Weiss Lake Winter, by Madalyn Roberts

Healthy crappie of both black and white species are prolific in Weiss Lake. For Lee Pitts,
it’s just another day at the office. With decades of experience fishing Weiss, Lee prides
himself on relying on his knowledge over forward facing sonar to put fish in the boat.

Weiss Lake Winter

Story and photos by Madalyn Roberts

At this point in the year, many of us have had enough of winter’s wonderland and are ready for warmer weather to get here, and quick. With Alabama’s relatively mild winters, however, there is no need to wait for spring to get out and do some exploring.

As of 2025, the Little River Marina & Lodge located in Cedar Bluff, Alabama underwent a change in ownership with the Gordon Family. Since their purchase last June, Gary, Tina, and Seth have been working tirelessly completing renovations to both the marina and lodging, ensuring future guests of Little River feel right at home during their stay at Weiss Lake.

Known to many as the “Crappie Capital of the World,” Weiss Lake is a 30,200-acre reservoir of the Coosa River system, known for its prolific fishery which is driven by a 10-inch minimum size limit. Yet anglers are allowed 30 legal-sized crappie per day, black or white.

For the crappie fishermen looking for intel on fishing Weiss Lake in the winter months, let’s get into the details. You can’t talk about crappie fishing on Weiss Lake without mentioning Pitts Outdoors Crappie Guide Service. Owner Lee Pitts grew up in nearby Fort Payne and has fished Weiss Lake his entire life. Pitt’s is privy to all the ins and outs of finding the crappie throughout the year but insists the best time of year to catch crappie outside of the spawn is in the winter.

The reason?

Weiss Lake has a lot of open bays and open water, and in the winter months the bait fish migrate towards those areas and a lot of the crappie will follow. The ones that don’t will hang out in the rivers and on the creek ledges.

Because some of the fish are moving towards bays and open water, it makes trolling a deadly technique in the winter months. The secret to success with trolling is paying attention to where the crappie are sitting in the water column because this information will influence presentation, jig weight, etc.

Pitts prefers a 1/24^th or 1/16^th jig head and many times, rather than upsizing to a 1/8^th oz. head to get to the required depth, he will add a split shot above the jig so it gets down to where it needs to be.

Pitts hunts down the Alabama crappie in open water. He advises the best part about Weiss Lake in his opinion is that the whole lake is productive at different times of the year. Whether its creek channels, river channels, grass beds, undercut banks, fallen treetops, etc., there’s a lot of back-water that never really sees much pressure and there’s so many areas of flats with it being a typically shallow lake.

When fishing for the crappie on the creek ledges, Pitts looks for brushpiles – abundant in Weiss as many of the local guides work with Alabama Power Company to deploy fish habitat. Pitts adds that many crappie anglers also drop their own brush in the lake, intentionally varying depths with each placement allowing fish to have structure no matter how deep or shallow they may be holding.

When trolling for fish, Pitts will spider rig 3 rods – the max allowed per person on Weiss Lake – using a ½ oz or ¾ oz drop shot rig with the bait deployed roughly 6 or so inches above the weight. Bait preference for Lee is a variety of Bobby Garland plastics, but minnows are also used when the bite is proving to be tough. He says smaller minnows work better than large.

When Pitts finds the fish to be on more shallow structure, he will switch the weight location to above the bait. His word of advice when fishing the vertical drop shot, “don’t be afraid to get hung up.” Utilizing a heavier lb. test line will save you from retying MOST of the time; his go-to is a hi-vis 6 lb. test line advising that in the stained waters of the Coosa River system, the hi-vis is a complete non-issue even in the winter months when water clarity tends more towards the clear side.

When Pitts isn’t spider rigging trolling for crappie in the winter, other techniques may include swimming a 1/24^th oz jig with a Bobby Garland crappie bait or, if the fish aren’t in the mood to chase their bait, Pitts will throw the same bait under a cork. When utilizing the cork, sometimes all it takes is a slight twitch of the rod to trigger a bite.

If it’s sunny on a cold day and the air temperature is expected to make a dramatic jump (not uncommon in Alabama), he says that can mean dock shooting is likely to produce some fish, especially around aluminum boat lifts and the like, where the metal is absorbing the heat of the sun, in turn attracting crappie to congregate in the warmer water.

Pitts shows off a healthy black crappie caught spider rigging a drop shot. It’s no exaggeration when they say Alabama crappie are built different. There’s a 12-13 in. fish and then there’s a 12-13 in. fish with shoulders.

With numerous public access boat ramps and a handful of privately owned marinas scattered across the lake, boat ramp traffic is pretty minimal in the winter and according to Pitts, one of the perks of fishing Weiss Lake in the winter months is that it’s usually no problem to escape other boating traffic and even the houses once you start getting back in the creeks.

THAT’S NOT ALL

Fishing isn’t the only attraction to Weiss Lake. Nestled into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain range on the Alabama-Georgia border, Weiss is just one of many must-see natural attractions in northeastern Alabama.

Rich in Native American history and many striking natural landmarks, Cherokee County Alabama beckons historians and outdoor enthusiasts alike to explore the surrounding beauty. From hiking, camping, fishing and birdwatching to rock climbing and ATV adventures, there really is an activity suited for every personality. Aside from Weiss Lake, other waterfront wonders to take in include Yellow Creek Falls, where picturesque waterfalls can be seen flowing into Weiss Lake from Alabama Highway 273 near Leesburg, as well as several options for a paddling adventure either on the Chattooga River or the 14 miles of family-friendly Class I & II rapids on Terrapin Creek, which is said to be a fly fisherman’s heaven.

Other landmarks not to be missed in the area near Leesburg include Cherokee Rock Village also known as Little Rock City named after the massive boulders reaching 200 feet. What started out originally as a 20-acre donation has since turned into a 200+ acre public park boasting of panoramic views of Weiss Lake and the surrounding valley. For a $5 entry fee for cars and $10 entry fee for passenger vans, visitors will come to gain a whole new meaning of the phrase a “bird’s eye view.”

If this photo of the sunset on Weiss Lake doesn’t exude the air of peace and tranquility felt in that moment, there may be no hope left. Something about the lake being tucked away into the Appalachian Mountains was truly captivating. 10/10 recommend.

Other must-see sights include Congo Falls inside the Congo Nature Preserve, which borders the Little River Canyon National Preserve where Little River (one of the nation’s longest rivers flowing on a mountain-top) plunges from Lookout Mountain into Weiss Lake. Visitors looking to turn up the thrill should surely check out Indian Mountain ATV Park where 4700 acres of adventure awaits. For the visitors who may be looking for a slower paced, indoor activity unique to the area, check out Orbix Hot Glass in nearby Fort Payne to get in touch with your artistic side and bring home a souvenir you’ll be sure remember. The Weiss Lake area offers various lodging accommodations across the spectrum, from campgrounds and RV parks to motels, condos, houses, rental cabins, and lodges, ensuring each visitor an opportunity to kick back with a comfort level suited to their liking.

Regardless of if you’re a fisherman or not, if you haven’t experienced the charm of small-town lake life with a mountainous vibe, plan a trip to Cherokee County, Alabama to see why locals consider the Weiss Lake area their own little piece of heaven on earth. You won’t be disappointed.

Madalyn Roberts is from Kansas City, Missouri although she considers herself a southern transplant having lived in Kentucky for 16 years. She serves her Louisville community by working for a non-profit organization facilitating free home repairs for elderly and disabled homeowners. In her spare time, she enjoys being in the outdoors in all capacities most especially fishing, hiking, & camping.