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List of lakes of Alabama facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Alabama is home to many beautiful lakes! This list focuses on lakes that are open to everyone and have fish you can catch for sport. These lakes are managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or other state and federal groups. You can often go swimming or boating in these lakes, but always check the rules for each one first!

Alabama's Public Fishing Lakes

The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division helps manage 23 public lakes across 20 counties in Alabama. These lakes are different sizes, from about 13 acres to 184 acres. Together, they cover a total of 1,912 acres! Since the 1940s, the main goal of this program has been to offer great fishing spots that are affordable and easy to reach, especially in parts of Alabama that don't have many natural lakes.

These lakes were first stocked with popular fish like largemouth bass, bluegill (also called bream), redear sunfish (shellcracker), and channel catfish. Over time, white and black crappie have also become common in many of these lakes. Every fall, more channel catfish are added. Some lakes even get special fish like hybrid striped bass and rainbow trout each year!

Lakes in District 1

  • Fayette County Lake: This 60-acre lake is about 6 miles southeast of Fayette, off County Road 26.
  • Lamar County Lake: A 68-acre lake located about 8 miles west of Vernon on Alabama State Route 18, then 5 miles north off County Road 21.
  • Madison County Lake: This 105-acre lake is about 11 miles east of Huntsville.
  • Marion County Lake: A 37-acre lake found about 6 miles north of Guin off U.S. Route 43.
  • Walker County Lake: This 163-acre lake is about 3 miles southeast of Jasper, off old U.S. Route 78.

Lakes in District 2

  • Clay County Lake: This is actually a group of three lakes, measuring 13, 23, and 38 acres. They are located about 1 mile west of Delta on Alabama Highway 47.
  • DeKalb County Lake: A 120-acre lake found about 1 mile north of Sylvania off County Road 47.

Lakes in District 3

  • Bibb County Lake: This 100-acre lake is about 5 miles north of Centreville off Alabama State Route 5.
  • Dallas County Lake: A 100-acre lake located about 11 miles south of Selma off Alabama Highway 41.

Lakes in District 4

  • Chambers County Lake: This 183-acre lake is about 5 miles southeast of La Fayette on Chambers County Road 83. It has a convenient pier near the boat ramp.
  • Lee County Lake: A 130-acre lake located about 6 miles southeast of Opelika. You can get there by taking Alabama Highway 169 south from I-85, then 1 mile west on Lee County Road 146. This lake is special because it's the only one with cabins for fishermen and also has a pier by the boat ramp.
  • Weiss Lake: Located in Cherokee County, this huge lake covers 32,000 acres. It's famous across the country as the "Crappie Capital of the World" because of its excellent crappie fishing!

Lakes in District 5

  • Escambia County Lake (Leon Brooks Hines Lake): This large 184-acre lake is in the Conecuh National Forest, about 23 miles east of Brewton off County Road 11.
  • Monroe County Lake: A 94-acre lake located about 5 miles west of Beatrice off County Road 50.
  • Washington County Lake (J. Emmett Wood Lake): This 84-acre lake is about 2 miles west of Millry off County Road 34.

Lakes in District 6

  • Barbour County Lake: A 75-acre lake located about 6 miles north of Clayton off County Road 49.
  • Crenshaw County Lake: This 53-acre lake is about 5 miles south of Luverne off U.S. Route 331.
  • Dale County Lake (Ed Lisenby Lake): A 92-acre lake found about 1 mile north of Roy Parker Road (Dale County Road 36) in Ozark.
  • Geneva County Lake: This lake actually has two parts, 33 and 32 acres in size. They are located about 20 miles southwest of Enterprise off County Road 63.
  • Pike County Lake: A 45-acre lake located about 5 miles south of Troy off County Road 39.

Major Public Reservoirs

Many large lakes in Alabama are actually reservoirs, which are artificial lakes created by dams. These are often managed by groups like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alabama Power, or the Tennessee Valley Authority. They are important for things like power generation, flood control, and, of course, recreation!

