With a guide
Guides and charters near Shady Grove
Captains who run Chickamauga Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Paul Johnson Guide Service
Largemouth, spotted, smallmouthCall 423-598-9083pauljohnsonguideservice.com
Chattanooga Fishing Guides
Scenic City Fishing Charters
Trophy catfish, walleye, crappie, bass, striper, saugersceniccityfishing.com
What to bring
Tackle for Shady Grove
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 Shady Grove
Shady Grove is a public access point on Chickamauga Lake in Hamilton County, Tennessee, run by Private Land.
TWRA holds no written directions for Shady Grove. 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.
Shady Grove is 4.5 miles north-east of Soddy-Daisy, the nearest town with its own page here. The county seat, Chattanooga, is 19 miles to the south-west. The closest other public access is Shady Grove Harbor, a few hundred yards to the south on the same water. For bait, Hog Farmer Bait Company in Soddy-Daisy is about 5 miles away.
Coordinates 35.26620, -85.11910
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Shady Grove
Chickamauga Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Meigs County holds the mid-lake water where the reservoir slows into sloughs and embayments; TWRA’s stocking programme lifted average angler catch weight from 1.42 lb to consistently over 3 lb, and crappie surveys average 2.85 fish per hour at 0.76–0.80 lb.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Shady Grove
What you can keep from Chickamauga Lake at Shady Grove. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Chickamauga 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 | Chickamauga Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Same rule covers spotted, Alabama and hybrid bass: only one of these over 16 in per day |
| Spotted bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Includes Alabama bass and hybrids |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| Redear sunfish | 20 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Striped bass | 2 striped and hybrid combined | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 in minimum | Statewide |
| Sauger | 10 | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
Other rules on Chickamauga Lake
- Hiwassee Refuge closed to all use Nov 15–end of Feb except the wildlife viewing area; fishing allowed on the main river channel through the refuge.
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.
24 public boat launches in Hamilton County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Chickamauga Lake around Shady Grove
What the water at Shady Grove actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Chickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain
Nickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →Bryce Edwards from San Jose, CA, USA / CC BY 2.0
Chickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain
Nickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →RebelCowboySnB Marlon N Weldon / CC BY-SA 3.0
Chickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain
Nickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0Next one along
More Chickamauga Lake access near Shady Grove
The closest other public access points on Chickamauga Lake, measured straight line from Shady Grove. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Shady Grove water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Shady Grove
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Shady Grove, including Chickamauga Reservoir / Wolftever Creek, North Chickamauga Creek and Nickajack Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on Chickamauga Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Shady Grove
The closest shops to Shady Grove that this site has checked. Hog Farmer Bait Company in Soddy-Daisy is nearest, about 5 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Shady Grove
Shady Grove is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.