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Loudon County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Loudon County

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

What to bring

Tackle for Loudon 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 checklistBluegill and Panfish checklistFish Finders comparedTrolling Motors comparedLithium Marine Batteries comparedShallow Water Anchors compared

Closest first

Bait and tackle shops in and near Loudon County

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

Lenoir City · about 2 milesLane’s Landing Bait & TackleLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Louisville · about 14 milesDunmore Bait & TackleLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Knoxville · about 22 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Directions and phone →Knoxville · about 24 milesSmitty’s Bait and TackleLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Knoxville · about 24 milesBig Fish OutfittersFly shop and outfitter. Flies, leader, licences and local water advice.Directions and phone →Tellico Plains · about 27 milesTellico OutfittersFly shop and outfitter. Flies, leader, licences and local water advice.Directions and phone →Townsend · about 29 milesLittle River OutfittersFly shop and outfitter. Flies, leader, licences and local water advice.Directions and phone →Andersonville · about 33 milesBuffalo Creek Outdoor EtcSporting goods. Rods, reels, line and a licence counter.Directions and phone →Jacksboro · about 40 milesWalmart SupercenterOpen late, sells licences at the counter, and carries terminal tackle and line.Directions and phone →

Buy it at the ramp

Marinas and bait at the water in Loudon County

Access points in Loudon County that TWRA records as carrying bait, rentals or marina services. Buying where you launch is the cheapest way to avoid a wasted trip.

Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaFort Loudon MarinaFort Loudoun LakeDirections and detail →35.79550, -84.23830Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaWind River Harbor MarinaTellico LakeDirections and detail →35.75529, -84.24985

The big stores

Chain stores near Loudon County

The closest full tackle wall to Loudon County is the Academy in Knoxville, about 24 miles from Loudon. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer. The rest below are the next nearest, each with a map link.

Knoxville · about 24 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Kodak · about 39 milesBass Pro ShopsFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Open in maps →Morristown · about 63 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Hixson · about 65 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 Loudon County

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

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

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Loudon County

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Loudon 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 Loudon 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 Loudon County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Loudon County?

No tackle shop verified inside Loudon County.Academy Sports and Bass Pro Shops are in Knoxville, 25–35 minutes northeast via I-75/I-40. Walmart Supercenter, Lenoir City.. There is a fuller list on the Loudon County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Loudon County?

Yes. County clerks, most Walmart stores and licensed agents in Loudon 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 Loudon County?

No. Loudon County has 5 public fishing piers and bank access at several of its parks and river crossings.

What it looks like

What Loudon County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Tellico Lake, TennesseeTellico LakeOpen the Tellico Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Fort Loudoun Lake, TennesseeFort Loudoun LakeOpen the Fort Loudoun Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domainWatts Bar Lake, TennesseeWatts Bar LakeOpen the Watts Bar Lake page →ChristopherM / CC BY 2.5Norris Lake, TennesseeNorris LakeOpen the Norris Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Cherokee Lake, TennesseeCherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →TVA Web Team / CC BY 2.0Watauga Lake, TennesseeWatauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0

13 public boat launches in Loudon County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Loudon County

Got what you need? The Loudon 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.

Loudon County fishing spotsBack to the county page

Keep going

More Loudon 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