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

East Tennessee · County seat Cleveland

Fishing in Bradley County, Tennessee

Hiwassee River, Chickamauga Lake, Candies Creek. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots4 public access pointsFind gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Bradley County

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

Bradley County at a glance

Bradley County boat ramps and fishing access

Bradley County has 4 public fishing access points: 2 boat ramps and 1 marina, on 2 lakes, rivers and creeks.

2boat ramps
1marina
2lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Bradley

Main fishing waters in Bradley County

What each of these is actually known for, and what you can expect to catch.

river · the lower river forms much of the Bradley/McMinn boundary and runs to the Tennessee…

Hiwassee River

Tennessee’s first designated State Scenic River; the Bradley reach around Charleston is warm-water and float-friendly, well below the trout section at Reliance.

smallmouthlargemouthcatfishstocked trout upstream
reservoir · 36,240 ac, 810 mi shoreline · TVA (1940)

Chickamauga Lake

Bradley touches the lake where the Hiwassee arm enters near Blythe Ferry; the county is the land-side gateway to one of the best big-bass and crappie fisheries in the South.

largemouth (trophy)crappiesmallmouthspotted bass
creek · small, flows to the Hiwassee · TWRA

Candies Creek

Has its own TWRA-owned canoe-capable ramp, a rare thing for a creek this size, and the county’s most accessible small water.

largemouthbreamcatfish

What it looks like

Bradley County water

Photographs of the water this page covers. Every picture opens that water’s own page. Drag or swipe to see the rest.

Hiwassee River, TennesseeHiwassee RiverOpen the Hiwassee River page →ChristopherM at English Wikipedia / CC BY 2.5Chickamauga Lake, TennesseeChickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domainNorris 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

The ones nobody writes about

Small and out-of-the-way water in Bradley County

County lakes, park ponds, creeks and river stretches in Bradley County that never make a best-of list. Several of them fish better than the famous water on a busy weekend.

creek · small

Candies Creek

TWRA ramp with canoe landing; a quiet paddle-and-cast creek within minutes of Cleveland.

largemouthbreamcatfish
river stretch

Charleston riverfront reach, Hiwassee River

Two-lane city ramp with ADA provision and a launch fee; the standard Bradley put-in for the lower Hiwassee.

smallmouthcatfishwhite bass
refuge water · 6,000 ac total (2,500 land, 3,500 water)

Hiwassee Refuge edge waters

The refuge runs along Chickamauga from Hwy 60 to Armstrong Bend and up the Hiwassee to Hwy 58 at Agency Creek; closed Nov 15 through the last day of February, though fishing and passage through the main river channel remain permitted during the closure.

crappiecatfishlargemouth
ponds · small

Cleveland municipal ponds and greenway water

Unverified as fishable public water.

panfish

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Bradley County

Fishing from the bank in Bradley County

Charleston Boat Ramp riverfront; Candies Creek TWRA access; Hiwassee Refuge shoreline outside the Nov 15–Feb closure; the Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway along Mouse Creek.

Getting a boat on the water in Bradley County

Two public ramps plus one commercial marina inside the county, modest infrastructure for a county with this much water nearby, because most Chickamauga launches sit across the line in Meigs and Hamilton. Blythe Ferry, the standard ramp for the Hiwassee arm of Chickamauga, is in Meigs County.

B&B Marina on the Hiwassee has bait, fuel and camping onsite. The lower Hiwassee from Charleston down to the refuge is good, easy paddling water; the whitewater and trout stretches are upstream in Polk County.

Two different trips

Visiting Bradley County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Bradley County

The Hiwassee River Blueway and its 55 miles of river; the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge sandhill crane viewing platform, open year-round even during the closure; Charleston’s riverfront; Cleveland as the base town for both the Hiwassee and the Ocoee; Chickamauga Lake via Blythe Ferry.

Where Bradley County locals actually go

Candies Creek’s TWRA ramp, a creek launch minutes from downtown Cleveland that visitors never look for. The Charleston ramp as a put-in for the warm-water lower Hiwassee, which most anglers skip in favour of the trout water 20 miles upstream. The Hiwassee Refuge edge in March, immediately after the winter closure lifts.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Bradley County water

Creel and length limits in Bradley County

Chickamauga, largemouth 5/day, 15″ min; crappie 15/day, 10″ min; walleye 5/day, 16″ min; catfish unlimited under 34″ with one over. Hiwassee River in Bradley is below the managed trout section, so the Reliance delayed-harvest rule (catch-and-release Oct 1–Feb 28, and only two browns in the seven-trout creel Mar 1–Sep 30) does not apply here, that regulation governs the Polk County water.

