Benton County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Benton County

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

What to bring

Tackle for Benton 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 checklist Crappie checklist Bluegill and Panfish checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Closest first

Bait and tackle shops in and near Benton County

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

Buy it at the ramp

Marinas and bait at the water in Benton County

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

Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesMarina · Private LandWildlife Cove Marina access area1 ramp, 1 lanerestroomsDirections and detail →35.97048, -88.04492 Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesMarina · Private LandBeaverdam MarinaKentucky Lake1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingrestroomsDirections and detail →36.05905, -88.01874 Free5 out of 5facilitiesMarina · Private LandBirdsong MarinaKentucky Lake1 ramp, 3 lanesfishing pierrestroomsrentalsDirections and detail →35.97061, -88.04729 Free4 out of 5facilitiesMarina · TVA / Private LandWildlife Cove Village and MarinaKentucky Lake9 miles south of Camden, TN on HWY 1911 ramp, 1 lanerestroomsrentalsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.56174, -88.00601

The big stores

Chain stores near Benton County

The closest full tackle wall to Benton County is the Academy in Clarksville, about 48 miles from Camden. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer. The rest below are the next nearest, each with a map link.

Clarksville · about 48 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Jackson · about 55 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Columbia · about 63 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Franklin · about 64 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 Benton County

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

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

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Benton County

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

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Benton County?

Beaverdam Marina (Camden) and Wildlife Cove Village and Marina (Camden, 9 mi south on HWY 191) both carry bait onsite per TWRA’s own access database. Birdsong Resort & Marina, Camden, marina store, pontoon rental, campground (resort.birdsong.com). No independent walk-in bait-and-tackle shop in Camden or Big Sandy verified by name. There is a fuller list on the Benton County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Benton County?

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

No. Benton County has 4 public fishing piers and bank access at several of its parks and river crossings.

What it looks like

What Benton County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Kentucky LakeOpen the Kentucky Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain

Tennessee River, TennesseeScott Basford / CC BY-SA 3.0

Reelfoot LakeOpen the Reelfoot Lake page →User:JeremyA / CC BY-SA 2.5

Mississippi RiverOpen the Mississippi River page →Ceptember / CC BY-SA 4.0

Pickwick LakeOpen the Pickwick Lake page →Kbh3rd / CC BY-SA 3.0

Obion RiverOpen the Obion River page →David.k.hochreiter / CC BY-SA 3.0

27 public boat launches in Benton County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Benton County

Got what you need? The Benton 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.

Benton County fishing spots Back to the county page

Keep going

More Benton 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 water Licence and limits