Lebanon · Wilson County

Fishing Near Lebanon, Tennessee

Old Hickory Lake, Cumberland River. Every public launch and pier within about 30 minutes of Lebanon, and where to buy what you forgot on the way.

Find fishing spots145 public access points within 35 miles Find gear & bait11 bait and tackle shops within 40 miles

Closest first

Every public access within reach of Lebanon

From TWRA’s own access database, with a directions link on each one. Distances are straight-line from Lebanon, so the drive is always a bit longer.

Tap a pin for the spot page and directions. Open the full Tennessee fishing map.

Old Hickory Lake

What to bring

What to bring fishing near Lebanon

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 checklist Crappie checklist Bluegill and Panfish checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Measured from town

Where to fish near Lebanon

The water within reach of Lebanon is Old Hickory Lake, J. Percy Priest Lake, Cumberland River and 1 more.

Everything on this page is sorted by straight-line distance from Lebanon, not by which county it sits in. Several of the closest spots to Lebanon are across a county line, which is exactly the kind of thing a county-by-county list hides.

What it looks like

The water around Lebanon

Photographs of the lakes and rivers on this page. Drag or swipe for more. Every picture opens that water’s own page.

Old Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake 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 →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain

Old Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake 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 →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

No boat

Bank fishing near Lebanon

7 public fishing piers within reach of Lebanon. No boat needed for any of them.

Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAGallatin Steam Plant RampOld Hickory Lake · 10 mi from Lebanon1 ramp, 1 lanefishing pierDirections and detail →36.32420, -86.39200 Free5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACEBull Run AccessOld Hickory Lake · 12 mi from Lebanon1 ramp, 2 lanesfishing pierrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.34290, -86.43340 Free4 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACECedar Grove AccessOld Hickory Lake · 13 mi from Lebanon1 rampfishing pierrestroomsDirections and detail →36.34010, -86.44660 Free4.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACELock 4 AccessOld Hickory Lake · 14 mi from Lebanon1 ramp, 1 lanefishing pierrestroomsDirections and detail →36.33740, -86.47620 Free4.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACESpecial Needs AccessOld Hickory Lake · 15 mi from Lebanon1 ramp, 1 lanefishing pierrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.35760, -86.47310 Free4 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACEVivrett Creek Recreation AreaJ. Percy Priest Lake · 15 mi from Lebanon1 ramp, 2 lanesfishing piercanoe / kayak landingaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.14076, -86.54348 Free4.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACEShutes BranchOld Hickory Lake · 16 mi from Lebanon1 ramp, 1 lanefishing piercanoe / kayak landingrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.24993, -86.56799

Shoreline access in Wilson County

Don Fox Community Park lake, Lebanon; Cedar Creek Recreation Area shoreline; Hunters Point; Percy Priest’s enhanced bank fishing sites at Stewart Creek (Smyrna) and Vivrette Creek are just over the Rutherford line but serve the same water; Old Hickory Corps recreation areas along the Wilson shore; Spring Creek and Barton’s Creek crossings. The Corps maintains eight fishing piers on Old Hickory and Percy Priest has 15 free public ramps, so shore options on both lakes are unusually good.

What is in there

Fish and limits around Lebanon

Water around Lebanon holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, sunfish, rock bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass and walleye.

– Old Hickory Reservoir: crappie 30/day at a 10″ minimum, double the statewide 15; largemouth 14″ minimum (not the usual 15″), smallmouth 18″; striped/hybrid 2/day at 15″; white bass 15/day; walleye 5/day at 16″; paddlefish 2/day with a season open 24 April–31 May; catfish unlimited under 34″ with one over., J. Percy Priest Reservoir: crappie 30/day at a 10″ minimum; largemouth 15″ minimum, smallmouth 18″; striped/hybrid 2/day at 15″; catfish unlimited under 34″ with one over., Reservoir full pool elevation is the boundary between reservoir and tributary-stream rules, so Cedar Creek, Spring Creek and Barton’s Creek above full pool revert to statewide limits., Statewide trout rules apply at Don Fox Community Park: 7/day, no minimum length. RECORDS (both lakes span several counties and TWRA assigns no county):, Old Hickory Reservoir: walleye 25 lb, Mabry Harper, 3 August 1960; silver carp 37 lb 0.4 oz, Brian Townsend, 8 May 2021; American eel 8 lb 14 oz, Jason Wilson, 27 July 2019; golden redhorse 3 lb 3.2 oz, Tyler Gerstein, 28 March 2025; Nile tilapia 7 lb 6.6 oz, Gary L. Phelps, 27 November 2017., J. Percy Priest Reservoir: bigmouth buffalo 62 lb, Jeff Wilkins, 1 April 2010;

From TWRA’s statewide creel and length limits, last updated 4 August 2026. Water-specific exceptions change, so check the current guide before keeping a fish.

