Morristown · Hamblen County

Fishing Near Morristown, Tennessee

Q: Where can I buy bait near Morristown?

Cherokee Boat Dock, 3050 Hamblen Dock Rd, Morristown — a commercial dock on the lake.No standalone bait-and-tackle retailer in Morristown was verified by name, which is surprising for a lake town of this size and should be checked directly. Walmart Supercenter, Morristown (Store 685) sells fishing tackle, bait and hunting and fishing licences. Nearest Academy Sports: Knoxville or Johnson City (both roughly 50 min). Nearest Bass Pro: Sevierville (~50 min). No boat, canoe or kayak rental in Hamblen County was verified.. The Morristown gear page has the rest, plus rental and licenses.

Cherokee Lake. Every public launch and pier within about 30 minutes of Morristown, and where to buy what you forgot on the way.

Find fishing spots137 public access points within 35 miles Find gear & bait16 bait and tackle shops within 40 miles

Closest first

Every public access within reach of Morristown

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

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

Cherokee Lake

French Broad River

Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVALeadvale Access Area9 mi from Morristown · Jefferson Co.3557 Leadvale Rd, White Pine, TN 378901 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.08883, -83.24917

What to bring

What to bring fishing near Morristown

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 Morristown

The water within reach of Morristown is Cherokee Lake, French Broad River.

Everything on this page is sorted by straight-line distance from Morristown, not by which county it sits in. Several of the closest spots to Morristown 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 Morristown

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

Cherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →TVA Web Team / CC BY 2.0

French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

Cherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →Dwight Burdette / CC BY 3.0

French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region / Public domain

Cherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →WorldIslandInfo.com / CC BY 2.0

French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region / Public domain

No boat

Bank fishing near Morristown

1 public fishing pier within reach of Morristown. No boat needed for any of them.

Free2 out of 5facilitiesFishing SiteHwy 25 Fishing PierCherokee Lake · 6 mi from Morristown1730 US 25E, Bean Station, TN 37708fishing pierDirections and detail →36.30324, -83.29186

Shoreline access in Hamblen County

Panther Creek State Park (1,444 acres on Cherokee Lake, with over 30 miles of hiking trail, 50 campsites, two bathhouses, a laundromat, a dump station and a trading post) is the best developed shore access in the county; Cherokee Park, the Hamblen County park on Boat Launch Road; Kidwells Ridge on Lakeway Road; the Hamblen County Boat Dock area; the John Sevier Steam Plant discharge area bank, subject to TVA posting, verify current public access there before publishing, as TVA plant sites have variable security restrictions

What is in there

Fish and limits around Morristown

Water around Morristown holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rock bass, striped bass, white bass, walleye and sauger.

Cherokee Lake’s smallmouth regulation is split by season and catches people out: 18-inch minimum at 1 per day from 1 June to 15 October, then a 15-inch minimum at 5 per day from 16 October to 31 May. Largemouth 15-inch minimum year-round, black bass 5 per day combined. Crappie 15 per day at a 10-inch minimum. Striped and Cherokee bass 2 per day at 15 inches. Walleye and saugeye 10 per day at 15 inches. Paddlefish 1 per day with snagging permitted only from 1 to 15 April, a genuinely unusual 15-day season and the lake’s signature regulation. A closed fishing zone near Cherokee Dam prohibits all boat fishing for any species from 1 July through 15 September. TWRA Region 4: 423-587-7037.

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

Morristown fishing weather and wind forecast

Thu, Oct 1 night

57°F

Mostly Clear

Wind 0 mph

0% chance of rain

Thu, Oct 1

86°F

Sunny

Wind S 0 to 5 mph

0% chance of rain

Thu, Oct 1 night

61°F

Mostly Clear

Wind 0 mph

0% chance of rain

Fri, Oct 2

86°F

Partly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind SW 0 to 10 mph

43% chance of rain

Fri, Oct 2 night

66°F

Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind N 0 to 5 mph

63% chance of rain

Sat, Oct 3

77°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind NE 0 to 5 mph

77% chance of rain

National Weather Service forecast, updated 1:06 AM, Thu, Oct 1.

Sun and moon, Fri, Oct 9

Sunrise7:35 AMEDT

Sunset7:07 PMEDT

First light7:10 AMLast light 7:32 PM

Daylight11 hr 31 minSunrise to sunset

MoonWaning crescent3% lit. New moon in 2 days

5 public boat launches in Hamblen County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people ask

Fishing near Morristown: common questions

Where is the closest place to fish to Morristown?

TVA Brights Pike on Cherokee Lake, about 3 miles from Morristown in Hamblen County. It is a fishing site.

How many fishing spots are near Morristown?

There are 40 public access points within about 30 miles of Morristown, 23 of them boat launches, across 2 named waters.

Can I fish near Morristown without a boat?

Yes. Hwy 25 Fishing Pier on Cherokee Lake has a fishing pier and is about 6 miles from Morristown.

Do I need a license to fish near Morristown?

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 Morristown?

Cherokee Lake carries the most public access within reach of Morristown, followed by French Broad River. Which one fishes best depends entirely on the season and what you are after.

Where can I buy bait near Morristown?

Cherokee Boat Dock, 3050 Hamblen Dock Rd, Morristown, a commercial dock on the lake.No standalone bait-and-tackle retailer in Morristown was verified by name, which is surprising for a lake town of this size and should be checked directly. Walmart Supercenter, Morristown (Store 685) sells fishing tackle, bait and hunting and fishing licences. Nearest Academy Sports: Knoxville or Johnson City (both roughly 50 min). Nearest Bass Pro: Sevierville (~50 min). No boat, canoe or kayak rental in Hamblen County was verified.. The Morristown gear page has the rest, plus rental and licenses.

What fish can you catch near Morristown?

Mainly largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rock bass, striped bass, white bass, walleye and sauger.

Towns near here

Towns near Morristown

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

13 miles from Morristown · Jefferson CountyFishing near Jefferson CityCherokee Lake, Douglas LakeSee the spots →15 miles from Morristown · Jefferson CountyFishing near DandridgeDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →18 miles from Morristown · Cocke CountyFishing near NewportDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →26 miles from Morristown · Greene CountyFishing near GreenevilleNolichucky River, Holston RiverSee the spots →28 miles from Morristown · Sevier CountyFishing near SeviervilleDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →

Morristown water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.

Wider net

Hamblen County beyond Morristown

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

Fishing in Hamblen County

With a guide

Fishing near Morristown with a guide

Local captains who run the water near Morristown 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 Morristown 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