East Tennessee · County seat Chattanooga

Fishing in Hamilton County, Tennessee

Chickamauga Lake, Nickajack Lake, Tennessee River (Chickamauga Dam tailwater). Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots44 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Hamilton County

44 public access points in Hamilton County: 24 boat launches, 8 fishing piers, 3 designated fishing sites, 1 paddling access and 16 marinas. Each one opens its own page with written directions, coordinates and a link straight to Google Maps.

Tap a pin for the spot page and directions. Open the full Tennessee fishing map.

Chickamauga Lake 34 in Hamilton County

Nickajack Lake 8 in Hamilton County

Chickamauga Reservoir / Wolftever Creek 1 in Hamilton County

Free1.5 out of 5facilitiesFishing Site · TWRAShropshire FordDirections and detail →35.13410, -85.07715

North Chickamauga Creek 1 in Hamilton County

Fee not listed1.5 out of 5facilitiesPaddling · TWRANorth Chickamauga Creek Paddle Launchcanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.14078, -85.22928

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Hamilton 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 checklist Crappie checklist Bluegill and Panfish checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Hamilton County at a glance

Hamilton County boat ramps and fishing access

Hamilton County has 44 public fishing access points: 24 boat ramps, 8 fishing piers, 16 marinas and 1 kayak launch, on 4 lakes, rivers and creeks.

24boat ramps

8fishing piers

16marinas

1kayak launches

4lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Hamilton

Main fishing waters in Hamilton County

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

reservoir · 36,240 acres, 810 mi shoreline, 58.9 mi long · TVA (1940), fishery TWRA Region 3

Chickamauga Lake

TWRA has stocked Florida-strain largemouth since 2000 and average angler catch weight rose from 1.42 lb to consistently over 3 lb, which is why the lake became a national big-bass destination.

largemouthsmallmouthspotted bassstriped/hybrid bass

reservoir · 10,370 acres at summer pool, 192 mi shoreline · TVA (1967, replaced Hales Bar Dam)

Nickajack Lake

Held at full pool 633.5 ft year round with no meaningful winter drawdown, unusual among TVA lakes, and the lower end below the gorge is where the bass and crappie concentrate.

largemouthsmallmouthspottedstriped and white bass

river · Chickamauga Dam down to the Nickajack headwaters · TVA / TWRA

Tennessee River (Chickamauga Dam tailwater)

The tailwater is the county’s winter fishery; sauger and skipjack stack below the dam and it fishes hard from the bank.

saugerwalleyestriped basswhite bass

What it looks like

Hamilton County water

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

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

Nickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →Bryce Edwards from San Jose, CA, USA / CC BY 2.0

Tennessee River, TennesseeScott Basford / CC BY-SA 3.0

Norris LakeOpen the Norris Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

Cherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →TVA Web Team / CC BY 2.0

Watauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0

The ones nobody writes about

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

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

creek · 285-acre property, 11721 Back Valley Rd, Soddy-Daisy

Big Soddy Creek Gulf

A designated delayed-harvest trout stream: catch-and-release, artificial lures only, 1 Oct through end of February, then a 7-trout creel with no bait restriction 1 Mar-30 Sep. Free entry and parking, sunrise to sunset.

stocked rainbow trout

creek · flows to Chickamauga Lake at Hixson

North Chickamauga Creek

TWRA lists a canoe/paddling access on it; Greenway Farm gives bank and wade access inside the city.

smallmouthrock bassbream

creek · enters the Tennessee at the Riverwalk

South Chickamauga Creek

Wadeable from the Sterchi Farm Park greenway access, a genuinely urban smallmouth and rock bass creek.

rock basslargemouthsmallmouth

creek/embayment · Chickamauga Lake arm

Wolftever Creek

Shropshire Ford is a TWRA-designated fishing site on the creek, separate from the Wolftever Bridge ramp.

crappielargemouthcatfish

small impoundment · East Ridge city park

Camp Jordan pond

Named by TWRA as a location in its winter trout stocking program, which makes it the easiest trout in the county.

winter-stocked rainbow troutbluegillcatfish

embayments · Chickamauga Lake arms

Possum Creek, Sale Creek, Savannah Bay, Dallas Bay

Dallas Bay at Chester Frost and Savannah Bay off Snow Hill Rd are the two embayments with dedicated public ramps.

crappielargemouthbluegill

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Hamilton County

Fishing from the bank in Hamilton County

Chickamauga Dam fishing pier at the eastern end of the Tennessee Riverpark (Amnicola Hwy side), the best-known bank spot in the county and the winter sauger stand; Tennessee Riverpark, 13 miles of paved greenway from downtown to Chickamauga Dam with several fishing piers and overlooks; Chester Frost Park, twelve fishing piers; Harrison Bay State Park accessible fishing pier; Booker T. Washington State Park fishing piers; TN River Park Pier (county); Ross’s Landing on the Nickajack reach; Wolftever Bridge pier; Skull Island pier; Big Soddy Creek Gulf trail access; Sterchi Farm Park on South Chickamauga Creek.

Getting a boat on the water in Hamilton County

Launch from any of the TWRA, TVA, county or state park ramps. The three fee-charging TVA recreation areas (Grasshopper, Possum Creek, Skull Island) also have camping. Marinas with fuel on site: Harbor Lights, Island Cove, Sale Creek, Pine Harbor, Shady Grove, Ross’s Landing.

Chickamauga above the Hwy 58 bridge is riverine and current-driven; the lower third is broad open water and gets heavy recreational traffic on summer weekends. Nickajack runs through the Tennessee River Gorge with riprap on both banks for its upper two thirds and is a working navigation channel, watch barge traffic.

