Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
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.
Marion County Public Fishing Lake is the 37-acre ADCNR-managed lake between Hamilton and Guin in northwest Alabama at 554 County Road 148, Guin AL 35563. The lake sits six miles north of Guin off U.S. Highway 43 — or, coming from Hamilton, one mile south on US 43 then right on County Road 148. It is one of 20 Public Fishing Lakes the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division runs under Alabama Code 220-2-.36. Species mix is the fuller PFL menu: largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish, and crappie. When open, the lake has an ADA-compliant fishing pier, ADA pavilion, ADA concessions with bait, tackle, and snacks, restrooms, and a boat ramp, and fishing licenses are sold on site. As of this writing the lake is TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR RENOVATION per ADCNR, and the Lake Manager position is posted as vacant. Confirm status with WFF Fisheries Headquarters in Montgomery at (334) 242-3471 or WFF District 3 Fisheries Office in Northport at (205) 339-5716 before driving out.
“Marion County Public Fishing Lake holds fish in patterns you can set your watch to. The bite isn't a secret — it's what most fishermen don't know about where the grass thins onto a hard ledge.”
Alabama Fishing Atlas Editorial
Major and minor solunar windows shift daily with the moon’s transit. Fish the windows above, or check the Seasonal Playbook below for Marion County Public Fishing Lake’s current pattern.
March through May is the prime window on Marion County PFL when the lake is open. Bluegill bed on shallow gravel from late April through May and take a cricket or red wiggler under a bobber along the bank and from the ADA pier. Redear hit red wigglers a little deeper on the same wood. Largemouth stage into the upper end in March and spawn through April; wacky-rigged Senko and a small spinnerbait on shoreline timber work the bite. Crappie — which Marion does have, unlike Fayette PFL to the south — stage in late February and March on shallow brush; a minnow under a slip-bobber on the ADA pier is the move. Channel catfish turn on past 65°F on chicken liver or nightcrawler in late afternoon. Anglers 16-64 need an Alabama license; 12+ also need a $5 Fishing Permit, sold on site when the lake is open. Confirm open status with WFF Fisheries Headquarters at (334) 242-3471 or District 3 Northport at (205) 339-5716.
June through August the 37-acre pool warms into the 80s and the bite moves early-and-late. Bluegill stay stacked on shoreline brush and the ADA pier all summer — a cricket under a small bobber or a black-and-chartreuse beetle spin keeps a rod bent through the heat. Largemouth work shoreline wood at first light, pull off into the deeper main pool and the dam end through midday; a Texas-rigged worm to shade and a drop-shot on deeper edges cover the pattern. Channel catfish are at their best — nightcrawlers, chicken liver, or cut bait on the bottom as the sun drops. The ADA pavilion gives families a shaded break between sessions when the lake is open. Bring bait, water, sunscreen, and bug spray. Jerry Brown Arts Festival (JBAF) is the signature Marion cultural event, held in Hamilton in memory of face-jug potter Jerry Brown — check jbaf.org for dates. Downtown Hamilton has the Marion County Courthouse within a couple miles of the lake.
September through November is the transition window on Marion County PFL. Water drops through the 70s into the 60s by late October, bass push back into the shallows to feed up, and the crappie bite picks back up on shallow brush. A lipless crankbait and a ChatterBait along the shoreline and a white spinnerbait on timber edges catch largemouth feeding ahead of winter. Bluegill and redear hold on deeper brush and the dam end into October. Crappie reopen on shallow brush through October and November — minnow under a slip-bobber on the ADA pier and shoreline brush is the reliable pattern. Channel catfish keep biting while water stays above 60°F. Jerry Brown Arts Festival runs in Hamilton in late fall (check jbaf.org for current dates) — the festival is named for the late Hamilton-based face-jug potter and honors the Brown family's multi-generational Alabama folk-pottery tradition. Pair a morning on the pier with an afternoon at the festival for a weekend trip.
December through February the bite slows but the lake can be fishable on warm days when it is open. Crappie hold on deeper brush and the dam end — a small minnow-imitator jig or live minnow on a slip-bobber worked slow will produce on a warm-front afternoon. Channel catfish stay catchable on cut bait and chicken liver off the bank when water temps hold above 50°F. Largemouth slow down; a jig-and-pig dragged along the dam and a shaky-head worm on deeper brush are the winter producers. Marion County PFL does not run a winter rainbow trout program like Madison County PFL to the east. Confirm open status, weather-related closures, and any renovation updates with WFF Fisheries Headquarters in Montgomery at (334) 242-3471 or WFF District 3 Fisheries Office in Northport at (205) 339-5716 before driving out — the lake is currently posted as temporarily closed for renovation and the Lake Manager position is vacant.
ADCNR-stocked largemouth at Marion County PFL — a headline species on every Alabama PFL. Standard statewide creel and length rules apply at Marion unless and until ADCNR posts a lake-specific rule at the gate or on the official PFL page; Marion's ADCNR page does not post a lake-specific catch-and-release rule, so anglers should check the posted signage on site for any local regulation in force when the lake reopens.
ADCNR-stocked bream at Marion County PFL — the dependable bank and pier species. ADA fishing pier (when open) puts wheelchair and mobility-assisted anglers within casting range of shoreline brush and the pier zone with a cricket and bobber.
