Pro tip · Wade the shoals
River bass hold in the slower water just behind and beside boulders and ledges. Cast across and slightly upstream and let a crayfish fly tumble along the bottom into the pocket.
Alabama Fly Fishing: Shoal Bass, Redeye Bass and Tailwater Trout
Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
Alabama fly fishing is warm-water river fishing for native bass — the Tallapoosa below R.L. Harris Dam, the Chattahoochee shoals below West Point Dam, and the free-flowing Cahaba — plus the state’s one year-round trout water, the Sipsey Fork below Lewis Smith Dam.
Fly fishing rivers in Alabama
Tallapoosa River: below R.L. Harris Dam, from Wadley and Malone down to Horseshoe Bend, bedrock and boulder shoals hold the Tallapoosa bass (Micropterus tallapoosae), one of the redeye-group bass described in 2013 and found only in the Tallapoosa drainage. Harris Dam releases change the river by up to about 4 ft of stage, and the Atlas river page puts the comfortable float range at roughly 1,500–10,000 cfs.
Chattahoochee River: the short shoal reach below West Point Dam on the Alabama–Georgia line holds true shoal bass, inside the species’ native range.
Cahaba River: a free-flowing river south of Birmingham and home water of the Cahaba bass, another redeye-group species.
Sipsey Fork: the cold tailwater below Lewis Smith Dam is Alabama’s only year-round rainbow trout fishery, stocked by ADCNR.
Fly tackle for Alabama rivers
| Target | Rod and line | Tippet | Flies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoal, redeye and Tallapoosa bass | 9 ft 5–6 wt, floating line | 2X–3X, 7.5–9 ft leader | Crayfish patterns #6–8, Clouser minnow #4–6, olive or black woolly bugger #6–8, small poppers #6–8 |
| Sipsey Fork rainbow trout | 9 ft 4–5 wt, floating line | 5X–6X | Zebra midges #18–22, scuds #14–18, small soft hackles |
| Pond bass and bream | 8–9 ft 4–7 wt | 2X–4X | Foam spiders and poppers #8–12 for bream, deer-hair bugs #2–4 for bass |
Pro tip · Water temp
River bass are most active from about 60–80°F. Summer low water concentrates them in the deeper runs below shoals.
Pro tip · Releases
On dam-controlled rivers, check the release schedule before you wade or float. Water can rise fast when generation starts.
Float trips and guides
A float lets you cover shoals that are hard to reach on foot: one vehicle at the take-out, launch upstream, and fish the shoals on the way down. Plan for river flow — too low and you drag, too high and the shoals are unsafe — and check the dam operator’s release schedule the day before.
The Atlas guide directory lists licensed guides by area. We do not yet have verified fly or float guide listings for these rivers.
Questions from the ramp
Sources
- — ADCNR — Alabama rivers and the Mobile Delta
- — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Tallapoosa bass
- — National Park Service — Horseshoe Bend outdoor activities
Data last reviewed: 2026-11-05