Alabama
Fishing Atlas
Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River from the south in 2025 — TVA hydroelectric dam with tailwaters feeding Pickwick Lake at Florence and Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Wilson Dam Tailrace: Where Wilson Pool Ends and Pickwick's Smallmouth Start

Tennessee River tailwater at mile 259.4 below the oldest TVA-administered dam — national-class smallmouth, wintering sauger and walleye, and the spring tournament water that Bassmaster's own anglers name out loud.

Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated

The Wilson Dam tailrace sits at Tennessee River mile 259.4 below TVA's 1924 Wilson Dam — the head of the Pickwick pool at Florence, famous for big smallmouth, wintering walleye and sauger, and B.A.S.S. Nation spring smallmouth.

GPS Waypoints (GPX)
Acreage
Tailwater reach — not an impoundment (no surface-acreage figure)
Max Depth
20-60 ft in the immediate tailrace eddies and scour hole
Length
Roughly 2-4 miles of productive tailwater before the Pickwick pool opens up below the Highway 72 bridge
Shoreline
N/A (tailrace reach at the top of the Pickwick pool)
Impounded
Not impounded — this IS the release below Wilson Dam (dam construction finished 1924; first electricity September 1925)
River System
Tennessee River / top of Pickwick Lake pool
Access
Public — McFarland Park (Florence, Lauderdale side) and public access on the Colbert side below the dam
01 · Overview

The Water

Wilson Dam is the oldest dam TVA ever administered. The dam closes the Wilson pool at river mile 259.4 between Florence and Muscle Shoals — 137 feet tall, 4,541 feet long, and the largest conventional hydroelectric facility in the TVA system at 663 megawatts net dependable capacity. The lock lifts boats 94 feet in a single chamber, the highest single-lift lock east of the Rockies. What runs out the bottom is Pickwick water. The first two-to-four miles below the dam is the tailrace proper, and it's the best fishable water on this part of the Tennessee River. Smallmouth stack year-round on chunk rock and the scour hole. Walleye and sauger push up every December through March. Jimmy Washam's 2025 B.A.S.S. Nation Pickwick preview named the Wilson Dam tailrace as the spring smallmouth draw — 30-pound winter bags Washam reported came on this water. McFarland Park at 200 James M. Spain Drive is the primary Alabama launch and sits directly in the tailrace reach, not upstream.

“Wilson Dam Tailrace 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
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 Wilson Dam Tailrace’s current pattern.

03 · The Calendar

Seasonal Playbook

Spring is the Wilson tailrace's national window. Jimmy Washam's 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Pickwick Qualifier preview called the Wilson Dam tailrace specifically as the draw for smallmouth — brown fish in every stage of the spawn depending on the day's weather, staging on gravel bars and chunk-rock transitions below the dam. A suspending jerkbait on ten-second pauses takes pre-spawn smallmouth from the low fifties through sixty degrees. A jighead minnow, a lipless crankbait, and a jerkbait are the B.A.S.S. Nation three-bait spring checklist for this water. Walleye peak in the tailrace March through early April — a 3/8-ounce jig tipped with a curly-tail grub bounced through the eddy line gets bit when bass fishermen are still looking for them. Sauger stay stacked in the same water. By late March the white-bass run pushes up with the sauger and walleye. Washam reported 30-pound winter bags from this water the year of the 2025 Qualifier — the tailrace fires.

Species on this water

#1

Smallmouth Bass

Year-round Wilson tailrace fish — Bassmaster's Jimmy Washam called the Wilson Dam tailrace the spring smallmouth draw for the 2025 B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier; 30-lb winter bags were on record at the time.

Creel limit
5/day (combined)
Best season
Spring/Fall
State record
8 lbs 1 oz (1986)
#2

walleye

Wilson tailrace is Alabama's signature walleye water — pushes up out of the Pickwick pool December through March on jigs and spoons below the dam.

#3

sauger

Winter concentration (Dec-Mar) on hair jigs and jigging spoons through the eddy line — stacks on the same water as the walleye.

#4

Striped Bass

Main-river stripers move below the dam chasing shad on generation — big swimbaits, live skipjack, heavy gear.

