With a guide
Guides and charters near Highway 321 Bridge
Captains who run Cherokee and Douglas, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Skylar Hamilton Guide Service
Nathan Mountain Outdoors
Largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, bluegill, troutCall 423-726-0240nathanmountainoutdoors.com
StriperFun Guide Service
Cherokee Lake stripersCall 931-403-2501striperfun.com
What to bring
Tackle for Highway 321 Bridge
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 Highway 321 Bridge
Highway 321 Bridge is a public access point on French Broad River in Cocke County, Tennessee, run by a private operator.
Hwy. 25/20 to Newport to Hwy. 321 to Rock Hill Rd. River Mile 76
Highway 321 Bridge is 1.9 miles north-east of Newport, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Newport Police Dept. on Pigeon River, 1.7 miles to the south-west. For bait, Lakeview Market & Deli in Dandridge is about 13 miles away.
Coordinates 35.98223, -83.15961
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Highway 321 Bridge
French Broad River holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Crosses the northern part of the county and receives the Little Pigeon north of Sevierville; below Douglas Dam it is a stocked trout tailwater, and further down it becomes one of the state’s better smallmouth rivers.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Highway 321 Bridge
What you can keep from French Broad River at Highway 321 Bridge. TWRA sets 4 rules just for French Broad River. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | 5 | 18 in minimum | Hwy 168 to Douglas Dam |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| Walleye | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| Sauger | 5 walleye/sauger combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line; includes sauger/walleye hybrids |
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Rock bass | 20 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 36 in 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.
7 public boat launches in Cocke County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
French Broad River around Highway 321 Bridge
What the water at Highway 321 Bridge actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
Douglas LakeOpen the Douglas Lake page →Dwight Burdette / CC BY 3.0
French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region / Public domain
Douglas LakeOpen the Douglas Lake page →Pi.1415926535 / CC BY-SA 4.0
French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region / Public domain
Douglas LakeOpen the Douglas Lake page →Dwight Burdette / CC BY 3.0Next one along
More French Broad River access near Highway 321 Bridge
The closest other public access points on French Broad River, measured straight line from Highway 321 Bridge. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Highway 321 Bridge water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, sunfish.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Highway 321 Bridge
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Highway 321 Bridge, including Pigeon River and Douglas Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on French Broad River or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Highway 321 Bridge
The closest shops to Highway 321 Bridge that this site has checked. Lakeview Market & Deli in Dandridge is nearest, about 13 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Highway 321 Bridge
Highway 321 Bridge is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.