Wilson Lake
Wilson Lake is a 15,500-acre TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River, closed by Wilson Dam in 1924 — the oldest dam under TVA administration — and fished nationally for big smallmouth between Wheeler Dam upstream and Wilson Dam at Florence.

Wheeler Dam Tailrace
Current break below Wheeler Dam, chunk rock, deep eddies, rip-rap at the top of the Wilson pool · Hair jig drifted through the current seam for smallmouth; jigging spoon for sauger; bucktail on rip-rap · Winter + Spring

Shoal Creek Mouth
Major tributary confluence with deep channel, gravel bars, and standing timber in the back of the creek · Jerkbait on gravel staging points; spinnerbait and ChatterBait on grass edges; crappie jigs on timber · Spring + Fall

Main-Lake Ledges at First Creek
Main Tennessee River ledge complex dropping from 18 ft to 60+ ft, scattered shell beds and stumps · Football jig on the break; deep-diving crankbait that ticks bottom at 18-25 feet; big worm on Carolina rig · Summer

Town Creek Arm
Secondary creek arm on the Colbert side with bluff walls, flooded timber, and brush piles in 8-25 feet · Jerkbait on bluff transitions; tube jig and minnows on brush for crappie; shaky head on rock points · Pre-spawn + Fall

McFarland Park / Wilson Dam Approach
Main-river approach above Wilson Dam with rip-rap, bridge pilings (Highway 72), and Florence Harbor Marina · Swimbait on the rip-rap current edge; shaky head on bridge pilings; live bait for catfish in the channel · Year-round

Cypress Creek Mouth
Smaller tributary feeding the Lauderdale shoreline with flats, stumps, and a creek channel swing near the main river · Spinnerbait in stained water; lipless crankbait on grass edges; wacky worm on flats during spawn · Spring

Second Creek Rocky Points
Gravel and chunk-rock main-river points just downstream of the Wheeler Dam tailrace · Drop-shot and float-and-fly on smallmouth in cold water; football jig in summer · Winter + Summer

Elk River Shoals (Upper Wilson Pool)
Rocky shoals and gravel near the historic Muscle Shoals area upstream of First Creek, mixed current break · Rooster tail and 1/4-oz spoon for white bass; drop-shot on rock for smallmouth · Spring (white-bass run) + Summer

Wilson Lake — Lake Center