Sipsey Fork Trout Tailwater
The Sipsey Fork below Lewis Smith Dam is Alabama's only year-round rainbow trout fishery — a cold tailwater fed by Smith Dam's hypolimnetic release, stocked with Dale Hollow rainbows by ADCNR, fished twelve months.

Smith Dam Walk-In Access (Riverside Park)
Alabama Power public parking and walk-in at the base of Smith Dam — the coldest water on the reach, immediately below the release, with riffles, plunge pools, and exposed bedrock · Dead-drift size 18-20 midges under a small indicator; small Woolly Bugger and egg patterns on 5X-6X fluoro; light spin anglers throw 1/32-oz trout magnets or small inline spinners. Check Alabama Power generation before wading. · Year-round (coldest water on the system)

Ryan Creek Confluence
Confluence where Ryan Creek enters the main Sipsey Fork below the dam — cold-water seam, current break, and holding water for stocked rainbows pushed downstream on generation · Indicator nymphing a Pheasant Tail / Hare's Ear dropper rig on the seam; small streamers stripped through the slick; small spinning rig with live redworm drifted on a split shot · Year-round

Grayson / USGS Gauge Reach
Middle reach near the USGS 02450250 gauge (Sipsey Fork Near Grayson AL) — mix of riffle, run, and pool, still cold enough for trout year-round, stocked on ADCNR's monthly truck rotation · Tandem midge rig on a 9-ft 5X leader; light spin with 1/32-oz jig head and a 1-inch trout worm; small soft-hackle wet-fly swing · Year-round

Riverside Fly Shop Access (Hwy 69 S, Bremen)
Public and private walk-in and drift-boat launch near the Riverside Fly Shop at 17027 Hwy 69 S in Bremen — mid-reach water, classic wade and drift water for guided fly trips · Full-day drift-boat trip from Riverside Fly Shop, fishing nymph rigs, streamers, and occasional dry-dropper rigs on stocked rainbows; guided wade trips available half-day and full-day · Year-round

Lower Sipsey Fork (Striper Run Below Dam)
Lower tailrace reach where striped bass drop through Smith Dam on summer generation — bigger pools, slower current, striper-scale water on the warmer end of the cold-water stretch · Big streamers (Game Changers, 6-8 inch Clousers) on 8-10 wt fly rods; medium spin with 4-6 inch swimbaits and live shad; Riverside Fly Shop runs dedicated striper trips on this reach · Summer

Mulberry Fork Confluence (Downstream Boundary)
Downstream boundary of the ADCNR trout regulation reach — the Sipsey Fork joins the Mulberry Fork to form the Black Warrior River. Warmer water, resident bass, end of the cold-water stocking program · Transition water — residual stocked rainbows that drift down in high generation, plus resident spotted bass and sunfish on light spinning tackle; not a cold-water technical fishery at this boundary · Spring + Fall

Sipsey Fork Trout Tailwater — Lake Center