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Boat Launch · Wilson County

Shutes Branch, Old Hickory Lake

1 ramp, 1 lane, fishing pier, canoe / kayak landing. 4 miles from Mount Juliet.

Get driving directionsAll Wilson County spots

With a guide

Guides and charters near Shutes Branch

Captains who run Old Hickory Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.

Billy Flatt · Nashville

Nashville Fishing Charters

Stripers, hybrids, crappie, largemouth, smallmouthCall 615-812-2091nashvillefishingcharters.com

Capt. Brian and two guides · Nashville

Fish Nashville

Striper, hybrid, catfish, crappie, bass, troutCall 615-200-0618fishnashville.com

Mark Travis · Nashville area

Crappie Guide Service

White and black crappieCall 615-542-9800crappieguideservice.com

All 6 guides on Nashville lakes and the Cumberland

What to bring

Tackle for Shutes Branch

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

How to get there

Getting to Shutes Branch

Shutes Branch is a public boat launch on Old Hickory Lake in Wilson County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

TWRA holds no written directions for Shutes Branch. 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.

Shutes Branch is 4.4 miles north-west of Mount Juliet, the nearest town with its own page here. The county seat, Lebanon, is 16 miles to the east. The closest other public access is Langford Cove, 0.3 miles to the south on the same water. For bait, Academy Sports + Outdoors in Mount Juliet is about 4 miles away.

Coordinates 36.24993, -86.56799

Open in Google MapsSee nearby spots on the mapFishing near Mount Juliet
Aerial view of Shutes Branch
Shutes Branch from above. The pin marks the access point. USGS aerial imagery.

What is there

What you will find at Shutes Branch

Free to launch 4.5 out of 5 Facilities 4.5 of 5, scored from what TWRA records: ramp, docks, pier, restrooms, parking, lighting and hours.

Everything below comes from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s own public access record for Shutes Branch. It is the same data the state uses, not a guess from a photograph.

Boat ramp

You can launch a trailered boat here. 1 lane.

Fishing pier

A built pier, so you can fish deep water without a boat.

Canoe and kayak

A landing shallow enough to carry a paddle craft in and out.

Restrooms

Toilets on site, which is rarer than you would think.

Accessible parking

Marked accessible parking at the access point.

Courtesy dock

A dock beside the ramp to tie off while you park the trailer.

Open 24 hours

TWRA records round the clock access, so early starts are fine.

Not recorded here: camping. Worth knowing before a long drive with the family.

What you can catch

Fish you can catch at Shutes Branch

Old Hickory Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.

largemouth basssmallmouth basscrappiestriped basswhite basswalleyesaugercatfish

The Cumberland forms Wilson County’s northern border with Trousdale and Sumner and that reach is Old Hickory; the Wilson side is the Cedar Creek and Hunters Point country, and TWRA rates the lake a world-class trophy striped bass fishery with regular catches over 50 lb.

Everything on Old Hickory LakeFind a local fishing guide

What you can keep

Fishing limits at Shutes Branch

What you can keep from Old Hickory Lake at Shutes Branch. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Old Hickory Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.

FishDaily limitLengthWhere or when
Largemouth bass5 black bass combined14 in minimumOld Hickory Lake rule
Smallmouth bass5 black bass combined18 in minimumOld Hickory Lake rule
Crappie3010 in minimumOld Hickory Lake rule
Striped bass2 striped and hybrid combined15 in minimumStatewide
White bass15No minimumStatewide
Walleye516 in minimumStatewide
Sauger1015 in minimumStatewide
Channel catfishNo limit under 34 inOnly one over 34 inStatewide

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.

Statewide limits and licenses

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

What it looks like

Old Hickory Lake around Shutes Branch

What the water at Shutes Branch actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.

Old Hickory Lake, TennesseeOld Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0J. Percy Priest Lake, TennesseeJ. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Old Hickory Lake, TennesseeOld Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0J. Percy Priest Lake, TennesseeJ. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0J. Percy Priest Lake, TennesseeJ. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0J. Percy Priest Lake, TennesseeJ. Percy Priest LakeOpen the J. Percy Priest Lake page →Billferguson / CC BY 3.0

Next one along

More Old Hickory Lake access near Shutes Branch

The closest other public access points on Old Hickory Lake, measured straight line from Shutes Branch. Each one opens its own page with directions.