Paddling: the Tennessee River Blueway has multiple access points off the Tennessee Riverpark; North Chickamauga Creek has a TWRA paddling access.

Two different trips

Visiting Hamilton County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Hamilton County

Harrison Bay State Park; Booker T. Washington State Park; Chester Frost Park; Tennessee Riverpark and the Chattanooga Riverwalk; Chickamauga Dam and its fishing pier; Ross’s Landing downtown; Big Soddy Creek Gulf; Raccoon Mountain visitor centre and Laurel Point Recreation Area.

Where Hamilton County locals actually go

Big Soddy Creek Gulf, a delayed-harvest trout stream twenty minutes from a metro area that most Chattanooga anglers still do not fish; Shropshire Ford on Wolftever Creek; Iles Road ramp north of Sale Creek; Ware Branch; Pecan Point; Lee Pike; Suck Creek on the Nickajack side in the gorge; South Chickamauga Creek wading from the Sterchi Farm greenway; Camp Jordan pond in East Ridge when TWRA stocks trout.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Hamilton County water

Creel and length limits in Hamilton County

Chickamauga, largemouth 5/day, 15 in minimum; smallmouth, spotted and Alabama bass have no minimum but only ONE over 16 in may be kept; crappie 15/day, 10 in; walleye 5/day, 16 in; sauger 10/day, 15 in; striped/hybrid bass 2/day, 15 in; white bass 15/day; catfish unlimited under 34 in with only one over. Nickajack, largemouth 15 in minimum. Big Soddy Creek Gulf, delayed harvest, catch-and-release artificial-only 1 Oct through end of February, 7 trout with no bait restriction 1 Mar-30 Sep. TDEC consumption advisories apply to catfish on parts of this reach.

State record fish from Hamilton County water

Largemouth bass, 15 lb 7.5 oz, Nickajack Reservoir, Darren Nunley, 28 Feb 2026, the current Tennessee state record, confirmed 9 May 2026 after genetic testing. Freshwater drum, 54 lb 8 oz, Nickajack Reservoir, Benny Hull, 20 Apr 1972, also the world record.

Black buffalo, 58 lb, Nickajack, Steve Coursey, 20 May 2013. Spotted bass, 6 lb 1 oz, Chickamauga Reservoir, Chris Coleman, 22 Feb 2011. Yellow bullhead, 4 lb 8 oz, Chickamauga Reservoir, Jessie R. Johnson, 21 Apr 1979. Both reservoirs span several counties and TWRA does not record a catch county.

24 public boat launches in Hamilton County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Hamilton County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Hamilton County?

Chickamauga Dam fishing pier at the eastern end of the Tennessee Riverpark (Amnicola Hwy side), the best-known bank spot in the county and the winter sauger stand. Also tennessee riverpark, 13 miles of paved greenway from downtown to chickamauga dam with several fishing piers and overlooks, and chester frost park, twelve fishing piers. Hamilton County has 8 public fishing piers listed in TWRA’s access database.

How many public boat ramps are in Hamilton County?

TWRA’s access database lists 24 boat launches in Hamilton County, plus 16 marinas. Most of them are on Chickamauga Lake. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County?

The main species across Hamilton County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, rock bass, striped bass and white bass. 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Hamilton County?

Chickamauga, largemouth 5/day, 15 in minimum; smallmouth, spotted and Alabama bass have no minimum but only ONE over 16 in may be kept; crappie 15/day, 10 in; walleye 5/day, 16 in; sauger 10/day, 15 in; striped/hybrid bass 2/day, 15 in; white bass 15/day; catfish unlimited under 34 in with only one over. Nickajack, largemouth 15 in minimum Big Soddy Creek Gulf, delayed harvest, catch-and-release artificial-only 1 Oct through end of February, 7 trout with no bait restriction 1 Mar-30 Sep Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Hamilton County?

Jack’s Bait & Tackle Shop, 4228 Bonny Oaks Dr, Chattanooga, described locally as the longest-running family-owned bait shop in the city. There is a fuller list on the Hamilton County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Hamilton County?

Big Soddy Creek Gulf, a delayed-harvest trout stream twenty minutes from a metro area that most Chattanooga anglers still do not fish. Shropshire Ford on Wolftever Creek. Iles Road ramp north of Sale Creek.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Hamilton County

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

LakeChickamauga Lake34 access points in Hamilton County, 51 in totalSee the spots →LakeNickajack Lake8 access points in Hamilton County, 18 in totalSee the spots →

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

Conditions

Hamilton County lake levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsChickamauga Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Chickamauga Dam generation schedule.Open →Lake conditionsNickajack Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Nickajack Dam generation schedule.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Hamilton CountyTWRA stocks Big Soddy Creek, Dickert Pond / Camp Jordan, Lake Junior and 1 more. Dates are on the stocking schedule.Open →

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

About this list

Where the Hamilton County access list comes from

The 44 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 Hamilton 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 ChattanoogaNickajack Lake, Chickamauga LakeSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near Soddy-DaisyChickamauga Lake, North Chickamauga CreekSee the spots →

8 public fishing piers in Hamilton County, no boat needed.

Keep looking

Counties next to Hamilton

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

Next county overSequatchie CountySequatchie RiverSee the spots →Next county overBradley CountyHiwassee River, Candies CreekSee the spots →Next county overMcMinn CountyHiwassee RiverSee the spots →Next county overMarion CountyNickajack Lake, Guntersville LakeSee the spots →Next county overBledsoe CountySequatchie RiverSee the spots →

Keep going

More Hamilton 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

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