Fishing the Mulberry Fork
The Mulberry Fork is a tributary of the Black Warrior River in the state of Alabama. The Mulberry Fork along with the Locust Fork and the Sipsey Fork join to form the Black Warrior River. The Mulberry Fork drains part of the southernmost end of the Appalachian Mountains north and west of Birmingham.
The Mulberry Fork rises in northeastern Cullman County. It flows in tight meanders along a ridge of the foothills, forming the boundary between Cullman and Blount counties. It receives the Sipsey Fork from the northeast in Walker County, approximately 15 miles east of Jasper. The confluence with the Locust Fork is now submerged within Bankhead Reservoir and forms a border on a small section of Jefferson County.
The upper Mulberry Fork watershed (source to Broglen River) supports a very diverse fish community consisting of 27 species. Fish diversity diminishes in the lower Mulberry Fork. Industrial development and urban expansion over the last century probably contributed to species decline in the lower reaches.
The land on the bottom of the Mulberry Fork 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. The Mulberry Fork was declared navigable by the Alabama Legislature from "the Sepsie fork to Ballimore" on December 3, 1821, page 83, which means the bottom of the stream is state land. In Cullman County, the entire Broglen River was determined to be navigable, and the Mulberry Fork was determined to be navigable from "Township 10S, Range 1E, Section 8 and all downstream from there." In Blount County, the Mulberry Fork was determined to be navigable from "Township 10S, Range 1E, Section 3 and all downstream from there." In Walker and Jefferson counties, the entire Mulberry Fork was determined to be navigable.
