Lake Frank Jackson

Lake Frank Jackson is a 1,037-acre reservoir located on Lightwood Knot Creek within the Yellow River watershed in eastern Covington County, Alabama. This lake is part of Frank Jackson State Park which encompasses over 2,000 acres. This park is located just off Highway 331 on the north side of Opp, Alabama.   Frank Jackson State Park provides excellent opportunities for camping, swimming, hiking, picnicking, wildlife viewing, and fishing.  The park includes a two-lane concrete boat ramp. Boat launch fees are $1 per boat for adults under 62, and $0.50 per boat for seniors over 62 years old. Entrance fees for the park are $1 each for ages 12 to 61 and $0.50 each for children under 12 or seniors over 62 years old.

The crappie population in Lake Frank Jackson was sampled using trapnets by the Fisheries Section of the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division during the fall of 2007. Twelve trapnets were set on four different nights throughout the lake, and 75 crappie were collected. The collection contained both white crappie and black crappie, and crappie ranged from 2 inches long to nearly 15 inches long. The crappie ranged in age from 0 to 6 years old, with over 90% of the sample age 2 years old or less. Growth rates were fairly fast for these fish, with crappie reaching about 10 inches long after 2 years, and 14 inches long after 4 years. During the winter months, most anglers targeted crappie by slowly drifting or trolling jigs or minnows over deep ledges and structure near the dam or along the creek channel near the Highway 331 Bridge. As the water warms in spring and crappie move up to spawn, anglers usually catch most fish in shallow water along submerged brush, especially in the upper end of the reservoir.

Status of Fisheries
Bass – The last time largemouth bass were sampled at Lake Frank Jackson, the lake contained a fairly abundant population of bass in the 1- to 3-pound range. The lake is scheduled to be sampled in April of 2008, at which time the status will be updated.
Crappie - Black crappie and white crappie are both present. Fall sampling indicated that the crappie population was moderately abundant, with most fish in the 7- to 11-inch size class.
Catfish - Channel catfish are the most common species. The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division stocked 1,000 adult channel catfish in the fall of 2007 to supplement the existing population.
Bluegill – Bluegill are fairly abundant along submerged shoreline cover throughout the lake. Worms and crickets generally work well throughout the spring, summer, and into the fall.

The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued an advisory to anglers that they limit their consumption of certain species of fish from Frank Jackson Lake.

The Fisheries Section's District VI biologists can answer specific questions about Frank Jackson Lake by sending mail to: ken.weathers@dcnr.alabama.gov.

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.