Terrapin Creek

Terrapin Creek Fishing

Terrapin Creek flows from the Talladega National Forest in Cleburne County through Calhoun and then into Cherokee County. It is an excellent float fishing stream in its lower reaches from County Road 8 bridge, ¾ of a mile west of Hwy 9 north of Piedmont, AL, to the County Road 71 bridge before the creek empties into the old Coosa River channel. This stretch can be broken up into several floats to include from County Road 8 down to the bridge at Hwy 9 at Ellisville (USGS water discharge near Ellisville). From Ellisville, it is a nice float down to the County Road 175 bridge to take out.

Terrapin Creek provides excellent fishing for spotted bass, largemouth bass, redeye bass, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, shadow bass, and an occasional striped bass. An ultra-light spinning rod and reel combo or a short fly rod is the appropriate fishing gear; and the lower end of the creek can be floated in a canoe, kayak, or flat bottom boat. More float fishing tips can be found in Dan Catchings' article entitled "Float Fishing."

The upper portion of Terrapin Creek provides excellent wade fishing opportunities, as the creek splits into the South Fork of Terrapin Creek and Little Terrapin Creek. Talladega National Forest contains numerous access sites to the creek. Maps of Talladega National Forest can be obtained from the USDA Forest Service and various outdoor stores. Be sure to wear wading shoes or waders equipped with felt soles, as the stream bottom is very rocky and can be slippery. Downstream of Talladega National Forest, the land on the bottom of the stream and land adjacent to the stream may be privately owned, and permission must be obtained from the landowner prior to crossing or wading these areas. Limited access can be obtained from county road bridge right-of-ways crossing the creek.

Links (disclaimer):

Fishing license information may be found at: Licenses. Instant licensing is available via Internet (2% fee) or telephone 1-888-848-6887 ($3.95 fee). Fishing licenses may also be purchased at local bait and tackle stores and county probate offices.  Youth age 15 and younger fish for free. Alabama residents age 65 or older are not required to purchase a fishing license.
Possession and creel limits for Alabama public waters are listed at: Creel Limits

The US Geological Survey gives water discharge estimates and gage heights.

Video of the river can be found at one person's video of a race beginning at the three minute mark, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlC2MzGMFqU.

The Fisheries Section's District II Supervisor can answer specific questions about Terrapin Creek by sending email to: dan.catchings@dcnr.alabama.gov.

"It shall be unlawful to intentionally stock or release any fish, mussel, snail, crayfish or their embryos including bait fish into the public waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries as provided in Rule 220-2-.42 except those waters from which it came without the written permission of a designated employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources authorized by the Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries to issue such permit. The provisions of this rule shall not apply to the incidental release of bait into the water during the normal process of fishing."

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Prepared by: Fisheries Section, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This site is presented for information only the Fisheries Section cannot be responsible for the quality of information or services offered through linked sites, disclaimer. To have your site included, send your URL, email address, or telephone number to the Fisheries Web Master, doug.darr@dcnr.alabama.gov. The Fisheries Section reserves the right to select sites based on relevant and appropriate content of interest to our viewers. If you discover errors in the content or links of this page, please contact Doug Darr. Thank you.