95 Counties · 1,002 Public Access Points · 78 Lakes and RiversTennessee state record fish
Tennessee Fishing SpotsEvery County, Every Town
Spot SearchGear SearchLakes & RiversFishAll Fishing SpotsCountiesTownsGuides & ChartersTournamentsState RecordsLicence & LimitsEmail Updates

Shelby County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Shelby County

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

What to bring

Tackle for Shelby 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:

Crappie checklistBluegill and Panfish checklistStriper and Hybrid checklistFish Finders comparedTrolling Motors comparedLithium Marine Batteries comparedShallow Water Anchors compared

Closest first

Bait and tackle shops in and near Shelby County

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

Memphis · about 2 milesBass Pro Shops at the PyramidFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Directions and phone →Drummonds · about 23 milesGlenn Springs Lake StoreSmall local store carrying bait, ice and the basics.Directions and phone →Covington · about 35 milesWalmartOpen late, sells licences at the counter, and carries terminal tackle and line.Directions and phone →Covington · about 35 milesSportsman’s SupplyLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →Somerville · about 38 milesBill Dance LakeLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →

Buy it at the ramp

Marinas and bait at the water in Shelby County

Access points in Shelby 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 · MarinaMud Island MarinaMississippi RiverI-240 North to Auction St, West to River then North to boat ramp1 ramp, 2 lanescanoe / kayak landingrestroomsrentalsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.14860, -90.05760Launch fee4.5 out of 5facilitiesMarina · City / MarinaRiverside Park MarinaMississippi RiverI-55 North to Mallory Exit, enter Martin Luther King Park and follow signs1 ramp, >3 lanescanoe / kayak landingrestroomsDirections and detail →35.09670, -90.08280

The big stores

Chain stores near Shelby County

You do not have to drive far for a full tackle wall. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer.

Memphis, TennesseeBass Pro ShopsFull outdoor superstore. Rods, reels, boats, licences and a tackle wall.Open in maps →Memphis, TennesseeAcademy 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 Shelby County

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

Shelby County has trout water, and no base license covers trout. The $21 annual trout supplemental is the add-on, and the Sportsman licenses and every non-resident all-species license already include it.

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Shelby County

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Shelby 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 Shelby 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. This matters in Shelby County, because there is trout water here.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Shelby County?

Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, 1 Bass Pro Drive, Memphis, a full-scale outdoor retailer inside the converted Memphis Pyramid on the riverfront, and the single most useful gear reference for this county and for much of West Tennessee. Academy Sports and Outdoors operates multiple Memphis-area locations. Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park rents boats and canoes at Poplar Tree Lake. Shelby Farms Park offers paddlecraft rental on Hyde Lake.. There is a fuller list on the Shelby County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Shelby County?

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

Not necessarily, though Shelby 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 Shelby County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Mississippi River, TennesseeMississippi RiverOpen the Mississippi River page →Ceptember / CC BY-SA 4.0Wolf River, TennesseeWolf RiverOpen the Wolf River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domainReelfoot Lake, TennesseeReelfoot LakeOpen the Reelfoot Lake page →User:JeremyA / CC BY-SA 2.5Pickwick Lake, TennesseePickwick LakeOpen the Pickwick Lake page →Kbh3rd / CC BY-SA 3.0Obion River, TennesseeObion RiverOpen the Obion River page →David.k.hochreiter / CC BY-SA 3.0Forked Deer River, TennesseeForked Deer RiverOpen the Forked Deer River page →Malepheasant at en.wikipedia / Public domain

2 public boat launches in Shelby County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Shelby County

Got what you need? The Shelby 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.

Shelby County fishing spotsBack to the county page

Keep going

More Shelby 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