With a guide
Guides and charters near Harpeth River Campground
Captains who run Nashville lakes and the Cumberland, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Nashville Fishing Charters
Stripers, hybrids, crappie, largemouth, smallmouthCall 615-812-2091nashvillefishingcharters.com
Fish Nashville
Striper, hybrid, catfish, crappie, bass, troutCall 615-200-0618fishnashville.com
Crappie Guide Service
White and black crappieCall 615-542-9800crappieguideservice.com
What to bring
Tackle for Harpeth River Campground
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 Harpeth River Campground
Harpeth River Campground is a public boat launch on Harpeth River in Cheatham County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
TWRA holds no written directions for Harpeth River Campground. 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.
Harpeth River Campground is 20 miles north-east of Dickson, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Doziers Boat Dock on Cheatham Lake, 1.4 miles to the north-west. For bait, Cumberland Transit in Nashville is about 21 miles away.
Coordinates 36.28460, -87.14300
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Harpeth River Campground
Harpeth River holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
The Harpeth is one of the only substantially undammed rivers in Tennessee and became the state’s second-longest unimpeded stream after a dam removal in Franklin; it’s the county’s entire fishery and it’s a wade-and-float smallmouth river, not a lake substitute.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Harpeth River Campground
What you can keep from Harpeth River at Harpeth River Campground. Harpeth River has no limits of its own, so the statewide limits apply. These are the ones for the fish it holds.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| Rock bass | 20 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Channel catfish | No limit under 34 in | Only one over 34 in | Statewide |
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.
5 public boat launches in Cheatham County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
Next one along
More Harpeth River access near Harpeth River Campground
The closest other public access points on Harpeth River, measured straight line from Harpeth River Campground. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Harpeth River Campground
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Harpeth River Campground, including Cheatham Lake and Sycamore Creek. Handy when the wind is wrong on Harpeth River or the ramp is busy.
Harpeth River Campground water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Harpeth River Campground
The closest shops to Harpeth River Campground that this site has checked. Cumberland Transit in Nashville is nearest, about 21 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
Your turn
Rate and review Harpeth River Campground
1. Tap your stars
2. Add a few words if you like
What visitors say
Loading visitor ratings
Where to next
Around Harpeth River Campground
Harpeth River Campground is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.