Weather

Lebanon fishing weather and wind forecast

Thu, Oct 1 night

63°F

Partly Cloudy

Wind SSE 5 mph

0% chance of rain

Thu, Oct 1

93°F

Mostly Sunny

Wind S 5 to 10 mph

0% chance of rain

Thu, Oct 1 night

70°F

Partly Cloudy

Wind S 5 to 10 mph

5% chance of rain

Fri, Oct 2

87°F

Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind WSW 5 to 10 mph

72% chance of rain

Fri, Oct 2 night

64°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind NNE 0 to 5 mph

58% chance of rain

Sat, Oct 3

77°F

Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind NE 5 mph

66% chance of rain

National Weather Service forecast, updated 6:51 PM, Wed, Sep 30.

Sun and moon, Thu, Oct 8

Sunrise6:47 AMCDT

Sunset6:20 PMCDT

First light6:21 AMLast light 6:46 PM

Daylight11 hr 34 minSunrise to sunset

MoonWaning crescent8% lit. New moon in 3 days

16 public boat launches in Wilson County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people ask

Fishing near Lebanon: common questions

Where is the closest place to fish to Lebanon?

Bartons Creek on Old Hickory Lake, about 6 miles from Lebanon in Wilson County. It is a boat launch.

How many fishing spots are near Lebanon?

There are 40 public access points within about 30 miles of Lebanon, 33 of them boat launches, across 4 named waters.

Can I fish near Lebanon without a boat?

Yes. Gallatin Steam Plant Ramp on Old Hickory Lake has a fishing pier and is about 10 miles from Lebanon. There are 7 piers within range in total.

Do I need a license to fish near Lebanon?

Yes, anyone 13 and over. 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 sells no non-resident one-day license. Note the $33 combination license does not cover trout, that needs the $21 supplemental.

What is the best lake near Lebanon?

Old Hickory Lake carries the most public access within reach of Lebanon, followed by J. Percy Priest Lake. Which one fishes best depends entirely on the season and what you are after.

Where can I buy bait near Lebanon?

– Academy Sports + Outdoors, 549 Pleasant Grove Rd, Mt Juliet, (615) 758-1060., Dick’s Sporting Goods, 401 S Mount Juliet Rd, Mount Juliet, (615) 773-6160., Fate Sanders Marina, 3157 Weakley Ln, Mount Juliet, (615) 459-6219 (marina store)., Cedar Creek Marina, 9120 Saundersville Rd, Mount Juliet, (615) 758-5174 (marina store)., Go All Out-fitters, 171 S Lovers Ln, Lebanon, (615) 351-0427., Hibbett Sports, 621 S Cumberland St, Lebanon, (615) 444-0422., Nashville Marine, 9077 Lebanon Rd, Mount Juliet, (615) 288-4076., No dedicated live-bait shop was verified inside Wilson County. The Lebanon gear page has the rest, plus rental and licenses.

What fish can you catch near Lebanon?

Mainly largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, sunfish, rock bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass and walleye.

Towns near here

Towns near Lebanon

The nearest towns to Lebanon with pages of their own. If nothing near Lebanon suits, one of these usually does.

13 miles from Lebanon · Wilson CountyFishing near Mount JulietOld Hickory Lake, J. Percy Priest LakeSee the spots →15 miles from Lebanon · Sumner CountyFishing near GallatinOld Hickory LakeSee the spots →19 miles from Lebanon · Smith CountyFishing near CarthageCordell Hull Lake, Caney Fork RiverSee the spots →20 miles from Lebanon · Sumner CountyFishing near HendersonvilleOld Hickory Lake, Cheatham LakeSee the spots →20 miles from Lebanon · Rutherford CountyFishing near SmyrnaJ. Percy Priest Lake, West Fork Stones RiverSee the spots →

Lebanon water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, sunfish.

Wider net

Wilson County beyond Lebanon

Lebanon is one town in Wilson County. The county page covers every water inside the county line, including the ones nowhere near Lebanon.

Fishing in Wilson County

With a guide

Fishing near Lebanon with a guide

Local captains who run the water near Lebanon are listed on the guides page with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.

Tennessee guides by water

Keep going

More Lebanon 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 water Licence and limits