below Upper Bear Creek Dam (upstream sister reservoir) and ending at Bear Creek Reservoir. TVA scheduled recreational releases run Saturday 6 AM through Sunday 4 PM Memorial Day through Labor Day from Upper Bear Dam — Little Bear is not part of the floatway release system, but the put-in is a 30-to-40-minute drive from the Little Bear ramps and is the Bear Creek system's flagship paddle trip.
Little Bear Creek Reservoir sits off State Highway 24 roughly thirteen miles west of Russellville — Russellville (Franklin County seat, population about 11,000) is the closest full-service town for gas, ice, groceries, and diner-style food. Phil Campbell sits eight miles south of Russellville and twelve miles from Dismals Canyon, and the tiny community of Hodges is the closest crossroads to Elliot Branch. There are no lakeside restaurants or marinas on Little Bear — recreation is the BCDA campgrounds (Elliot Branch and Williams Hollow), the three public ramps, and the eleven resort cabins on the Elliot Branch peninsula, which is the single best stay-on-the-water option in the entire four-lake Bear Creek system. Bear Creek Canoe Run (205-993-4459) and Oliver's Canoe Rental (256-356-2000) run canoe and kayak trips on the Bear Creek Floatway downstream of Upper Bear Dam, a thirty-to-forty-minute drive. Dismals Canyon is the standout off-water stop — a National Natural Landmark with a 1.5-mile canyon trail, two waterfalls, a swinging bridge, and seasonal Dismalites night tours. Russellville anchors the area for lodging (Russellville Hotel and Suites at 13770 Highway 43) and food.
Hodges
325 Elliott Branch Rd, Hodges, AL 35571 (Franklin County). Public ramp on Little Bear Creek Reservoir at the Elliot Branch Campground — high-traction paving, courtesy pier, public sand beach, 38-site campground, and 11 peninsula cabins. Camp manager Ed Cummings at (256) 627-1538. Primary full-service access for the reservoir.
DirectionsRussellville
585 Williams Hollow Rd, Russellville, AL 35653 (Franklin County). Public ramp on the upper-east arm of Little Bear Creek Reservoir at the Williams Hollow Campground — high-traction paving, courtesy pier, public beach, 36 wooded campsites plus 10 waterfront. Camp managers Amanda Black and Rick James at (256) 702-0740 or (256) 460-0201.
DirectionsRussellville
Public BCDA ramp on Little Bear Creek Reservoir in Franklin County — high-traction paving with a courtesy pier. Day-use only (no campground). Mid-reservoir access between Elliot Branch and the dam.
DirectionsLittle Bear Creek Reservoir is part of the TVA Bear Creek Project, managed for recreation by the Bear Creek Development Authority (BCDA). Anglers ages 16-65 must purchase a BCDA user's permit in addition to an Alabama fishing license; anglers with a legal Alabama disability license can use that in place of a BCDA permit per BCDA policy. Little Bear Creek Dam is operated by TVA for flood control and water supply — not a hydroelectric facility. TVA slowly lowers the reservoir beginning November 1 each year and begins the spring refill on February 15. The 13-to-16-inch largemouth protective slot is the key fishery regulation — enforced and actively promoted by ADCNR. Verify current ADCNR regulations at outdooralabama.com and current TVA operating conditions at tva.com before your trip.
Alabama fishing license required for all anglers 16 and older (residents and non-residents). In addition, the Bear Creek Development Authority requires a user's permit for every person ages 16-65 using BCDA lakes and facilities — $8.60/day or $33.60/annual per current BCDA pricing (bearcreeklakes.com/permits). Annual permits run October 1 through September 30. Lifetime permits are available in-person at the BCDA office.. 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 Little Bear Creek Reservoir:
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
