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Middle Tennessee · County seat Lynchburg

Fishing in Moore County, Tennessee

Moore County is thin on public water. This page lists what there is, then points at what is close.

Find fishing spots4 public access pointsFind gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Moore County

Three picks from the largemouth bass checklist that work for the fish here. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you.

RodUgly Stik GX2 7 ft medium-heavy casting rodStiff enough to set a hook in grass, tough enough to live in a truck bed.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
ReelAbu Garcia Black Max baitcasting reelAn inexpensive baitcaster that casts cleanly once the brakes are set.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Soft plasticZoom Trick WormThe Tennessee standard on a Texas rig or weightless along docks and grass edges.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Full largemouth bass checklist (11 items)All gear checklists

Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:

Smallmouth Bass checklistCrappie checklistBluegill and Panfish checklistFish Finders comparedTrolling Motors comparedLithium Marine Batteries comparedShallow Water Anchors compared

Moore County at a glance

Moore County boat ramps and fishing access

Moore County has 4 public fishing access points: 3 boat ramps, on 2 lakes, rivers and creeks.

3boat ramps
2lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Moore

Main fishing waters in Moore County

What each of these is actually known for, and what you can expect to catch.

TVA reservoir on the Elk River · 10,600–10,700 acres, roughly 250 mi shoreline, impounded…

Tims Ford Lake

TWRA states plainly that it is considered the best reservoir smallmouth fishery in Middle Tennessee; late winter and early spring are the smallmouth windows, and hybrids and stripers hold at 16–19 ft in summer. It is a Bill Dance Signature Lake. Most of the lake, the state park, the marina and 14 free ramps are on the Franklin County side, Moore County holds the northern arms.

smallmouth basslargemouthcrappiehybrid striped and striped bass
free-flowing river, 195 mi total · flows through Moore County · TVA/TWRA

Elk River (above and below the lake)

The river runs through the county both as slack water backed up from Tims Ford and as free-flowing water in the upper arms.

smallmouthrock basscatfishsunfish; trout in the tailwater downstream in Lincoln County

What it looks like

Moore County water

Photographs of the water this page covers. Every picture opens that water’s own page. Drag or swipe to see the rest.

Elk River, TennesseeElk RiverOpen the Elk River page →dmtilley / CC BY 3.0Tims Ford Lake, TennesseeTims Ford LakeOpen the Tims Ford Lake page →Geobeedude / CC BY-SA 3.0Center Hill Lake, TennesseeCenter Hill LakeOpen the Center Hill Lake page →Tyler White / Public domainOld Hickory Lake, TennesseeOld Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Cumberland River, TennesseeCumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domainDuck River, TennesseeDuck RiverOpen the Duck River page →SBaker43 / CC BY-SA 3.0

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Moore County

Fishing from the bank in Moore County

Tims Ford Lake shoreline on the Moore County arms, where public road ends reach it. Mulberry Creek bridge crossings around Lynchburg (public right-of-way only). No developed municipal fishing park found.

The developed bank access, the state park and the fishing piers are all on the Franklin County side.

Getting a boat on the water in Moore County

No marina in Moore County. Tims Ford has 14 free public boat ramps in total, and the named ones, Tims Ford Marina, Tims Ford Park, Devils Step, Winchester City Park, Anderton, Bass Club, Dam Ramp, Dry Creek, Estill Springs, Holiday Landing, Lost Creek, Pleasant Grove, Rock Creek, Turkey Creek, sit mostly in Franklin County.

Tims Ford’s arms are popular with canoeists and kayakers. TWRA publishes downloadable GPS data for the lake’s fish attractors.

Two different trips

Visiting Moore County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Moore County

The Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Lynchburg, overwhelmingly the reason visitors come to this county. Lynchburg’s town square. Tims Ford Lake and, just over the line in Franklin County, Tims Ford State Park with cabins and campsites. The Barrelhouse BBQ and Miss Mary Bobo’s.

Where Moore County locals actually go

The northern Tims Ford arms on the Moore County side, which get a fraction of the traffic the Winchester end does. Mulberry Creek, fished locally and by nobody else. Honestly: this county does not have a stock of hidden public spots, and a page that invents them will read as padding.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Moore County water

Creel and length limits in Moore County

Tims Ford Lake, smallmouth 18-inch minimum, which is stricter than most Tennessee reservoirs and the key rule to state; largemouth 15-inch minimum; walleye 16-inch minimum; stripers and hybrids 2 per day with a 15-inch minimum. The Elk River trout regulations (brown trout 20-inch minimum, one per day, seven trout combined) apply from Tims Ford Dam downstream to the I-65 bridge, which is below this county.

3 public boat launches in Moore County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Moore County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Moore County?

Tims Ford Lake shoreline on the Moore County arms, where public road ends reach it. Mulberry Creek bridge crossings around Lynchburg (public right-of-way only). No developed municipal fishing park found. The developed bank access, the state park and the fishing piers are all on the Franklin County side.

How many public boat ramps are in Moore County?

