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5,885-acre lake near Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa's clear North River water-supply lake. Deep creek arms, docks and quality bass and crappie. The lake tops out around 90 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 4,984 acres, worked by 134.2 miles of shoreline, broken up by 8 islands. With a shoreline index of 13.6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. About 79% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 12 mi end to end and 5.2 mi across at its widest. Tuscaloosa County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Bankhead Lake, is 22 mi to the northeast.
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Tuscaloosa hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted bass in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 40 ft before dropping to 25 to 50 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shoreline point, a point in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Break off the point (41 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Lake Tuscaloosa hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is North River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | North River inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | North River inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) |
In spring, striped bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. North River inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring striped bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | North River inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (41 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Break off the point (41 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Structure-wise the chart holds 20 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 77 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alabama waters are set by the Alabama DCNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Tuscaloosa specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alabama fishing regulations →
Lake Tuscaloosa is about 90 ft (27 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, bluegill on Lake Tuscaloosa.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Lake Tuscaloosa is regulated by the Alabama DCNR. Check the official Alabama regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Bankhead Lake 22 mi · Black Warrior River - Reach 1 of 2 25 mi, AL/MS · Bibb County Public Fishing Lake 31 mi · Walker County Public Fishing Lake 37 mi · Lake Lowndes 43 mi, MS · Tombigbee River - Reach 1 of 2 46 mi, AL/MS · Sipsey Fork 48 mi · Lamar County Public Fishing Lake 49 mi · Marion County Public Fishing Lake 54 mi · Lewis Smith Lake 56 mi · Tombigbee River - Reach 2 of 2 59 mi, MS/AL · Lay Lake 64 mi
See how Lake Tuscaloosa stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Alabama · best crappie lakes in Alabama · best bluegill lakes in Alabama · best channel catfish lakes in Alabama
Browse all Alabama fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.