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Lauderdale County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Lauderdale County

Bait, tackle, rental boats and licenses in and around Lauderdale County.

What to bring

Tackle for Lauderdale County water

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.

RodUgly Stik GX2 7 ft medium-heavy casting rodStiff enough to set a hook in grass, tough enough to live in a truck bed.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
ReelAbu Garcia Black Max baitcasting reelAn inexpensive baitcaster that casts cleanly once the brakes are set.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Soft plasticZoom Trick WormThe Tennessee standard on a Texas rig or weightless along docks and grass edges.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Full largemouth bass checklist (11 items)All gear checklists

Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:

Smallmouth Bass checklistCrappie checklistStriper and Hybrid checklistFish Finders comparedTrolling Motors comparedLithium Marine Batteries comparedShallow Water Anchors compared

Closest first

Bait and tackle shops in and near Lauderdale County

The nearest bait, tackle and marina stores to Lauderdale County’s water, each with its own page, directions and phone number.

Covington · about 12 milesSportsman’s SupplyLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Covington · about 12 milesWalmartOpen late, sells licences at the counter, and carries terminal tackle and line.Directions and phone →Drummonds · about 12 milesGlenn Springs Lake StoreSmall local store carrying bait, ice and the basics.Directions and phone →Memphis · about 36 milesBass Pro Shops at the PyramidFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Directions and phone →Somerville · about 39 milesBill Dance LakeLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →

The big stores

Chain stores near Lauderdale County

The closest full tackle wall to Lauderdale County is the Academy in Millington, about 21 miles from Ripley. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer. The rest below are the next nearest, each with a map link.

Millington · about 21 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Memphis · about 36 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Memphis · about 36 milesBass Pro ShopsFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Open in maps →Collierville · about 43 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →

Before you cast

Buying a Tennessee fishing license in Lauderdale County

Buy online at gooutdoorstennessee.com and the license is on your phone in a minute, nothing is mailed. Over the counter, the Lauderdale County Clerk in Ripley sells them, along with most Walmart stores and licensed agents in the county.

Anyone 13 and over needs a license to fish Lauderdale County water, and under 13 is free. If you live in Lauderdale County, the $10 county-of-residence license covers you on Lauderdale County water, though not for trout.

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Lauderdale County

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Lauderdale County?

Yes. Anyone 13 and over needs a Tennessee fishing license, and there is no license required for ages 12 and under. A resident annual combination hunt and fish license is $33, a resident one-day all-species license is $11, and a non-resident three-day all-species license is $40. Tennessee has no non-resident one-day license. Buy online at gooutdoorstennessee.com, from a county clerk or from a licensed agent. Licenses are digital, nothing arrives in the post.

Does my Tennessee license cover trout in Lauderdale County?

Not automatically. The $33 resident combination hunt and fish license does not cover trout, and neither does the county-of-residence license or the cheaper no-trout short-term options. Those need the $21 annual trout supplemental added on. The Sportsman licenses and every non-resident all-species license already include trout. There is no designated trout water in Lauderdale County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Lauderdale County?

No tackle or bait shop verified in Lauderdale County. Nearest full retail is the Walmart Supercenter in Ripley (licences, basic tackle). Academy Sports in Dyersburg (~25 min north) and Jackson (~1 hr east). Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, Memphis, roughly an hour south.. There is a fuller list on the Lauderdale County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Lauderdale County?

Yes. County clerks, most Walmart stores and licensed agents in Lauderdale County sell them over the counter, and gooutdoorstennessee.com sells them 24 hours a day. The license is digital or printable, nothing is mailed.

Do I need a boat to fish Lauderdale County?

Not necessarily, though Lauderdale County is short on developed bank access. The fishing spots page lists every road crossing and park shoreline that is genuinely public.

What it looks like

What Lauderdale County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Mississippi River, TennesseeMississippi RiverOpen the Mississippi River page →Ceptember / CC BY-SA 4.0Hatchie River, TennesseeHatchie RiverOpen the Hatchie River page →noaa.gov / Public domain
Forked Deer River, Tennessee
Forked Deer River, TennesseeMalepheasant at en.wikipedia / Public domain
Reelfoot Lake, TennesseeReelfoot LakeOpen the Reelfoot Lake page →User:JeremyA / CC BY-SA 2.5Pickwick Lake, TennesseePickwick LakeOpen the Pickwick Lake page →Kbh3rd / CC BY-SA 3.0Obion River, TennesseeObion RiverOpen the Obion River page →David.k.hochreiter / CC BY-SA 3.0

1 public boat launches in Lauderdale County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Lauderdale County

Got what you need? The Lauderdale County fishing spots page has every ramp, pier, creek and lake in the county, with directions to each one and the limits that apply on it.

Lauderdale County fishing spotsBack to the county page

Keep going

More Lauderdale County water, and who fishes it

Every guide and charter on this site is listed by the water they run, so you can call the captain direct. Licences, limits and the state record list are one click away too.

Guides by waterLicence and limits