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Alabama lakes and reservoirs

Payne Lake Fishing

A 111-acre lake in Hale County.

Get driving directionsAll Hale County spots

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Photo, nearby stand in for Payne Lake: Pat Hayes, CC BY-SA 2.0

Hale County

Starting points for fishing Payne Lake

On the USGS outline, Payne Lake fills about 111 acres in Hale County. Moundville lies about 13 miles from the lake point.

There are 1 bank site on the bank-access map too. ADCNR lists it under ADCNR Fisheries District III.

111acres (NHD outline)

0ADCNR ramps

1bank sites

1county

USGS NHD High Resolution (Alabama) outlines and flowlines, read November 1, 2026; operator and kind from the ADCNR reservoir program and dam owner listings; Census 2023 places.

Directions to Payne Lake

Access

Concrete ramps at Payne Lake

ADCNR lists no ramp here, so check the operator or use a nearby ADCNR ramp.

Bank spots on the ADCNR map for Payne Lake

• Payne Lake bank accessbank access, US Forest Service, Day use fee

Backup ramps for a busy day at Payne Lake

• Moundville Access on Warrior LakeWarrior Lake, 14 miles northwest

ADCNR WFF public boat ramp list (list), read November 1, 2026; ADCNR fish-from-the-bank map (outdooralabama.com), read November 1, 2026.

Alabama boat ramps

Limits

Size and creel on Payne Lake

Species	Daily limit and size	Season
Black Bass	10 a day	open all year
Walleye	2 a day	open all year
Sauger	5 a day; 15 inches TL minimum	open all year
White Bass	15 a day	open all year
Yellow Bass	15 a day	open all year
Saltwater Striped Bass and Hybrids or Combinations	15 a day	open all year
Crappie	30 a day; 9 inches TL (exemptions apply) minimum	open all year
Yellow Perch	No daily limit	open all year
Catfish (under 34 inches)	No daily limit	open all year
Catfish (over 34 inches)	1 a day	open all year
Bream	50 a day	open all year
Rainbow Trout	5 a day	open all year
Alligator Gar	1 a day	open all year
Sturgeon	Closed Season	Closed season (immediate release)
Paddlefish or Spoonbill	Closed Season	Closed season (immediate release)
Skipjack Herring	50 a day	open all year

Statewide digest limits cover Payne Lake; exceptions take priority.

Freshwater anglers need an Alabama fishing license from 16 on ($17.45 resident, $68.20 nonresident for 2026-27); residents 65 and older are exempt.

Limits as printed in the Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest (ADCNR, eRegulations edition) (limits page; digest PDF), read November 1, 2026.

Alabama licenses and limits

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Compare

Where Payne Lake ranks among its neighbours

For more water, Warrior Lake offers about 8,580 acres.

Lake	Distance	Acres	Kind	ADCNR ramps	Bank sites
Payne Lake		111	lake	0	1
Warrior Lake	17 miles northwest	8,580	reservoir	2	6
Oliver Lake	25 miles north	663	reservoir	1	2
Lake Harris	27 miles north	139	lake	0	1
Lake Nicol	29 miles north	311	lake	0	1
Lake Tuscaloosa	32 miles north	5,076	reservoir	1	2

Acres from ADCNR pages where printed, else NHD outlines; ADCNR ramp list and bank map; read November 1, 2026.

Nearby

The neighbourhood of Payne Lake for anglers

Alabama still water near Payne Lake

• Warrior Lake17 miles northwest
• Oliver Lake25 miles north
• Lake Harris27 miles north
• Lake Nicol29 miles north
• Lake Tuscaloosa32 miles north

Gear stores a short hop from Payne Lake

• Five Hooks Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, West Blocton, 20 miles
• Academy Sports + Outdoors Tuscaloosasporting goods store, Tuscaloosa, 20 miles
• Dick's Sporting Goods Tuscaloosasporting goods store, Tuscaloosa, 22 miles
• Shark's Fish and Chickenbait and tackle shop, Tuscaloosa, 22 miles

Overnight towns for Payne Lake anglers

• Moundville13 miles
• Greensboro15 miles
• Brent16 miles

County-by-county pages for Payne Lake

• Hale Countyseat: Greensboro

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Photos

The country around Payne Lake through a lens

Answers

Questions Alabama anglers ask about Payne Lake

Where in Alabama is Payne Lake?

Point the truck toward Hale County, about 13 miles from Moundville.

How large is Payne Lake on paper?

Some 111 acres of outline.

Which ADCNR ramp makes a good start at Payne Lake?

Try Moundville Access on Warrior Lake, roughly 14 miles away; none is listed on this water.

What usually bites at Payne Lake, per ADCNR?

No ADCNR source lists its species; the statewide rows cover what you catch.

Which Alabama creel rows apply at Payne Lake?

Black Bass: 10 a day.

Which Alabama license goes in the wallet for Payne Lake?

Freshwater anglers need an Alabama fishing license from 16 on ($17.45 resident, $68.20 nonresident for 2026-27); residents 65 and older are exempt.

Are there piers on Payne Lake?

Payne Lake bank access is the lone listing.

Who sells crickets near Payne Lake?

Head to Five Hooks Bait & Tackle, about 20 miles away,.

Make Payne Lake the whole Alabama weekend

Know the creel limit before a fish goes in the livewell.

Alabama licenses and limitsAll Alabama lakes