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400 County Road 378, Crane Hill, Alabama 35053

About Lewis Smith Lake

Lewis Smith Lake is often referred to as one of the cleanest lakes in Alabama.

Located in Walker, Winston, and Cullman counties, the lake is a 21,200 acre reservoir operated by the Alabama Power Company in the north central portion of the state.

In 1957, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized Alabama Power to build a dam and powerhouse at the Sipsey Fork tributary, soon to be known as Smith Dam. One of the largest earth and rock-filled dams in the Eastern United States, Smith Dam was named in honor of Lewis Martin Smith, who was president of Alabama Power from 1952 to 1957.

The western side of the lake’s watershed is crowned by the 180,000 acre Bankhead National Forest, which blankets the deeply dissected southern edge of the Cumberland Plateau. The Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, Alabama’s only “Wild and Scenic River,” flows through the Bankhead National Forest. The Sipsey Wilderness, “Land of a Thousand Waterfalls,” lies within the Bankhead National Forest and is home to Alabama’s largest tree, a tulip poplar with a 21-foot circumference at its base.

Whether you enjoy fishing from a boat, a pier, or a bank, and whether you prefer open water or secluded inlets, you'll find a great fishing spot on Smith Lake. Species that can be found in Smith Lake include: Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Bass, Striped Bass, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Bluegill, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Channel Catfish, and Flathead Catfish. Two world-record spotted bass have come out of Dismal Creek.

Facts

construction on Smith Dam started on November 25, 1957
power generation began on September 5, 1961
production facilities include two generators rating 78,750 kilowatts each
the rock-fill dam is 2,200 feet long and has a maximum height of 300 feet
the lake has a full-pool elevation of 510 feet above mean sea level
at 21,200 acres, the lake has over 500 miles of shoreline and is 35 miles long
the maximum water depth at the dam is 264 feet
the surrounding watershed drains 944 square miles into the lake



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Justin Dyar
White Pepper Real Estate/Smith Lake
5100 Curry Highway Suite 180
Jasper, Alabama 35503
(205) 468-6375
dyar1@yahoo.com