Creel limit
15/day (combined temperate bass)
Best season
Year-round
#5

white-bass

Spring push up the tailrace with the sauger and walleye — 1/4-oz spoons and rooster tails on light line.

#6

Catfish

Drifted skipjack and cut bait in the eddy current — blue and channel cats in the slack water off the main flow.

Creel limit
No statewide limit
Best season
Summer/Winter
#7

Largemouth Bass

Secondary — the tailrace is a smallmouth-first fishery, but largemouth show up on the rock and Highway 72 bridge pilings.

Creel limit
5/day (combined)
Best season
Spring
State record
16 lbs 8 oz
#8

Spotted Bass

Mixed on the chunk rock with smallmouth — Sheffield rock row on the south bank fishes spots year-round.

Creel limit
5/day (combined)
Best season
Spring
State record
8 lbs 15 oz
04 · The Pattern Library

Pro Tips

Tournament pros have been decoding Wilson Dam Tailrace 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.

2025 · spring

Jimmy Washam

Bassmaster — B.A.S.S. Nation Pickwick/Wilson Qualifier preview (2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance)
For smallmouth, Washam expects the Wilson Dam tailrace to be a popular area. Depending on the conditions, the brown fish could be in all stages of the spawn. Washam believes good bags of green fish can be caught anywhere on the lake, from the Wilson Dam to the Pickwick Dam. Main-lake and secondary points as well as gravel bars will hold bass this time of year. Largemouth that move shallow will hang around any type of hard cover like laydowns, stumps and rock.

The pattern: Washam's March 2025 Bassmaster preview named the Wilson Dam tailrace specifically as the spring smallmouth draw for the 2025 B.A.S.S. Nation Pickwick Qualifier. Washam told Bassmaster it had taken 30 pounds to win almost every winter tournament he had fished on Pickwick that year, with 20-pound bags not even cracking the Top 10 — the Wilson tailrace carries that kind of weight. Pre-spawn smallmouth stage on hard-bottom transitions and gravel bars below the dam; a suspending jerkbait, a jighead minnow, or a lipless crankbait through the low-fifty to sixty-degree window is the B.A.S.S. Nation three-bait checklist. This is the single piece of Alabama tailrace water that a top pro called out by name on a national preview.

2023 · summer

Capt. Brian Barton

Brian Barton Outdoors August Wilson/Pickwick forecast (late-August tailrace schooling)
This month officially kicks off the fall fishing season. The first half of the month will be tough, but by the end of the month the bite will slowly fire up. Bass will start to school in the tailraces gourging themselves on young shad. Stripers will become more abundant both in the tailraces and along points and creek mouths in the upper portion of the lake.

The pattern: Barton's August forecast reads the Wilson tailrace as it turns on for fall. By late August, bass school in the tailrace on young shad and stripers stack on the same water plus the upper-pool points and creek mouths. Tailrace lesson: the first two weeks of August are a grind, but late-August schooling below Wilson Dam is the leading indicator of the September-November live-bait window — watch for surface activity and shad balls before committing a full trip.

2023 · fall

Capt. Brian Barton

Brian Barton Outdoors October 2023 Wilson/Pickwick forecast (tailrace live-shad pattern below the dams)
It's finally here. The fall live bait fishing season has arrived. From now till late November will be Pickwick and Wilson Lakes finest fall fishing. From the results of my last few September trips, it's going to be special. Clients have boated 25 plus smallmouth bass, not to mention numerous other fish this last week. Best 5 fish averaging weights of 18-22 pounds. Threadfin shad are easily avaliable with the use of a livescope below either dam. Afternoon bite is best, due to TVA generating maximum flow from about 1 pm till after dark.

The pattern: Barton's October 2023 forecast is the measurable Wilson-tailrace fall pattern. Collect threadfin shad on livescope below Wilson Dam, fish them live on medium-action spinning tackle through the current seam, and weigh 18-to-22-pound best-five smallmouth bags from late September through November. TVA's afternoon generation window (1 p.m. to after dark) is when the bite stacks — morning trips miss it. Tailrace lesson: match the boat time to the powerhouse, not the alarm clock.

