Alabama Water Exceptions
All 26 Alabama water exceptions in the 2026-27 digest: bass length limits on Guntersville, Pickwick and Smith, striper caps on the Coosa and Tallapoosa lakes and walleye closed waters.
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What an Alabama water exception replaces
The 2026-27 digest prints 26 entries on 25 waters. An entry changes the statewide row only for the species and the water it names; everywhere else the statewide limit holds. 18 of the entries are length or creel exceptions and 8 close a water to walleye.
Alabama waters with their own bass, crappie or striper rule
| Water as printed | Species | Rule as printed | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattahoochee River Tributaries | Shoal bass | It is illegal to possess shoal bass in Little Uchee, Uchee, Osanippa, Halawakee and Wacoochee creeks. | Chattahoochee River |
| Chattahoochee River and its Impoundments and Tributaries | Saltwater striped bass, White bass, Hybrid striped bass | It is illegal to possess more than fifteen White Bass, Saltwater Striped Bass and Hybrids in aggregate and only two may exceed 22 inches in total length. Special creel limits apply in reciprocal waters as specified under regulation 220-2-.122 Georgia Reciprocal Fishing Agreement | Chattahoochee River, Lake Eufaula, West Point Lake, Lake Harding, Goat Rock Lake, Lake Oliver |
| Coastal Rivers in Mobile and Baldwin Counties | Saltwater striped bass | It shall be unlawful to take or possess any Saltwater Striped Bass less than sixteen (16) inches in total length from the following coastal rivers and their tributaries: the Dog, East Fowl, Fish, Fowl, Perdido, and West Fowl rivers and their tributaries. Furthermore, it shall be | Dog River, Fowl River, Fish River, Perdido River |
| Duck River Reservoir | Black bass | It is illegal to possess any black bass between 14 inches and 22 inches in total length. Only one of the ten fish can be over 22 inches in total. | no page |
| Guntersville Reservoir and its Tributary of Town Creek | Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass | It is illegal to possess any largemouth or smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. | Lake Guntersville |
| Harris Reservoir | Largemouth bass | It is illegal to possess any largemouth bass between 13 inches and 16 inches in total length. | R.L. Harris Reservoir |
| Lake Jackson at Florala | Black bass | Creel limit of five black bass greater than 12 inches in total length. Only one of the five can be over 22 inches in total length. | Lake Jackson |
| Lewis Smith Reservoir | Largemouth bass, Alabama bass, Spotted bass | It is illegal to possess any largemouth bass, Alabama bass or spotted bass between 13 inches and 15 inches in total length. | Lewis Smith Lake |
| Lewis Smith Reservoir | Saltwater striped bass | It is illegal to possess more than two saltwater striped bass that exceed 22 inches in total length in the daily creel limit. It shall be unlawful to intentionally cull from the creel any saltwater striped bass from June 15th to October 15th. Culling is defined as removing and re | Lewis Smith Lake |
| Lake Martin | Saltwater striped bass | It is illegal to possess more than two saltwater striped bass that exceed 22 inches in total length in the daily creel limit. It shall be unlawful to intentionally cull from the creel any saltwater striped bass from June 15th to October 15th. Culling is defined as removing and re | Lake Martin |
| Pickwick Reservoir | Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass | It is illegal to possess any smallmouth bass or largemouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. | Pickwick Lake |
| Thurlow Reservoir | Saltwater striped bass | It is illegal to possess more than two saltwater striped bass that exceed 22 inches in total length in the daily creel limit and only one of those may exceed 30 inches in total length. | Thurlow Lake |
| Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula) and its Tributaries | Largemouth bass | It is illegal to possess any largemouth bass less than 14 inches in total length. | Lake Eufaula |
| Weiss Reservoir | Crappie | It is illegal to possess crappie less than 10 inches in total length. | Weiss Lake |
| West Point Reservoir and its Tributaries | Largemouth bass | It is illegal to possess any largemouth bass less than 14 inches in total length. | West Point Lake |
| Wheeler Reservoir | Smallmouth bass | It is illegal to possess any smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. | Wheeler Lake |
| Wilson Reservoir and its Tributaries of Big Nance and Town Creeks | Smallmouth bass | It is illegal to possess any smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. | Wilson Lake |
| Yates Reservoir | Saltwater striped bass | It is illegal to possess more than two saltwater striped bass that exceed 22 inches in total length in the daily creel limit and only one of those may exceed 30 inches in total length. | Yates Lake |
Size and creel exceptions as printed in the Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest (ADCNR, eRegulations edition), limits page, read November 1, 2026.