Fee not listed2 out of 5facilitiesFishing SiteLangford Cove0.3 miles southfishing pierDirections and detail →36.24577, -86.57012Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaHarbor Island Yacht Club0.3 miles northDirections and detail →36.25438, -86.56620Free5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CitySanders Ferry Park2.0 miles west1 ramp, 3 lanesfishing pierrestroomsDirections and detail →36.24960, -86.60430Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACEStark Knob2.2 miles northAnderson Lane to Cumberland Hills to Lake Park1 ramp, 1 laneaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.28170, -86.57560Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaDrakes Creek Marine Works2.4 miles westDirections and detail →36.26068, -86.60876Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaCreekwood Marina3.4 miles north-westDirections and detail →36.28625, -86.60813
All 54 access points on Old Hickory Lake

Shutes Branch water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, sunfish.

Other water close by

Other fishing near Shutes Branch

Public access on other water within 20 miles of Shutes Branch, including Stones River, Cheatham Lake and J. Percy Priest Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on Old Hickory Lake or the ramp is busy.

Fee not listed1.5 out of 5facilitiesFishing SiteStones River Greenway, HermitageStones River · 5.8 miles south-westDirections and detail →36.18533, -86.63434Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesFishing Site · USACEOld Hickory DamCheatham Lake · 6.0 miles north-westI-40 to exit 221, OH Blvd to OH Damrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.29657, -86.65942Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACEOld Hickory Dam Boat RampCheatham Lake · 6.3 miles north-westI-40 to exit 221, OH Blvd to OH Dam1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.29828, -86.66279Free3 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USACENeely’s Bend Boat RampCheatham Lake · 6.4 miles south-westI-40 to exit 221, OH Blvd to Neely’s Bend Rd1 ramp, 1 laneaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.19458, -86.66078Free4 out of 5facilitiesMarina · USACENashville Shores Yacht Club and MarinaJ. Percy Priest Lake · 6.5 miles southI-40 to exit 221,OH Blvd to Bell Rd, right to entrance1 ramp, 2 lanescanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.16110, -86.60820Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesBoat LaunchJ. Percy Priest Lake Boat LaunchJ. Percy Priest Lake · 6.5 miles southDirections and detail →36.16101, -86.60821

Bait on the way

Bait and tackle near Shutes Branch

The closest shops to Shutes Branch that this site has checked. Academy Sports + Outdoors in Mount Juliet is nearest, about 4 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.

Mount Juliet · about 4 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Directions and phone →Mount Juliet · about 6 milesWalmart SupercenterOpen late, sells licences at the counter, and carries terminal tackle and line.Directions and phone →Nashville · about 8 milesFinn’s Tackle ShopLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →
All bait and tackle in Wilson County

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Common questions

Questions about Shutes Branch

Can you launch a boat at Shutes Branch?

Yes. TWRA records Shutes Branch as having a boat ramp. It has 1 lane. TWRA records it as free to launch.

Do you need a fishing licence at Shutes Branch?

Yes. Anyone 13 or older needs a Tennessee fishing licence to fish here, and a trout supplemental on top of it if you plan to keep trout. It is the same rule at every public access point in the state.

What fish are in the water at Shutes Branch?

Old Hickory Lake holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass, white bass, walleye, sauger and catfish. Seasons and creel limits are set by TWRA and change, so check them before you keep anything.

Where can I buy bait near Shutes Branch?

Academy Sports + Outdoors in Mount Juliet is the closest bait and tackle shop this site lists, about 4 miles from Shutes Branch. Walmart Supercenter in Mount Juliet is next, about 6 miles away.

Is there a restroom at Shutes Branch?

Yes, TWRA records restrooms at this access point.

Who runs Shutes Branch?

Shutes Branch is listed under the US Army Corps of Engineers in TWRA’s public access database. The owner is worth knowing because it usually decides whether there is a fee, whether the gate is locked overnight, and who to ring when a ramp is closed for repair.

Where to next

Around Shutes Branch

Shutes Branch is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.

The whole waterFishing Old Hickory Lake54 public access points across 5 counties.See the spots →County guideFishing in Wilson CountyEvery public spot in Wilson County, mapped out.See the spots →Full listWilson County spot listAll 22 access points in the county.See the spots →GearBait and tackle near LebanonShops, rentals and where to buy a licence locally.Find gear →Nearest townFishing near Mount JulietEverything within about 30 miles of Mount Juliet, closest first.See the spots →

Keep going

Fishing around Shutes Branch, and who knows it

Guides and charters on this site are listed by the water they run, so you can ring the captain who fishes Old Hickory Lake rather than a booking desk. Licences and limits are one click away too.

Guides by waterLicence and limits