West Tennessee · County seat Savannah

Fishing in Hardin County, Tennessee

Pickwick Lake, Pickwick tailwater / Kentucky Reservoir headwaters. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots26 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Hardin County

26 public access points in Hardin County: 23 boat launches, 2 fishing piers, 2 designated fishing sites and 1 marina. 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.

Pickwick Lake 8 in Hardin County

Kentucky Lake 13 in Hardin County

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Hardin 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

Hardin County at a glance

Hardin County boat ramps and fishing access

Hardin County has 26 public fishing access points: 23 boat ramps, 2 fishing piers and 1 marina, on 5 lakes, rivers and creeks.

23boat ramps

2fishing piers

1marina

5lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Hardin

Main fishing waters in Hardin County

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

reservoir · 43,100 acres total across TN/AL/MS, roughly 6,159 acres in Tennessee; summer pool…

Pickwick Lake

TWRA’s own wording is the one to quote: Pickwick has produced trophy smallies for years and rivals Dale Hollow for sizes of fish caught. The current-swept ledges and the Wilson Dam tailwater at the upper end are what make it.

smallmouth basslargemouthspotted basscrappie

river/reservoir · Tennessee River from Pickwick Dam downstream through Savannah, Crump and…

Pickwick tailwater / Kentucky Reservoir headwaters

The tailwater immediately below Pickwick Dam is the single most productive winter spot in the county and produced the state record sauger. Generation drives everything.

saugersmallmouthstriped basswhite bass

What it looks like

Hardin County water

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

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

Pickwick LakeOpen the Pickwick Lake page →Kbh3rd / 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

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

Forked Deer RiverOpen the Forked Deer River page →Malepheasant at en.wikipedia / Public domain

The ones nobody writes about

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

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

canal/backwater · Hardin County

White Oak Canal

Three separate ramps are listed on it, which tells you locals use it, but TWRA records no owner or manager.

catfishcrappielargemouth

pond · Hardin County

Lebanon Pond

Appears in TWRA’s access database with a boat launch and nothing else.

creeks/embayments · Pickwick arms

Indian Creek, Horse Creek, Snake Creek, Yellow Creek

Yellow Creek has a two-ramp TWRA-managed access off Hwy 57 west of Pickwick; the others are boat-access embayments that hold spawning crappie.

crappielargemouthbream

backwater · near Middleton

Shirley Flat

Listed as a boat launch with no owner data.

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Hardin County

Fishing from the bank in Hardin County

Kentucky Lake Dam north shore and south shore, both TWRA-designated fishing sites on TVA land at the dam itself, and the county’s prime bank water, especially in winter for sauger; Pickwick State Park Ramp #1 fishing pier; State Line Ramp fishing pier; Wayne Jerrolds City Park on Riverside Drive in Savannah; the TVA ramp area below the tailwater at river mile 208; Bruton Branch shoreline.

Getting a boat on the water in Hardin County

Pickwick Landing State Resort Park is the hub, marina, fuel, rental boats, lodge and two multi-lane ramps (marina 731-689-5175). Grand Harbor Marina (662-667-5551) and Aqua Yacht Harbor (Iuka MS, 662-423-2222) serve the lower lake.

The tailwater below Pickwick Dam demands respect: current changes fast with generation. Downstream toward Saltillo the Tennessee River is a commercial navigation channel with barge traffic.

Two different trips

Visiting Hardin County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Hardin County

Pickwick Landing State Resort Park (lodge, marina, golf, beach); Shiloh National Military Park; Pickwick Dam itself; Bruton Branch primitive camping; Savannah’s riverfront and Wayne Jerrolds Park. Heavy tournament calendar including Bill Dance Series, MLF Tackle Warehouse and Minn Kota events.