ADCNR-stocked channel catfish at Marion County PFL — standard PFL put-and-grow program. Nightcrawlers, chicken liver, and cut bait off the bank and pier at dusk produce eating-size catfish through the warm months.
ADCNR-stocked crappie at Marion County PFL — unlike the Fayette PFL one county south, Marion County PFL has crappie in the mix per the ADCNR species list. Cold-season minnows under a slip-bobber on the pier and shoreline brush will produce when the lake reopens.
event
Annual fall arts festival held in Hamilton, the Marion County seat, in memory of the late face-jug potter Jerry Brown — a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship. JBAF features traditional Alabama folk pottery, crafts, music, and regional food. Check jbaf.org for the current year's dates and event status before planning a trip. About 1 to 2 miles from Marion County PFL.
historic
Marion County Courthouse on the downtown square in Hamilton, the county seat since Pikeville's courthouse went out of service in the 1880s. Walkable downtown. About 1 mile from Marion County PFL via U.S. Highway 43.
scenic
TVA-built Bear Creek system reservoir northeast of Marion County PFL. Part of the four-lake Bear Creek chain (Upper Bear, Little Bear, Big Bear, Cedar Creek). For anglers wanting to pair a quiet PFL morning with a larger reservoir trip. Covered on this atlas under its own lake page.
historic
Small city of roughly 2,200 six miles south of the lake at the junction of U.S. Routes 43 and 278. Guin was devastated by an F5 tornado during the 1974 Super Outbreak and rebuilt — a piece of Alabama tornado-country history worth knowing when driving through.
Marion County Public Fishing Lake sits between Hamilton and Guin in northwest Alabama — one mile south of Hamilton, the Marion County seat, and six miles north of Guin via US Highway 43. Hamilton (population about 7,000) is a small courthouse-square town with the Marion County Courthouse downtown; Guin (population about 2,200) is a smaller city to the south where US 43 meets US 278. Marion County's signature cultural event is the Jerry Brown Arts Festival (JBAF), held each fall in Hamilton in honor of the late National Heritage Fellowship face-jug potter Jerry Brown, whose family carried a multi-generational Alabama folk-pottery tradition — check jbaf.org for current dates. For anglers wanting to pair a PFL day with bigger water, the Bear Creek reservoir system (Upper Bear, Little Bear, Big Bear, Cedar Creek) is to the north — all four TVA-built reservoirs are a reasonable drive and covered on this atlas. Marion County is rural and quiet; most visitors fish the morning, eat in Hamilton or Guin, and drive home. The lake is currently posted as temporarily closed for renovation — confirm open status before loading a boat.
Guin
ADCNR-built boat ramp at 554 County Road 148, Guin AL 35563 — the primary launch on the 37-acre lake, located with the restrooms, ADA pavilion, and ADA concessions (bait, tackle, snacks) when the lake is open. Personal boats launch with the $5 Fishing Permit (launch included). Fishing licenses are sold on site when the lake is open — one of the few PFLs in the network where licenses are available at the lake. TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR RENOVATION per ADCNR as of this writing — call WFF Fisheries Headquarters at (334) 242-3471 or WFF District 3 Fisheries Office in Northport at (205) 339-5716 to confirm current status before driving out.
DirectionsMarion County Public Fishing Lake is one of 20 State-Owned Public Fishing Lakes operated by the ADCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division under Alabama Code 220-2-.36. Standard PFL rules apply: only hook and line with natural or artificial bait is permitted — no trotlines, set hooks, jugs, snagging, or snatching. Live bait minnows are restricted to goldfish minnows, golden shiners, and fathead minnows (no releasing minnows into the lake). No swimming, no wading, no camping, no alcohol, and no hunting on PFL land (designated wildlife sanctuaries). Hours when open are sunrise to sunset on posted operating days — confirm the current weekly schedule with on-site staff or the WFF Fisheries Section before driving out. Marion County PFL is currently posted as temporarily closed for renovation, and the Lake Manager position is listed as vacant. Confirm current rules, operational status, and any renovation reopening date with the WFF Fisheries Section at (334) 242-3471 or the WFF District 3 Fisheries Office in Northport at (205) 339-5716.
Alabama fishing license required for anglers 16 through 64 (residents and non-residents), plus a State Public Fishing Lakes permit ($5 Fishing Permit for anglers 12 and older — includes launch of personal boat). Fishing licenses are sold at the lake when it is open, per ADCNR's Marion County PFL page — one of the few ADCNR PFLs where on-site license sales are available. Licenses and permits are also available online via alabamainteractive.org/dcnr_license, through the Outdoor AL mobile app, at license agents throughout the state, at county probate offices, or by phone at (888) 848-6887.. Always verify current rules before your trip.
Full Alabama fishing regulations ›21,200 acres
Spotted Bass · Striped Bass
15,500 acres
Smallmouth Bass · Largemouth Bass
Tailwater reach — not an impoundment (no surface-acreage figure)
Smallmouth Bass · Walleye
Tailwater reach — not an impoundment (no surface-acreage figure)
Rainbow Trout · Striped Bass
Fishing regulations, water conditions, and seasonal patterns change. Alabama Fishing Atlas provides informational content only. Verify all regulations with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before fishing, keeping any fish, or launching watercraft. We are not liable for decisions made based on information published here. Full disclaimer →
Data last reviewed: 2026-04-19