Hiwassee Refuge is closed Nov 15 through the last day of February, with fishing and main-channel passage still allowed; some hunting seasons close boat access entirely. No Bradley-specific creel exceptions found in TWRA’s statewide exceptions list.

State record fish from Bradley County water

State record flathead catfish, 85 lb 15 oz, Larry Kaylor, 25 Jul 1993, Hiwassee River. The Hiwassee runs through Polk, McMinn, Bradley and Meigs counties, and the record is credited to the river rather than a county and the catch was more likely in the Polk County reach. Do not claim it as a Bradley record without checking the record card.

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

Questions people actually ask

Bradley County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Bradley County?

Charleston Boat Ramp riverfront.

How many public boat ramps are in Bradley County?

TWRA’s access database lists 2 boat launches in Bradley County, plus 1 marina. Most of them are on Hiwassee River. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Bradley 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.

What fish can you catch in Bradley County?

The main species across Bradley County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, striped bass, white bass, walleye and sauger. Each water body on the fishing spots page lists what it is actually known for, which is not always the same thing.

Does my Tennessee license cover trout in Bradley 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 Bradley County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Bradley County?

Chickamauga, largemouth 5/day, 15″ min; crappie 15/day, 10″ min; walleye 5/day, 16″ min; catfish unlimited under 34″ with one over. Hiwassee River in Bradley is below the managed trout section, so the Reliance delayed-harvest rule (catch-and-release Oct 1–Feb 28, and only two browns in the seven-trout creel Mar 1–Sep 30) does not apply here, that regulation governs the Polk County water Hiwassee Refuge is closed Nov 15 through the last day of February, with fishing and main-channel passage still allowed; some hunting seasons close boat access entirely Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Bradley County?

FishTales Bait and Tackle, 5008 Georgetown Rd NW, Cleveland, 423-479-5881, fishtalesbaitandtackle.com. There is a fuller list on the Bradley County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Bradley County?

Candies Creek’s TWRA ramp, a creek launch minutes from downtown Cleveland that visitors never look for. The Charleston ramp as a put-in for the warm-water lower Hiwassee, which most anglers skip in favour of the trout water 20 miles upstream. The Hiwassee Refuge edge in March, immediately after the winter closure lifts.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Bradley County

Each of these has a page of its own covering the whole water, not just the Bradley County end of it, with every public access point on it and what it holds.

RiverHiwassee River3 access points in Bradley County, 13 in totalSee the spots →LakeChickamauga Lake51 in totalSee the spots →

Bradley County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie.

About this list

Where the Bradley County access list comes from

The 4 access points above come from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s public access database, which is why each one names the agency that owns or manages it. A state or TVA ramp is usually free. A Corps of Engineers site, a state park ramp or a marina often is not.

The waters, species and local notes are researched separately, county by county, against TWRA’s own reservoir pages, TVA, the US Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee State Parks.

Ramps close for repairs, gravel roads wash out and regulations change. Treat anything here as a starting point and call ahead if you are driving a long way for it.

By town instead

Towns near Bradley County

These pages measure from the middle of town rather than the county line, which is usually the number you actually care about.

24 access points within 30 milesFishing near ClevelandChickamauga Lake, Hiwassee RiverSee the spots →

Statewide limits: 5 black bass, 15 crappie at 10 inches, 2 stripers at 15 inches, 7 trout.

Keep looking

Counties next to Bradley

Fish do not respect county lines. These are the nearest counties to Bradley with public water of their own. Each one opens its own page.

Next county overMcMinn CountyHiwassee RiverSee the spots →Next county overMeigs CountyChickamauga Lake, Watts Bar LakeSee the spots →Next county overPolk CountyHiwassee River, Parksville LakeSee the spots →Next county overRhea CountyWatts Bar Lake, Chickamauga LakeSee the spots →Next county overHamilton CountyChickamauga Lake, Nickajack LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More Bradley 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

Weather alerts, power outages and road closures in Bradley County right now: Bradley County conditions.