Tennessee Public Waters
3 notable public water bodies. Use “Fishing near me” to sort by distance.
| Water | Type | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norris Lake TN | lake | — | Striped and smallmouth bass. |
| Douglas Lake TN | lake | — | |
| Tennessee River TN | river | — |
Coordinates are approximate. Always confirm public access, boat-launch status, and local rules with the managing agency before you travel.
Spot profiles
Each profile covers the water’s type, the species recorded there, access notes, and the regulations or special rules that apply to that specific waterbody.
Norris Lake
Douglas Lake
Tennessee River
Planning a trip in Tennessee
Everything below is drawn from FishFig's verified Tennessee data layer — license fees, stocking records, resolved statewide limits, and reported license-free dates. Each figure names its source.
Public waters in Tennessee covered here
This state hub indexes 3 notable public water bodies: 2 lakes, 1 river. The dataset is a curated list of destination waters rather than every public access point, so a productive local pond or municipal lake near you may still be missing.
Species profiles exist for 3 of the 3 tracked waters. Commonly indexed destinations include Norris Lake, Douglas Lake and Tennessee River.
Use the "Fishing near me" sorter on this page to reorder the list by straight-line distance from your location. Straight-line distance is a planning estimate, not a drive time — a water 20 miles away across a ridge or a bay can take far longer to reach than one 40 miles down a highway, and seasonal closures, launch fees, and permit requirements are set by the managing agency rather than by this list.
What a Tennessee fishing license costs
A resident annual license for Tennessee is $33.00, and the non-resident annual license is $49.00 — a difference of $16.00. The non-resident rate is roughly 1.5 times the resident rate — meaning the license is usually the smallest expense in the trip budget.
Short-term options as published: Resident 1-day no-trout $6.00 / all-species $11.00; nonresident 3-day no-trout $20.00 / all-species $40.00; 10-day no-trout $30.00 / all-species $61.00.
At the published short-term prices, a resident annual license breaks even at about 6 single days, 2 three-day passes. Below that trip count the short-term pass is cheaper; above it the annual license is. (Break-even arithmetic from the published fees — confirm current products with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).)
Saltwater: No saltwater stamp (inland state)..
Senior and reduced-rate options: Residents 65+ Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap $4.00 annual (or $49.00 lifetime)..
Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) — 2026 License Fees (Go Outdoors Tennessee). https://www.tn.gov/twra
Stocking in Tennessee
A statewide annual stocking total for Tennessee is pending verification in this dataset, so this tool shows no number rather than an estimate. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) publishes stocking by water, county, and species.
Stocking totals for Tennessee are pending verification. State fish agencies publish annual stocking lists by water, county, and species; consult Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) for current figures before relying on any number.
Source: verify locally — see Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) stocking reports.
Why stocking matters to planning: put-and-take fisheries are the most catch-rate-sensitive to plant timing, so a water that fishes poorly in April can fish well in May once the trucks arrive. Check the current-year plant list before writing off a water, and check it again before assuming a hot bite will last.
Size and bag limits tracked for Tennessee
Tennessee has 12 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge (Muskie) and Rainbow Trout, among 12 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.
Brook Trout: bag 7 (combined trout); season Year-round; Part of 7-fish trout aggregate.. Citation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — 2026-2027 Statewide Creel and Length Limits (effective Aug. 1, 2026; eRegulations).
Brown Trout: bag 7 (combined trout); season Year-round; Part of 7-fish trout aggregate.. Citation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — 2026-2027 Statewide Creel and Length Limits (effective Aug. 1, 2026; eRegulations).
Channel Catfish: bag No limit under 34 in; 1 per day over 34 in; season Year-round; Applies to all catfish.. Citation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — 2026-2027 Statewide Creel and Length Limits (effective Aug. 1, 2026; eRegulations).
Crappie: minimum length 10 in; bag 15; season Year-round; Region 1 exception: 30 with no minimum unless a specific water states otherwise.. Citation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — 2026-2027 Statewide Creel and Length Limits (effective Aug. 1, 2026; eRegulations).
Flathead Catfish: bag No limit under 34 in; 1 per day over 34 in; season Year-round; Applies to all catfish.. Citation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — 2026-2027 Statewide Creel and Length Limits (effective Aug. 1, 2026; eRegulations).
Largemouth Bass: bag 5 (combined black bass); season Year-round; No statewide minimum; many reservoirs add one (e.g., 14-18 in PLR on some).. Citation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — 2026-2027 Statewide Creel and Length Limits (effective Aug. 1, 2026; eRegulations).
These are statewide general rules only. Slot limits, special-regulation waters, catch-and-release stretches, and zone-by-zone seasons override them — and a general rule that is absent from this list is not the same as no restriction. Confirm the rule for the exact water you are fishing with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) before keeping a fish.
Free fishing days in Tennessee
Reported license-free dates for 2026: June 6–12, 2026. Most states waive the license only, not the rules — size and bag limits, gear restrictions, seasons, and any required report card still apply, and some states still require a free or zero-cost license to be issued before you fish.
Reported for 2026 by public aggregators and may not match the official state schedule. Always confirm the current year’s dates and any species/stamp exceptions with the agency before planning.
Source: Compiled from 2026 public Free-Fishing-Day roundups (modefreefinds.com, heyitsfree.net, fishkillflea.com). Not an official source — verify with the state agency. (compiled 2026-08-29).
State agency & contact
Licenses, regulations, and stocking are set by the agency below. When FishFig can’t verify a figure, contact them directly.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)
FishFig is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Verify every figure with the agency before purchasing a license, keeping fish, or relying on stocking data.