Marion County Public Fishing Lake
Marion County Public Fishing Lake is a 37-acre ADCNR bass, bream, crappie, and channel catfish lake between Hamilton and Guin with an ADA fishing pier — temporarily closed for renovation as of this writing.

Boat Ramp Cove
ADCNR-built boat ramp — the primary launching zone on the 37-acre impoundment. Restrooms, ADA pavilion, and the ADA concessions building are at the same access point when the lake is open. When the lake is temporarily closed for renovation, the ramp is not available. · Launch a jon boat or bass boat at the ramp; work the ramp cove with a wacky-rigged Senko and a small crankbait at first light for largemouth; cricket under a bobber off the pier and ramp edge for bluegill; chicken liver on a slip-sinker rig for channel catfish at dusk. Check with on-site staff for any lake-specific bass regulation posted at the gate. · Year-round when open

ADA Fishing Pier
ADA-compliant fishing pier — the signature bank-and-pier access point for Marion County PFL when the lake is open. Wheelchair-accessible surface, railings, and a flat approach from the parking area make this the go-to spot for mobility-assisted anglers, kids, and families fishing crickets and minnows along a stable platform. · Cricket or red wiggler under a small bobber for bluegill and redear spring through summer; minnow under a slip-bobber for crappie in fall and late winter; chicken liver on bottom for channel catfish at dusk. The ADA pier is the single best piece of infrastructure on the lake for visiting anglers. · Spring + Fall + Winter (crappie minnow season)

Main Pool / Open Water
Open-water main pool of the 37-acre impoundment — the deepest, clearest water on the lake, the midday holding water for largemouth pulling off shoreline cover in summer, and a cold-season crappie zone over brush. · Drop-shot or Carolina-rigged worm on mid-pool structure in summer for largemouth; a small minnow-imitator jig over deeper brush in winter for crappie; tight-line cut bait on the bottom after dark for channel catfish. The ADCNR contour map shows lake depth detail worth studying before a first trip. · Summer + Winter

Shoreline Brush + Timber
Shoreline timber edges and sunken brush along the banks of the 37-acre pool — natural cover for bluegill, redear, crappie, and bedding largemouth. ADCNR maintains and refreshes lake habitat as part of the intensive-management PFL program. · Flip a small jig to shoreline wood for largemouth in April; cricket under a slip-bobber on the shallow brush-edge for bream bedding in May; a red wiggler fished a little deeper on the same wood for redear; minnow under a slip-bobber for crappie staging on shallow brush in March and October. · Spring + Fall

Upper End / Tributary Inflow
Shallow upper end of the impoundment where small tributaries feed the lake — stained water after rain, shallower spawning flats, and the first zone to warm each spring when bass, bream, and crappie push up. · Square-bill crankbait or ChatterBait on the clear-to-stained seam after spring rain for largemouth; wacky-rigged stick worm on the spawning flats; minnow under a slip-bobber on shallow brush for staging crappie in late February and March; small spinner for bluegill staging in 3-5 feet. · Spring

Dam End / Deep Bank
Dam end of the 37-acre impoundment — the deepest shoreline water on a small PFL, a natural hold for largemouth pulling off shallow cover in summer heat, a cold-season crappie stop over deeper brush, and a channel catfish magnet at dusk on bottom baits. · Carolina-rigged worm or jig-and-pig dragged along the dam for largemouth holding deeper in summer; small minnow-imitator jig vertical over deeper brush for winter crappie; chicken liver, nightcrawler, or cut bait on a slip-sinker rig on the bottom at dusk for channel catfish. · Summer + Fall + Winter

Marion County Public Fishing Lake — Lake Center