With a guide
Guides and charters near Big Oak Access Area
Captains who run Kentucky Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Steve McCadams Professional Guide Service
Crappie, bass, bluegill, catfish, white bassCall 731-642-0360stevemccadams.com
Elliott’s Guide Service
Crappie, bassCall 731-234-8817elliottsguideservice.com
KY Lake Crappie Fishing
Crappiekylakecrappiefishing.com
What to bring
Tackle for Big Oak Access Area
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.
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
How to get there
Getting to Big Oak Access Area
Big Oak Access Area is a public boat launch on Kentucky Lake in Benton County, Tennessee.
TWRA holds no written directions for Big Oak Access Area. Use the coordinates below, which come straight from the state’s access record and drop you on the access point itself rather than on the nearest town.
Big Oak Access Area is 15 miles south-west of Dover, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Lick Creek Access Area, 0.4 miles to the east on the same water. For bait, Paris Landing State Park Marina in Paris is about 7 miles away.
Coordinates 36.32788, -88.01370
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Big Oak Access Area
Kentucky Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Bassmaster has called Kentucky Lake the crappie capital of America, and the Henry County reach, Paris Landing, the Big Sandy arm, Blood River and West Sandy, is the heart of that fishery. Ledge fishing over submerged ditches, creeks, islands and roadbeds in 6-14 ft is the defining technique.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Big Oak Access Area
What you can keep from Kentucky Lake at Big Oak Access Area. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Kentucky Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 15 in minimum | Same for smallmouth; spotted bass no length limit |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 15 in minimum | Kentucky Lake rule |
| Crappie | 20 | 10 in minimum | Includes the dewatering areas |
| Spotted bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| White bass | 15 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Sauger | 10 | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| Channel catfish | No limit under 34 in | Only one over 34 in | Statewide |
Other rules on Kentucky Lake
- Dewatering areas (West Sandy, Big Sandy, Gin Creek, Camden Bottoms, Duck River Bottoms, Busseltown, Perryville, Gumdale) closed 5 days before and during late waterfowl season.
From the 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide (TWRA), in effect 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, checked 25 September 2026. Rules change, so check the guide before you keep a fish.
27 public boat launches in Benton County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Kentucky Lake around Big Oak Access Area
What the water at Big Oak Access Area actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Kentucky LakeOpen the Kentucky Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain
Kentucky LakeOpen the Kentucky Lake page →Thomas R Machnitzki / CC BY-SA 3.0
Kentucky LakeOpen the Kentucky Lake page →Thomas R Machnitzki / CC BY-SA 3.0
Kentucky LakeOpen the Kentucky Lake page →Thomas R Machnitzki / CC BY-SA 3.0Next one along
More Kentucky Lake access near Big Oak Access Area
The closest other public access points on Kentucky Lake, measured straight line from Big Oak Access Area. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Big Oak Access Area water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Big Oak Access Area
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Big Oak Access Area, including Lake Barkley. Handy when the wind is wrong on Kentucky Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Big Oak Access Area
The closest shops to Big Oak Access Area that this site has checked. Paris Landing State Park Marina in Paris is nearest, about 7 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Big Oak Access Area
Big Oak Access Area is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.