TWRA’s access database lists 3 boat launches in Moore County. Most of them are on Elk River. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Moore County?

Yes. Anyone 13 and over needs a Tennessee fishing license, and there is no license required for ages 12 and under. A resident annual combination hunt and fish license is $33, a resident one-day all-species license is $11, and a non-resident three-day all-species license is $40. Tennessee has no non-resident one-day license. Buy online at gooutdoorstennessee.com, from a county clerk or from a licensed agent. Licenses are digital, nothing arrives in the post.

What fish can you catch in Moore County?

The main species across Moore County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, rock bass, walleye and catfish. Each water body on the fishing spots page lists what it is actually known for, which is not always the same thing.

Does my Tennessee license cover trout in Moore County?

Not automatically. The $33 resident combination hunt and fish license does not cover trout, and neither does the county-of-residence license or the cheaper no-trout short-term options. Those need the $21 annual trout supplemental added on. The Sportsman licenses and every non-resident all-species license already include trout. There is no designated trout water in Moore County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Moore County?

Tims Ford Lake, smallmouth 18-inch minimum, which is stricter than most Tennessee reservoirs and the key rule to state; largemouth 15-inch minimum; walleye 16-inch minimum; stripers and hybrids 2 per day with a 15-inch minimum. The Elk River trout regulations (brown trout 20-inch minimum, one per day, seven trout combined) apply from Tims Ford Dam downstream to the I-65 bridge, which is below this county Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Moore County?

No tackle or bait shop verified in Moore County. Lynchburg has roughly 6,000 people county-wide and no big-box retail. Nearest: Walmart Supercenter in Tullahoma (~20 min north) and Winchester (~25 min southeast). There is a fuller list on the Moore County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Moore County?

The northern Tims Ford arms on the Moore County side, which get a fraction of the traffic the Winchester end does. Mulberry Creek, fished locally and by nobody else. Honestly: this county does not have a stock of hidden public spots, and a page that invents them will read as padding.

If the county comes up short

The nearest real fishing to Moore County

Partly thin, Moore County’s only real water is a share of Tims Ford, and its developed facilities are next door. Point visitors to: Tims Ford State Park and Marina, Winchester, about 25 minutes southeast; the Elk River trout tailwater below Tims Ford Dam, about 20 minutes south; Woods Reservoir (3,660 acres, Franklin County, five free public ramps and four fishing piers at Morris Ferry connected by a paved greenway), about 25 minutes east; Normandy Reservoir on the Duck, about 30 minutes north; Coy Gaither-Bedford Lake (47-acre TWRA agency lake, Bedford County), about 40 minutes northwest.

Moore County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, rock bass.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Moore County

Each of these has a page of its own covering the whole water, not just the Moore County end of it, with every public access point on it and what it holds.

RiverElk River2 access points in Moore County, 11 in totalSee the spots →LakeTims Ford Lake2 access points in Moore County, 9 in totalSee the spots →

Conditions

Moore County lake levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsTims Ford Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Tims Ford Dam generation schedule.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Moore CountyTWRA stocks Tims Ford TW / Elk River. Dates are on the stocking schedule.Open →

Statewide limits: 5 black bass, 15 crappie at 10 inches, 2 stripers at 15 inches, 7 trout.

About this list

Where the Moore County access list comes from

The 4 access points above come from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s public access database, which is why each one names the agency that owns or manages it. A state or TVA ramp is usually free. A Corps of Engineers site, a state park ramp or a marina often is not.

The waters, species and local notes are researched separately, county by county, against TWRA’s own reservoir pages, TVA, the US Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee State Parks.

Ramps close for repairs, gravel roads wash out and regulations change. Treat anything here as a starting point and call ahead if you are driving a long way for it.

By town instead

Towns near Moore County

These pages measure from the middle of town rather than the county line, which is usually the number you actually care about.

24 access points within 30 milesFishing near WinchesterTims Ford Lake, Woods ReservoirSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near TullahomaNormandy Lake, Tims Ford LakeSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near ShelbyvilleDuck River, Normandy LakeSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near MurfreesboroJ. Percy Priest Lake, West Fork Stones RiverSee the spots →

Tennessee sells no non-resident one-day fishing license. The three-day is the shortest option.

Keep looking

Counties next to Moore

Fish do not respect county lines. These are the nearest counties to Moore with public water of their own. Each one opens its own page.

Next county overFranklin CountyTims Ford Lake, Woods ReservoirSee the spots →Next county overLincoln CountyElk RiverSee the spots →Next county overCoffee CountyNormandy Lake, Duck RiverSee the spots →Next county overBedford CountyDuck River, Bedford LakeSee the spots →Next county overMarshall CountyDuck River, New LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More Moore County water, and who fishes it

Every guide and charter on this site is listed by the water they run, so you can call the captain direct. Licences, limits and the state record list are one click away too.

Guides by waterLicence and limits

Weather alerts, power outages and road closures in Moore County right now: Moore County conditions.