2023 · fall

Capt. Brian Barton

Brian Barton Outdoors September 2023 Wilson/Pickwick forecast (tailrace shad-collection setup)
September officially kicks off the fall live bait season. The young shad are beginning to school in large numbers, and most are now large enough to be collected in a 3/8" mesh cast net. Fish of all types are starting to congergate below the dams, mouths of creeks, and large main lake flats gorging on the young shad. All you need for fast fall action is a cast net, live bait tank, and some medium action spinning tackle. Catfish and white bass will be in their largest concentrations in the tailraces. Spotted bass are loaded on the 'rock row' at Sheffield and in the Buck Island area.

The pattern: Barton's September Wilson-tailrace setup: 3/8-inch mesh cast net and a live-bait tank, medium-action spinning rods. The tailrace below the dam holds catfish and white bass in their biggest concentrations of the year, and Barton names the 'rock row' at Sheffield on the Colbert (south) side for loaded spotted-bass stacks. Tailrace lesson: September is the setup month — start cast-netting shad now and you will be ready when the October-November live-shad window fires for smallmouth.

05 · Hire Local

Fishing Guides

Neutral listings — no paid placement.

Brian Barton Outdoors, LLC

Wilson Dam Tailrace, Pickwick Lake, Wilson Lake, Wheeler Lake

smallmouth bass · largemouth bass · spotted bass · striped bass · crappie · sauger · catfish · white bass

Neutral listing — no paid placement.

(256) 412-0969Website

Jimmy Mason Fishing

Wilson Dam Tailrace, Pickwick Lake, Wilson Lake, Wheeler Lake, Lake Guntersville

largemouth bass · smallmouth bass · spotted bass

Neutral listing — no paid placement.

(256) 762-0014Website

Pickwick Lake Fishing (Capt. Mark Alred)

Wilson Dam Tailrace, Pickwick Lake

striped bass · smallmouth bass · catfish

Neutral listing — no paid placement.

(662) 279-9819Website
06 · Planning the Trip

Stay & Eat

Where to Stay on Wilson Dam Tailrace

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 →

Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa (Marriott)

resort · Florence

10 Hightower Place, Florence, AL 35630

Full-service Marriott resort on the Tennessee River at the top of the Pickwick pool in Florence. Closest upscale property to McFarland Park and the Wilson Dam tailrace ramp.

Website → · (844) 631-0595

GunRunner Boutique Hotel

hotel · Florence

10-suite boutique hotel in downtown Florence. Named #1 Boutique Hotel in America by USA Today in 2024. Walk-in showers, wet bars, private-balcony suites. Downtown base a five-minute drive from the McFarland Park tailrace ramp.

Website →

Hampton Inn Midtown Florence

hotel · Florence

2281 Florence Blvd, Florence, AL 35630

Midtown Florence location off Florence Boulevard — standard angler-friendly stop for Wilson-tailrace trips on the Lauderdale side.

Marinas

Florence Harbor Marina

200 James M. Spain Drive, Florence, AL 35630

(256) 768-1299

Services: Boat slips (110 wet slips 20-60 ft) · Fuel and marine store · Two extra-wide boat ramps · Fishing piers · 50 campsites on-site

Inside McFarland Park at the base of the Highway 72 bridge crossing the Tennessee River — sits directly in the Wilson Dam tailrace reach on the Lauderdale side. Not upstream on the Wilson pool — this marina IS tailrace water.

Camping

McFarland Campground

rv park · Florence

1000 Jim M Spain Drive, Florence, AL 35630

City of Florence Parks and Recreation campground inside McFarland Park — adjacent to Florence Harbor Marina and the Wilson tailrace boat ramp. On-site with the ramp, not a drive-around. Online reservations through Campspot. Senior rate of $30 for ages 62+.

(256) 740-8817Website →

Where to Eat

Trowbridge's Ice Cream Bar

316 N Court Street, Florence, AL 35630 · Sandwiches, ice cream, old-fashioned lunch counter

(256) 764-1503

Downtown Florence lunch stop five minutes from the McFarland Park ramp. Handmade shakes and griddle sandwiches — quick in, quick out before afternoon tailrace sessions.

