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Claiborne County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Claiborne County

Bait, tackle, rental boats and licenses in and around Claiborne County.

What to bring

Tackle for Claiborne County water

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

Closest first

Bait and tackle shops in and near Claiborne County

The nearest bait, tackle and marina stores to Claiborne County’s water, each with its own page, directions and phone number.

Rutledge · about 12 milesGilmore Boat DockLakeside operation with a dock store, bait and often boat rental.Directions and phone →Rutledge · about 12 milesGreenlee Campground & MarineTackle and bait for Grainger County water. Call ahead out of season, winter hours are short.Directions and phone →Rutledge · about 12 milesGreenlee of May SpringsTackle and bait for Grainger County water. Call ahead out of season, winter hours are short.Directions and phone →Rutledge · about 12 milesWa-Ni Village ResortLakeside operation with a dock store, bait and often boat rental.Directions and phone →Maynardville · about 16 milesBeach Island Resort & MarinaMarina store. Fuel, ice, terminal tackle and live bait when the lake is running.Directions and phone →Bean Station · about 19 milesHuff’s German Creek MarinaMarina store. Fuel, ice, terminal tackle and live bait when the lake is running.Directions and phone →Bean Station · about 19 milesLakeside MarinaMarina store. Fuel, ice, terminal tackle and live bait when the lake is running.Directions and phone →Morristown · about 22 milesCherokee Boat DockLakeside operation with a dock store, bait and often boat rental.Directions and phone →Jefferson City · about 22 milesCherokee Bait & TackleLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →

Buy it at the ramp

Marinas and bait at the water in Claiborne County

Access points in Claiborne County that TWRA records as carrying bait, rentals or marina services. Buying where you launch is the cheapest way to avoid a wasted trip.

Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaCedar Grove MarinaNorris LakeDirections and detail →36.36454, -83.71462Launch fee3.5 out of 5facilitiesMarina · TVALone Mountain Boat DockNorris Lake1 ramp, 2 lanesrestroomsDirections and detail →36.38950, -83.56880

The big stores

Chain stores near Claiborne County

The closest full tackle wall to Claiborne County is the Academy in Morristown, about 23 miles from Tazewell. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer. The rest below are the next nearest, each with a map link.

Morristown · about 23 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Kodak · about 32 milesBass Pro ShopsFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Open in maps →Knoxville · about 37 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Kingsport · about 59 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →

Before you cast

Buying a Tennessee fishing license in Claiborne County

Buy online at gooutdoorstennessee.com and the license is on your phone in a minute, nothing is mailed. Over the counter, the Claiborne County Clerk in Tazewell sells them, along with most Walmart stores and licensed agents in the county.

Anyone 13 and over needs a license to fish Claiborne County water, and under 13 is free. If you live in Claiborne County, the $10 county-of-residence license covers you on Claiborne County water, though not for trout.

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Claiborne County

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Claiborne 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.

Does my Tennessee license cover trout in Claiborne 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 Claiborne County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Claiborne County?

Lone Mountain Boat Dock (Tazewell/New Tazewell, Norris Lake) carries bait and fuel onsite per TWRA’s access database and publishes a bait-and-tackle page. Cedar Grove Marina and Straight Creek Marina are also listed on Norris in Claiborne County by a marina directory, both with stores. TWRA records bait “in proximity” at the Highway 25E Bridge access. No standalone walk-in tackle shop verified in Tazewell or New Tazewell. Nearest big-box: Walmart in New Tazewell and in Harrogate. There is a fuller list on the Claiborne County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Claiborne County?

Yes. County clerks, most Walmart stores and licensed agents in Claiborne County sell them over the counter, and gooutdoorstennessee.com sells them 24 hours a day. The license is digital or printable, nothing is mailed.

Do I need a boat to fish Claiborne County?

Not necessarily, though Claiborne County is short on developed bank access. The fishing spots page lists every road crossing and park shoreline that is genuinely public.

What it looks like

What Claiborne County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Norris Lake, TennesseeNorris LakeOpen the Norris Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Clinch River, TennesseeClinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Cherokee Lake, TennesseeCherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →TVA Web Team / CC BY 2.0Watauga Lake, TennesseeWatauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0French Broad River, TennesseeFrench Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0Hiwassee River, TennesseeHiwassee RiverOpen the Hiwassee River page →ChristopherM at English Wikipedia / CC BY 2.5

8 public boat launches in Claiborne County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Claiborne County

Got what you need? The Claiborne County fishing spots page has every ramp, pier, creek and lake in the county, with directions to each one and the limits that apply on it.

Claiborne County fishing spotsBack to the county page

Keep going

More Claiborne 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