Alabama's Public Reservoirs
Reservoir Nearby Town River Basin Size (Acres) Managed By
Aliceville Aliceville Tombigbee 8,300 Army Corps of Engineers
Bankhead Hueytown Warrior 9,200 Army Corps of Engineers, Alabama Power
Bartlett's Ferry Fairfax Chattahoochee 5,860 Georgia Power
Bear Creek (Big Bear) Red Bay Tennessee 670 Tennessee Valley Authority
Big Creek Mobile Escatawpa 3,600 City of Mobile, Alabama
Cedar Creek Russellville Tennessee 4,200 Tennessee Valley Authority
Claiborne Monroeville Alabama 5,930 Army Corps of Engineers
Coffeeville Jackson Tombigbee 8,500 Army Corps of Engineers
Columbia Columbia Chattahoochee 1,540
Dannelly Selma Alabama 17,200 Army Corps of Engineers
Demopolis Demopolis Tombigbee 10,000 Army Corps of Engineers
Eufaula Eufaula Chattahoochee 45,180 Army Corps of Engineers
Gainesville Gainesville Tombigbee 6,400 Army Corps of Engineers
Gantt Andalusia Conecuh 2,747 Alabama Electric Cooperative
Goat Rock Phenix City Chattahoochee 1,000 Georgia Power
Guntersville Guntersville Tennessee 69,100 Tennessee Valley Authority
Holt Tuscaloosa Warrior 3,296 Army Corps of Engineers
Inland Oneonta Warrior 1,536 Birmingham Water Board
Jones Bluff Montgomery Alabama 12,510 Army Corps of Engineers
Jordan Wetumpka Coosa 6,800 Alabama Power
Lay Columbiana Coosa 12,000 Alabama Power
Little Bear Creek Red Bay Tennessee 1,560 Tennessee Valley Authority
Logan Martin Talladega Coosa 15,260 Alabama Power
Martin Alexander City Tallapoosa 39,000 Alabama Power
Mitchell Clanton Coosa 5,850 Alabama Power
Neely Henry Lake Gadsden Coosa 11,235 Alabama Power
Oliver Phenix City Chattahoochee 3,000
Oliver Tuscaloosa Warrior 2,220 Army Corps of Engineers
Opelika City Opelika Tallapoosa 565
Pickwick Florence Tennessee 41,515 Tennessee Valley Authority
Point A Andalusia Conecuh 700 Alabama Electric Cooperative
Purdy Birmingham Cahaba 1,050 Birmingham Water Board
R. L. Harris Wedowee Tallapoosa 10,661 Alabama Power
Smith Cullman, Jasper, & Winston Warrior 21,200 Alabama Power
Thollocco Ozark Choctawhatchee 604
Thurlow Tallassee Tallapoosa 585 Alabama Power
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Warrior 5,885 City of Tuscaloosa
Upper Bear Creek Haleyville Tennessee 1,850 Tennessee Valley Authority
Warrior Eutaw Warrior 9,100 Army Corps of Engineers
Weiss Centre Coosa 30,200 Alabama Power
West Point Lanett Chattahoochee 25,864 Army Corps of Engineers
Wheeler Decatur Tennessee 68,300 Tennessee Valley Authority
Wilson Florence Tennessee 15,930 Tennessee Valley Authority
Yates Tallassee Tallapoosa 1,980 Alabama Power

Other Important Public Lakes

Beyond the state-managed fishing lakes and large reservoirs, Alabama has many other public lakes that are great for recreation. Some of these even stretch into neighboring states like Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida!

Lakes in Mobile County

Mobile County has several interesting lakes. Here are some of them:

Lake Location (Coordinates)
Alligator 30°15′N 88°05′W / 30.25°N 88.09°W / 30.25; -88.09
Big Chippewa 31°02′N 87°59′W / 31.03°N 87.98°W / 31.03; -87.98
Big Creek 30°44′N 88°20′W / 30.74°N 88.34°W / 30.74; -88.34
David 31°06′N 87°58′W / 31.10°N 87.97°W / 31.10; -87.97
Dead 30°53′N 87°59′W / 30.89°N 87.99°W / 30.89; -87.99
Duck 30°47′N 88°02′W / 30.78°N 88.04°W / 30.78; -88.04
Haas 30°52′N 88°13′W / 30.86°N 88.21°W / 30.86; -88.21
Little Chippewa 31°02′N 87°58′W / 31.03°N 87.97°W / 31.03; -87.97
Louts 31°04′N 87°58′W / 31.07°N 87.97°W / 31.07; -87.97
McLean 30°38′N 88°09′W / 30.64°N 88.15°W / 30.64; -88.15
Oleander 30°15′N 88°05′W / 30.25°N 88.08°W / 30.25; -88.08
Sheppard 31°07′N 87°58′W / 31.11°N 87.97°W / 31.11; -87.97
Spring 30°38′N 88°23′W / 30.64°N 88.38°W / 30.64; -88.38
Zedol 30°59′N 87°58′W / 30.99°N 87.97°W / 30.99; -87.97

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List of lakes of Alabama Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.