Fishing Lake Gizella in Shelby County, Alabama

• Overview

  Lake Gizella sits in Shelby County, out in Alabama. It sits in oak and grass. Small at around 7 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Shelby County list holds plenty of bigger water. Indian Springs Village at 3.2 miles is the nearest place to stop. It is 14 miles to Birmingham, the nearest city. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Lake Gizella

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records collected within a few miles name vermilion darter, bluegill, gulf longear sunfish, redeye bass and goldstripe darter. Presence in the area does not guarantee a fish on the day. Lake Gizella responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 79°F and January reads 42°F. The surface stays open the year round. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Lake Gizella follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lenora Lake sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Lake Gizella.