Where Hardin County locals actually go

Bruton Branch (TDEC, primitive camping, river mile 210, a state park access almost nobody names); Saltillo Landing at the end of Main Street in Saltillo, a two-ramp TWRA access on a quiet lower stretch; Wilkinson Ferry and Dickey Landing, both county-owned and well downstream of the crowd; TVA State Line Island; the White Oak Canal ramps.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Hardin County water

Creel and length limits in Hardin County

Pickwick, crappie 30 per day at a 9 in minimum, the most generous crappie regulation in Tennessee and a genuine reason people drive here; black bass 5/day with a 15 in minimum on largemouth; redear 20/day. The Pickwick tailwater below the dam falls under Kentucky Reservoir regulations, not Pickwick’s, crappie 20/day at 10 in, bass 5/day at 15 in, white bass 15/day. Anglers fishing the Alabama or Mississippi portions need that state’s licence.

State record fish from Hardin County water

Sauger, 7 lb 6 oz, Kentucky Reservoir (Pickwick tailwater), Rayford D. Voss, 19 February 1973. Atlantic needlefish, 1.6 oz, Pickwick Dam Tailwater, J. Wesley Neal, 30 September 2008.

River carpsucker, 1 lb 9 oz, Pickwick Reservoir, Dr. Jim Youmans, 28 February 1980. Class B: bighead carp, 98 lb, archery, Kentucky Reservoir (Hardin Co.), Michael Neal Pirtle, 16 June 2022.

23 public boat launches in Hardin County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Hardin County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Hardin County?

Kentucky Lake Dam north shore and south shore, both TWRA-designated fishing sites on TVA land at the dam itself, and the county’s prime bank water, especially in winter for sauger. Also pickwick state park ramp #1 fishing pier, and state line ramp fishing pier. Hardin County has 2 public fishing piers listed in TWRA’s access database.

How many public boat ramps are in Hardin County?

TWRA’s access database lists 23 boat launches in Hardin County, plus 1 marina. Most of them are on Kentucky Lake. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

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

What are the creel limits in Hardin County?

Pickwick, crappie 30 per day at a 9 in minimum, the most generous crappie regulation in Tennessee and a genuine reason people drive here; black bass 5/day with a 15 in minimum on largemouth; redear 20/day. The Pickwick tailwater below the dam falls under Kentucky Reservoir regulations, not Pickwick’s, crappie 20/day at 10 in, bass 5/day at 15 in, white bass 15/day Anglers fishing the Alabama or Mississippi portions need that state’s licence Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Hardin County?

Roberts Bait Tackle & Fish Market, Counce, (731) 689-5474. There is a fuller list on the Hardin County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Hardin County?

Bruton Branch (TDEC, primitive camping, river mile 210, a state park access almost nobody names). Saltillo Landing at the end of Main Street in Saltillo, a two-ramp TWRA access on a quiet lower stretch. Wilkinson Ferry and Dickey Landing, both county-owned and well downstream of the crowd.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Hardin County

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

LakeKentucky Lake13 access points in Hardin County, 86 in totalSee the spots →LakePickwick Lake8 access points in Hardin CountySee the spots →WaterWhite Oak Canal2 access points in Hardin CountySee the spots →

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

Conditions

Hardin County lake levels

Lake conditionsPickwick Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Pickwick Landing Dam generation schedule.Open →Lake conditionsKentucky Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Kentucky Dam generation schedule.Open →

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

About this list

Where the Hardin County access list comes from

The 26 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 Hardin 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 SavannahKentucky Lake, Pickwick LakeSee the spots →

2 public fishing piers in Hardin County, no boat needed.

Keep looking

Counties next to Hardin

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

Next county overMcNairy CountyTravis McNatt Lake, Hatchie River (upper)See the spots →Next county overWayne CountyKentucky LakeSee the spots →Next county overChester CountyLake Placid, Lake LaJoieSee the spots →Next county overDecatur CountyKentucky Lake, KentuckySee the spots →Next county overHenderson CountyPine Lake, Beech LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More Hardin 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 Hardin County right now: Hardin County conditions.