Ricatoni's Italian Grill

107 N Court Street, Florence, AL 35630 · Italian

(256) 718-1002

Family-oriented downtown Italian across from Trowbridge's — sit-down dinner for Florence weigh-in nights after tailrace tournament days.

Legends Steakhouse

201 N Seminary Street, Florence, AL 35630 · Steakhouse

(256) 766-5072

Open since 1988 in downtown Florence — dry-aged steaks, house sides, full bar.

Nearby Attractions

Wilson Dam

historic

National Historic Landmark (designated November 13, 1966) and the oldest TVA-administered dam — finished by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1924, first electricity generating unit September 1925. 137 ft tall, 4,541 ft long, 663 MW net dependable capacity. Overlook access on both the Lauderdale and Colbert sides.

McFarland Park

recreation

200 James M. Spain Drive, Florence, AL 35630

Florence Parks & Rec waterfront complex on the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam — 60-campsite campground, Florence Harbor Marina, two boat ramps, fishing piers, disc golf, soccer and baseball fields, playgrounds, lighted jogging trail, picnic pavilions. Family anchor for anglers' spouses and kids on Wilson-tailrace trips.

FAME Recording Studios

museum

Legendary Muscle Shoals studio established 1959 — Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Rolling Stones, Alicia Keys, Jason Isbell all tracked here. Tours available on tailrace off-days. Fifteen minutes south of the dam.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

museum

3614 Jackson Highway, Sheffield — the Swampers' studio, operated as a museum by the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation. Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Staple Singers all cut records here. Ten minutes south of the tailrace.

W.C. Handy Museum and Library

museum

The 1873 log cabin birthplace of the Father of the Blues, preserved in downtown Florence. Original sheet music, piano, African-American music archive. Five-minute drive from the McFarland Park ramp.

Helen Keller's Birthplace (Ivy Green)

museum

300 West North Commons, Tuscumbia — Helen Keller's birthplace and the outdoor pump where Anne Sullivan broke through with the word 'water.' Summer Miracle Worker outdoor play runs June and July. Fifteen minutes south across the Tennessee River.

Alabama Music Hall of Fame

museum

617 U.S. 72 West, Tuscumbia. Alabama's official music museum — Hank Williams, Nat King Cole, Lionel Richie, Emmylou Harris, the Commodores. On-site recording booth.

Rosenbaum House

museum

The only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Alabama — a 1939 Usonian commissioned by Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum. Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM-4 PM; Sunday 1-4 PM.

Around Wilson Dam Tailrace

Florence anchors the Lauderdale (north) side of the Wilson Dam tailrace. McFarland Park at 200 James M. Spain Drive holds the main boat ramp, Florence Harbor Marina, fishing piers, and a city campground — all on the tailrace shoreline directly below Wilson Dam, not upstream. This is one of the rare tailrace entities in the Atlas where the primary ramp and marina sit IN the tailrace reach, not on the parent pool. Downtown Florence is a five-minute drive from the ramp; Court Street and Mobile Street carry full-service lodging and restaurants after weigh-in. Across the river, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals sit on the Colbert (south) side of the tailrace. FAME Recording Studios on Avalon Avenue, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and Helen Keller's Birthplace in Tuscumbia are all within fifteen minutes of the dam — the rain-day / off-day family itinerary writes itself. The Renaissance Shoals Marriott and the GunRunner Boutique Hotel cover the upscale end in Florence; Hampton Inn Midtown covers the chain hotel layer; McFarland Campground covers the on-the-ramp RV option.

07 · Launch Day

On the Water

Boat ramps

concrete rampOpen

McFarland Park Boat Ramp

Florence

Parking
spots
Fee
Free

200 James M. Spain Drive, Florence. Two extra-wide city boat ramps and Florence Harbor Marina on the same footprint on the Lauderdale (north) side of the Tennessee River immediately below Wilson Dam. Short run upstream puts you directly in the tailrace reach. This IS tailrace water — the ramp sits in the top of the Pickwick pool below Wilson Dam, not upstream on the parent Wilson Lake.

