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Sevier County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Sevier County

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

What to bring

Tackle for Sevier 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 Sevier County

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

Dandridge · about 8 milesLakeview Market & DeliSmall local store carrying bait, ice and the basics.Directions and phone →Dandridge · about 8 milesNathan Mountain OutdoorsSporting goods. Rods, reels, line and a licence counter.Directions and phone →Dandridge · about 8 milesBass Pro Shops/Cabela’s at KodakFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Directions and phone →Dandridge · about 10 milesBucks N BassTackle and bait for Jefferson County water. Call ahead out of season, winter hours are short.Directions and phone →Jefferson City · about 12 milesCherokee Bait & TackleLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Jefferson City · about 12 milesMobile Bait StoreLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Knoxville · about 21 milesSmitty’s Bait and TackleLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Knoxville · about 21 milesBig Fish OutfittersFly shop and outfitter. Flies, leader, licences and local water advice.Directions and phone →Townsend · about 22 milesLittle River OutfittersFly shop and outfitter. Flies, leader, licences and local water advice.Directions and phone →

Buy it at the ramp

Marinas and bait at the water in Sevier County

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

Launch fee4.5 out of 5facilitiesMarina · MarinaMountain Cove MarinaDouglas LakeTake Douglas Dam Rd to the dam, Marina at Dam1 ramp, 2 lanescanoe / kayak landingrestroomsrentalsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.95220, -83.53680

The big stores

Chain stores near Sevier County

The closest full tackle wall to Sevier County is the Bass Pro in Kodak, about 4 miles from Sevierville. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer. The rest below are the next nearest, each with a map link.

Kodak · about 4 milesBass Pro ShopsFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Open in maps →Knoxville · about 21 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Morristown · about 23 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Kingsport · about 69 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 Sevier County

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

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

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Sevier County

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

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Sevier County?

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge support several fly shops and guide services and Sevierville has full big-box and outlet retail, this is the best-supplied county on the list by a wide margin.The Gatlinburg city fishing permit is sold by local vendors in town, which is itself a useful thing to tell a visitor. Knoxville, about 40 minutes west, has large-format outdoor retail.. There is a fuller list on the Sevier County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Sevier County?

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

Not necessarily, though Sevier 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 Sevier County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Douglas Lake, TennesseeDouglas LakeOpen the Douglas Lake page →Dwight Burdette / CC BY 3.0French Broad River, TennesseeFrench Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0Norris 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 2.0Clinch River, TennesseeClinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

3 public boat launches in Sevier County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Sevier County

Got what you need? The Sevier 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.

Sevier County fishing spotsBack to the county page

Keep going

More Sevier 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