Tracy Humber (right) guides on the BCDA lakes year-round, mainly on Cedar Creek Lake.
He finds the crappie bite especially hot through the winter months.
Destination: Alabama’s Bear Creek Lakes
by Greg McCain
Esteemed American poet Robert Frost likely never traveled through Northwest Alabama, but the areas surrounding the Bear Creek lakes of Franklin County certainly could have served as inspiration for the poem “The Road Not Taken.”
The Bear Creek lakes – Cedar, Little Bear, Big Bear, and Upper Bear – are hidden gems, in spite of the fact a major four-lane road runs through the middle of them. But just off Alabama Hwy. 24 between Russellville and Red Bay, three of the lakes invite a respite from the realities of the modern world. The fourth, Upper Bear, is just to the south off Alabama 13 between Phil Campbell and Haleyville.
Of course, the Bear Creek lakes were not part of the landscape during Frost’s poetic career, emerging through a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plan in the late 60s, 70s, and early 80s. The damming of Bear Creek and other tributaries created the lakes, which now serve as a fishing destination in a picturesque setting that beckons to locals and visitors alike.
Overseen by the Bear Creek Development Authority or BCDA, the lakes offer excellent crappie and bass fishing in the winter months and also good fishing for crappie, bass, catfish, bream, and white bass in warmer months. Even February can be hot with crappie being a main draw.
Local guide Tracy Humber fishes the lakes year-round but really finds the fish in the coldest winter months, when lake drawdowns for flood-control purposes concentrate fish.
“I really like January, and February can be excellent as well,” Humber said.
Although forward-facing sonar has likely increased boat traffic in the winter months, Humber finds himself alone many days on the Bear Creek lakes. He mainly fishes Cedar and occasionally Little Bear. Cedar is about three miles north of Alabama 24; Little Bear is barely over a mile south of the same highway, both near the Belgreen Community.
According to Humber, all of the fisheries are “numbers” lakes although he has seen a transformation in Cedar in recent years. At one time, Little Bear was known for producing bigger fish with Cedar yielding quantities of fish. Humber said the size of the average crappie on Cedar has increased substantially and surpassed Little Bear in quality.
Humber uses forward-facing sonar to target the crappie and makes some suggestions for first-time visitors. He said much of crappie population on Cedar (and also Little Bear) can be found offshore in open water, either on the main lake or at the mouths of major feeder creeks and big sloughs like Hootie Hoot Hollow, Lost Creek, and Bedford Hollow.
However, he offered an intriguing tidbit regarding bigger fish.
“The bigger fish can be found suspended on timber, particularly the timber on the main lake,” Humber said. “You won’t find a crappie on every piece of timber, but when you do, it’s usually a good one.”
Most of the timber on Cedar is from mid-lake to the dam and easily visible with the lake drawn down. The lake will slowly start filling around mid-February but is usually not at full pool until April; boaters unfamiliar with the lakes should navigate carefully.
The BCDA crappie are usually not finicky and can be caught on typical winter offerings like hair jigs or small plastics. Tight-lining minnows is an honored tradition on the lakes as well.
Aside from the fishing, various amenities, both onsite and in the area, make the BCDA lakes a great attraction both for fishermen and families. Campgrounds on the lakes open in March but the cabins on Little Bear make for a great winter stay. They overlook the water at Elliott Branch, one of the many areas on the lake developed and maintained by the BCDA. Check out the BCDA website for details about cabin rental.
“The fishing on all the lakes and the cabins at Little Bear are great, but there are plenty of other things to do as well,” said Angie Pierce, Vice President of Operations for the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
For those family members who want to do some sightseeing, among the most unique opportunities are the Coon Dog Cemetery and the nearby Rattlesnake Saloon.
“The cabins are great for relaxing and really close to the Coon Dog Cemetery and the Rattlesnake Saloon,” Pierce said. “It’s one of the few places where they are going to take you down to the mouth of a cave in the back of a pick-up truck and you can experience one of the best hamburgers in the state of Alabama.”
Coon Dog Cemetery – no other breeds need apply – is the final resting place for hundreds of prized coon hounds. Established as the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard in 1937, it is the only facility of its type in the world. The cemetery is located off Alabama 247 in hallowed hunting grounds, and local lore suggests that the music of the hounds can still be heard on a cold winter night.
If those two rustic venues fail to satisfy adventurous visitors to the BCDA lakes, then a slightly longer drive takes them to a music mecca. Muscle Shoals, about 45 minutes from the lakes, is home to world class music, where artists like the Rolling Stones, Bob Segar, Aretha Franklin, and Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded hits at FAME Studio, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and others. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame is located nearby in Tuscumbia. While there you can also visit Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller.
As Frost suggested in another poem, the miles do await anyone trying to sample the great fishing associated with the BCDA lakes and the surrounding destinations. Take the road less traveled and visit the BCDA lakes but be prepared for other adventures as well.
Greg McCain is a retired educator and freelance writer from prime crappie-fishing territory in northwest Alabama. His stories appear on the ACC Crappie Stix blog, in Georgia Outdoors News, and on the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation website in addition to his contributions to CrappieNOW.
