Fishing near Hoover, AL

On the southern edge of the Birmingham metro, straddling Jefferson and Shelby counties, Hoover puts anglers within 20–40 minutes of an unusually dense set of waters. The Cahaba River—Alabama's longest free-flowing river at 194 miles and home to 135+ documented fish species—runs just south and west of town, while Lake Purdy, Oak Mountain State Park lakes, Lay Lake, and Lewis Smith Lake round out a deep freshwater hub.