Alabama waters closed to walleye fishing
| Water as printed | Rule as printed | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater Lake (Talladega National Forest, Cleburne County) | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | no page |
| White Plains Lake (Whitesides Mill Lake), Calhoun County | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | Whitesides Mill Lake |
| Shoal Creek upstream of White Plains Lake (Calhoun and Cleburne counties) | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | no page |
| Lake Mitchell (Coosa River between Mitchell Dam and Lay Dam) and its tributary streams | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | Mitchell Lake |
| Walnut Creek (Chilton County) | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | no page |
| Hatchet Creek (Coosa and Clay counties) | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | Hatchet Creek (Coosa County) |
| Weogufka Creek (Coosa County) | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | Weogufka Creek |
| Mulberry Fork and Sipsey Fork and their tributaries (Blount, Cullman, Lawrence, Walker and Winston counties) | Illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method; any walleye taken must be released immediately with least possible harm. | Mulberry Fork, Sipsey Fork |
Size and creel exceptions as printed in the Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest (ADCNR, eRegulations edition), limits page, read November 1, 2026.
Alabama waters outside the 9-inch crappie minimum
- impoundments less than 500 surface acresexempt from the 9-inch rule
- reciprocal waters of the Chattahoochee River including impoundments and tributariesexempt from the 9-inch rule
- Bear Creek Reservoir (Big Bear Lake of the B.C.D.A. Lakes)exempt from the 9-inch rule
- Lake Jackson at Floralaexempt from the 9-inch rule
- Weiss Reservoir (own 10-inch limit)exempt from the 9-inch rule
It is illegal to possess any crappie less than nine inches in total length taken from Alabama public waters, including Aliceville Reservoir and Pickwick Reservoir. Waters exempt from the nine-inch crappie limit include impoundments less than 500 surface acres, the reciprocal waters of the Chattahoochee River including impoundments and tributaries, Bear Creek Reservoir (Big Bear Lake of the B.C.D.A. Lakes), Lake Jackson at Florala and Weiss Reservoir. See exception for Weiss Reservoir.
Pictures that go with Alabama Water Exceptions
Photo: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Erin Kinney, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Tennessee Valley Authority, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Rick from Georgia, CC BY 2.0
Alabama water exceptions: the questions readers raise
How many Alabama waters carry their own limit?
26 entries on 25 waters in the 2026-27 digest.
Does an exception replace the statewide limit?
Only for the species and water it names; the statewide row applies everywhere else.
What is the Guntersville bass rule?
It is illegal to possess any largemouth or smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length.
What is the Lewis Smith Lake bass slot?
It is illegal to possess any largemouth bass, Alabama bass or spotted bass between 13 inches and 15 inches in total length.
Which waters are closed to walleye?
Sweetwater Lake, White Plains Lake, Calhoun County, Shoal Creek upstream of White Plains Lake, Lake Mitchell and its tributary streams, Walnut Creek, Hatchet Creek, Weogufka Creek and Mulberry Fork and Sipsey Fork and their tributaries.
What changed on Duck River Reservoir?
Slot limit added: illegal to possess any black bass between 14–22 inches TL. Creel limit: 10 black bass per day, only 1 may exceed 22 inches TL.
Is Weiss Lake crappie different?
Yes; Weiss carries a 10-inch crappie minimum instead of the statewide 9 inches.
Why does an exception show no page link?
Some waters, such as Duck River Reservoir and Sweetwater Lake, have no page here yet; the rule applies on the water regardless.
Alabama rule pages past the exceptions
- Alabama Saltwater Fishing LimitsMRD sizes and creels for state waters
- Alabama Red Snapper Seasonthe 2026 private and for-hire seasons
- Alabama Border WatersGeorgia, Mississippi and Tennessee agreements
- Alabama license and regulationsprices, exemptions and freshwater rows