Big Bear Creek Reservoir
Big Bear Creek Reservoir is a 670-acre TVA flood-control and water-supply pool on Bear Creek at the Franklin–Marion county line in northwest Alabama — third of four Bear Creek Lakes and terminus of the 26-mile Bear Creek Floatway.

Bear Creek Dam Area
TVA earthen embankment dam on the lower end of the pool, main-channel depth, spillway structure, and deep water against the dam face — no hydro discharge, flood-control releases only · Drop-shot and shaky head off the dam face; small swimbait down the rock; suspending jerkbait on mild winter afternoons; live bait for crappie and channel cats · Summer + Winter

Horseshoe Bend Campground Access
BCDA public ramp, fishing pier, and public beach on the south shore of the reservoir — wooded cove access, secondary points, and a protected bay off the main channel · Wacky Senko around the cove laydowns; spinnerbait on the shaded banks; topwater at first light on the beach flats; live minnows off the pier for crappie and bluegill · Spring + Fall

Piney Point Access and Cove
BCDA public ramp, fishing pier, and private sandy beach on the north-west side of the reservoir — timber, stumps, and a secluded cove off the main pool · Crankbait on the timber; Texas-rigged worm on the points; topwater in the back pockets at dawn; live bait on the pier for crappie and channel cats · Spring + Summer

Floatway Confluence (Upper End)
Upper-end inflow where the 26-mile Bear Creek Floatway from Upper Bear Dam enters Big Bear — current, channel structure, and bait concentration during summer floatway release weekends · Cast a chrome lipless crankbait or a 3/8-oz swimjig into the current seams on floatway-release weekends (Memorial Day through Labor Day, Saturday 6 AM through Sunday 4 PM); flip a Texas-rigged craw to laydowns on slack-water days · Summer

Main-Lake Creek Channel (Old Bear Creek Bed)
Old Bear Creek channel running through the middle of the impoundment — channel swings, submerged timber, and main-lake ledges holding summer oxygen through the warm months · Drop-shot and shaky head on the channel ledges; crappie on jigs or minnows suspended over brush tops; small swimbait parallel to the main-channel rock during fall shad push · Year-round

Big Bear Creek Reservoir — Lake Center