Knoxville · Knox County

Fishing Near Knoxville, Tennessee

Fort Loudoun Lake, French Broad River, Holston River. Every public launch and pier within about 30 minutes of Knoxville, and where to buy what you forgot on the way.

Find fishing spots179 public access points within 35 miles Find gear & bait19 bait and tackle shops within 40 miles

Closest first

Every public access within reach of Knoxville

From TWRA’s own access database, with a directions link on each one. Distances are straight-line from Knoxville, so the drive is always a bit longer.

Tap a pin for the spot page and directions. Open the full Tennessee fishing map.

Fort Loudoun Lake

What to bring

What to bring fishing near Knoxville

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 checklist Crappie checklist Bluegill and Panfish checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Measured from town

Where to fish near Knoxville

The water within reach of Knoxville is Fort Loudoun Lake, Melton Hill Lake, French Broad River and 4 more.

Everything on this page is sorted by straight-line distance from Knoxville, not by which county it sits in. Several of the closest spots to Knoxville are across a county line, which is exactly the kind of thing a county-by-county list hides.

What it looks like

The water around Knoxville

Photographs of the lakes and rivers on this page. Drag or swipe for more. Every picture opens that water’s own page.

Fort Loudoun LakeOpen the Fort Loudoun Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain

Melton Hill LakeOpen the Melton Hill Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain

French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

Little RiverOpen the Little River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 2.5

Holston RiverOpen the Holston River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

Clinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

No boat

Bank fishing near Knoxville

3 public fishing piers within reach of Knoxville. No boat needed for any of them.

Free3 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CityBoyd Island AccessHolston River · 4 mi from Knoxville1 ramp, 1 lanefishing piercanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.97493, -83.85987 Free4.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CountyCarl Cowan ParkFort Loudoun Lake · 12 mi from KnoxvilleDirectly off Northshore Drive1 ramp, 1 lanefishing piercanoe / kayak landingrestroomsDirections and detail →35.85060, -84.09650 Free4 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CityClinton Lakefront ParkMelton Hill Lake/Clinch River · 15 mi from KnoxvilleUnder Hwy 25W Bridge1 ramp, 2 lanesfishing pieraccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.09564, -84.13385

Shoreline access in Knox County

Volunteer Landing on the downtown Knoxville riverfront; Concord Park Fishing Pier, 11399 S Northshore Dr; Carl Cowan Park pier; Boyd Island Access pier on the Holston; Anchor Park’s two piers; Mead’s Quarry at Ijams Nature Center; Fort Dickerson Quarry and Fort Dickerson Park in the Urban Wilderness; The Cove at Concord Park (11808 S Northshore Dr); Admiral Farragut Park (9950 S Northshore Dr); Keller Bend Park (3360 Keller Bend Rd); Lakeshore Park; Island Home Park and Marine Park (2201 Alcoa Hwy); Forks of the River Park, 5428 Strawberry Plains Pike, where the Holston and French Broad meet; Seven Islands State Birding Park, 425 acres with French Broad frontage and permitted fishing; Melton Hill Park; Fountain City Lake; the Knoxville greenway system along Third and First creeks.

What is in there

Fish and limits around Knoxville

Water around Knoxville holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rock bass, striped bass, white bass, walleye and sauger.

Fort Loudoun, walleye 5 per day at a 16 in minimum, otherwise statewide limits (black bass 5 per day, crappie 15 per day at 10 in, striped/hybrid bass 2 per day at 15 in, sauger 10 per day at 15 in, catfish unlimited under 34 in with one over). Melton Hill carries three exceptions worth stating separately because they are unusual: muskellunge 1 per day with a 50 in minimum; striped bass with a 32-42 in protected length range; smallmouth bass 18 in minimum. Consumption advisories: TDEC advises caution on catfish and some largemouth from Fort Loudoun (PCBs, mercury), and advises everyone against eating catfish from Melton Hill (PCBs), that second one is a blanket advisory, not a sensitive-population advisory.

From TWRA’s statewide creel and length limits, last updated 4 August 2026. Water-specific exceptions change, so check the current guide before keeping a fish.

Weather

Knoxville fishing weather and wind forecast

Wed, Sep 30 night

59°F

Mostly Clear

Wind 0 mph

0% chance of rain

Thu, Oct 1

89°F

Sunny

Wind W 0 to 5 mph

0% chance of rain

Thu, Oct 1 night

65°F

Mostly Clear

Wind S 0 to 5 mph

0% chance of rain

Fri, Oct 2

89°F

Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind SW 0 to 10 mph

46% chance of rain

Fri, Oct 2 night

67°F

Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind N 0 to 5 mph

64% chance of rain

Sat, Oct 3

80°F

Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind NE 0 to 5 mph

72% chance of rain

National Weather Service forecast, updated 7:06 PM, Wed, Sep 30.

Sun and moon, Fri, Oct 9

Sunrise7:38 AMEDT

Sunset7:09 PMEDT

First light7:12 AMLast light 7:35 PM

Daylight11 hr 32 minSunrise to sunset

MoonWaning crescent3% lit. New moon in 2 days

11 public boat launches in Knox County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people ask

Fishing near Knoxville: common questions

Where is the closest place to fish to Knoxville?

Volunteer Landing Marina on Fort Loudoun Lake, right in Knoxville, Knox County. It is a marina.

How many fishing spots are near Knoxville?

There are 40 public access points within about 30 miles of Knoxville, 27 of them boat launches, across 7 named waters.

Can I fish near Knoxville without a boat?

Yes. Boyd Island Access on Holston River has a fishing pier and is about 4 miles from Knoxville. There are 3 piers within range in total.

Do I need a license to fish near Knoxville?

Yes, anyone 13 and over. 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 sells no non-resident one-day license. Note the $33 combination license does not cover trout, that needs the $21 supplemental.

What is the best lake near Knoxville?

Fort Loudoun Lake carries the most public access within reach of Knoxville, followed by Melton Hill Lake. Which one fishes best depends entirely on the season and what you are after.

Where can I buy bait near Knoxville?

Academy Sports + Outdoors, 6574 Clinton Hwy, Knoxville TN 37912, (865) 895-9230. The Knoxville gear page has the rest, plus rental and licenses.

What fish can you catch near Knoxville?

Mainly largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rock bass, striped bass, white bass, walleye and sauger.

Towns near here

Towns near Knoxville

The nearest towns to Knoxville with pages of their own. If nothing near Knoxville suits, one of these usually does.

14 miles from Knoxville · Knox CountyFishing near FarragutFort Loudoun Lake, Melton Hill LakeSee the spots →14 miles from Knoxville · Blount CountyFishing near MaryvilleFort Loudoun Lake, Little RiverSee the spots →20 miles from Knoxville · Anderson CountyFishing near Oak RidgeFort Loudoun Lake, Watts Bar LakeSee the spots →21 miles from Knoxville · Sevier CountyFishing near SeviervilleDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →24 miles from Knoxville · Sevier CountyFishing near Pigeon ForgeDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →

Knoxville water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.

Wider net

Knox County beyond Knoxville

Knoxville is one town in Knox County. The county page covers every water inside the county line, including the ones nowhere near Knoxville.

Fishing in Knox County

With a guide

Fishing near Knoxville with a guide

Local captains who run the water near Knoxville are listed on the guides page with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.

Tennessee guides by water

Keep going

More Knoxville 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 water Licence and limits