Directions

Bait shops near the lake

  • Florence Harbor Marina

    200 James M. Spain Drive, Florence, AL 35630

    Visit site →

    Gas and diesel fuel dockPump-out station110 wet slips (20-60 ft)Marine storeFishing piers
    (256) 768-1299
Law

Regulations

Regulations on Wilson Dam Tailrace

Bass (combined)
10 black bass combined (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, Alabama) statewide daily limit — no more than 5 of the 10 may be smallmouth (ADCNR Freshwater Creel and Size Limits). · Pickwick Reservoir exception applies on the Wilson tailrace water: it is illegal to possess any smallmouth or largemouth bass less than 15 inches in total length (ADCNR Pickwick-Reservoir entry). The tailrace reach below Wilson Dam IS the Pickwick pool.
Crappie
30 per day. · 9-inch minimum total length on Pickwick Reservoir per the ADCNR digest.
Striped/White Bass
15 per day combined saltwater striped bass and hybrids — no more than 5 of the 15 may exceed 22 inches in total length.

Walleye: 2 per day statewide (ADCNR). Sauger: 5 per day, 15-inch minimum total length. White bass: 15 per day. TVA no-wake zones posted near Wilson Dam and the lock approaches. Tailrace reach below Wilson Dam is part of the Pickwick pool — Pickwick-Reservoir 15-inch smallmouth/largemouth minimum applies. Parent Wilson Lake above the dam runs a separate exception (15-inch smallmouth only). Always verify the current Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest before keeping fish.

Alabama fishing license required for all anglers 16 and older (residents and non-residents). Licenses valid September 1 through August 31; buy online through the ADCNR portal at alabamainteractive.org/dcnr_hf_license.. Always verify current rules before your trip.

Full Alabama fishing regulations ›
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FAQ

Wilson Dam Tailrace questions

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

  • Wikipedia — Wilson Dam (137 ft height, 4,541 ft length, 663 MW net dependable capacity, construction finished 1924, first electricity September 1925, TRM 259.4, NHL November 13, 1966, main lock 110x600 with 94-ft single lift, auxiliary lock 60x300 dual chambers) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Dam
  • Wikipedia — Wilson Lake (Alabama) — Wilson Dam tailrace at the bottom of the Wilson pool / top of the Pickwick pool — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Lake_(Alabama)
  • Wikipedia — Pickwick Lake (Wilson Dam tailwater as record-size smallmouth fishery at the top of the Alabama Pickwick pool) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickwick_Lake
  • Bassmaster — B.A.S.S. Nation Pickwick/Wilson preview quoting Jimmy Washam on the Wilson Dam tailrace as the spring smallmouth draw (2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier, Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance) — https://www.bassmaster.com/b-a-s-s-nation-tour/news/expect-a-springtime-slugfest-at-first-b-a-s-s-nation-event-of-the-season/
  • Brian Barton Outdoors — September 2023 Wilson/Pickwick forecast (3/8-inch cast-net shad, catfish and white bass concentrated in the tailraces, Sheffield rock row spotted-bass pattern) — https://www.brianbartonoutdoors.com/fishing-reports
  • Brian Barton Outdoors — October 2023 Wilson/Pickwick forecast (live-bait tailrace pattern below the dams, 18-22 lb best-5 smallmouth bags, TVA afternoon generation window 1 p.m. to after dark) — https://www.brianbartonoutdoors.com/fishing-reports
  • Brian Barton Outdoors — August Wilson forecast (bass school in the tailraces on young shad by late August; stripers abundant in the tailraces plus upper-pool points and creek mouths) — https://www.brianbartonoutdoors.com/fishing-reports
  • Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) — Freshwater Fishing Creel and Size Limits (Pickwick Reservoir 15-inch smallmouth AND largemouth minimum; sauger 5/day 15-inch; walleye 2/day statewide; crappie 30/day 9-inch; striped bass 15/day with no more than 5 over 22 inches) — https://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater-fishing-creel-and-size-limits
  • Alabama Interactive — ADCNR hunting and fishing license portal (licenses valid September 1 through August 31) — https://www.alabamainteractive.org/dcnr_hf_license/welcome.action
  • Florence Harbor Marina — facility page (200 James M. Spain Drive, fuel, 110 wet slips, two extra-wide ramps on McFarland Park) — http://www.florenceharbor.com/

Data last reviewed: 2026-04-19

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