Fishing at Bowden Lake, Shelby County, Alabama

• Overview

  The Shelby County entry here is Bowden Lake, in Alabama. Beyond the shoreline you have oak and grass. About 14 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. For supplies, Columbiana is 6.6 miles out. Chelsea follows at 7 miles, then Alabaster at 7.7 miles. Also on the doorstep: Bounds Lake out at 2.6 miles, Kimberly-Clark Lake roughly 5.2 miles, Lake Gizella out at 5.6 miles, Lenora Lake roughly 5.8 miles and Dobbin Brothers Lake out at 6 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bowden Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Documented catches and surveys in the area cover vermilion darter, bluegill, redspot darter and redeye bass. Records show what people reported, not what is stocked. Work Bowden Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 79°F in July and bottoms out near 43°F in January. The hard part of the year is the heat, not the cold. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. It holds true on Bowden Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Bounds Lake, 2.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Bowden Lake should be assumed from this page alone.