With a guide
Guides and charters near Elm Hill Recreation Area
Captains who run J. Percy Priest Lake, 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 Elm Hill Recreation 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 Elm Hill Recreation Area
Elm Hill Recreation Area is a public access point on J. Percy Priest Lake in Davidson County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
I-40 to Stewart’s Ferry Rd, Stewart’s Ferry to Elm Hill Rec Area
Elm Hill Recreation Area is 7.8 miles south-west of Mount Juliet, the nearest town with its own page here. The county seat, Nashville, is 9.1 miles to the west. The closest other public access is Hamilton Creek Marina, a few hundred yards to the north-east on the same water. For bait, Starkey’s Bait & Tackle in Nashville is about 2 miles away.
Coordinates 36.12636, -86.62458
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Elm Hill Recreation Area
J. Percy Priest Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Rutherford County holds the upper, shallower, more riverine end of the lake, where the spring crappie and white bass runs push up the tributaries; the summer hybrid striper fishing is concentrated at the lower Davidson County end around 18–19 feet.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Elm Hill Recreation Area
What you can keep from J. Percy Priest Lake at Elm Hill Recreation Area. TWRA sets 3 rules just for J. Percy Priest 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 | J. Percy Priest Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | J. Percy Priest Lake rule |
| Crappie | 30 | 10 in minimum | J. Percy Priest Lake rule |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| Hybrid striped bass | 2 striped and hybrid combined | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| White bass | 15 | 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.
21 public boat launches in Davidson County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
J. Percy Priest Lake around Elm Hill Recreation Area
What the water at Elm Hill Recreation Area actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
J. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain
J. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
J. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →Pub. by Southern Latex Co., Nashville, Tenn. “Ti / Public domainNext one along
More J. Percy Priest Lake access near Elm Hill Recreation Area
The closest other public access points on J. Percy Priest Lake, measured straight line from Elm Hill Recreation Area. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Elm Hill Recreation Area water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Elm Hill Recreation Area
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Elm Hill Recreation Area, including Stones River and Cheatham Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on J. Percy Priest Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Elm Hill Recreation Area
The closest shops to Elm Hill Recreation Area that this site has checked. Starkey’s Bait & Tackle in Nashville is nearest, about 2 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Elm Hill Recreation Area
Elm Hill Recreation Area is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.