East Tennessee · County seat Rogersville

Fishing in Hawkins County, Tennessee

Cherokee Lake, Holston River. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots12 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Hawkins County

12 public access points in Hawkins County: 11 boat launches and 1 designated fishing site. 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.

Cherokee Lake 5 in Hawkins County

Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVACaney Creek469 Marble Hill Rd, Rogersville, TN 378571 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →36.38552, -83.08532 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAMelinda Ferry349 Melinda’s Ferry Rd, Rogersville, TN 378571 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.36880, -83.08090 Free2 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAPoor Valley289 Substation Rd, Mooresburg, TN 378111 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →36.34175, -83.20513 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAQuarryville9401 Hwy 11W, Mooresburg, TN 378112 ramps, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.36277, -83.16488 Free2 out of 5facilitiesFishing Site · TVAChurch House PointSouth of Rogersville, about 8.7 mi from US 11W, Jesus Christ Rd / Quarryville Cemetery Rdcanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.36140, -83.16320

Holston River 7 in Hawkins County

Free2 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVABeech Creek #1Tunnell Hill Rd, Rogersville, TN1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.39759, -82.92907 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVABeech Creek #2Tunnel Hill Rd, Rogersville1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.39825, -82.92871 Free2 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TWRAChristian BendHwy 11W to Long Bend Rd. to Millers Bluff Rd to Christian Bend Rd., Churchill, TN1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →36.47335, -82.77054 Free3 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CityChurch Hill City Park AccessHwy 11W to Church Hill. Take Silver Lake Rd. to ramp1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.52434, -82.68269 Free3 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAJohn Sevier SteamplantSR 66 to SR 70 to Steamplant Rd (TVA Rd)1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.37130, -82.98220 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CityLaurel Run ParkHwy. 11W to Goshen Valley Rd. to River Rd. to Laurel Run Park Rd.1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.49595, -82.68752 Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TWRASurgoinsville BridgeHwy 11W to Long Bend Rd in Surgoinsville1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →36.46893, -82.85096

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Hawkins 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

Hawkins County at a glance

Hawkins County boat ramps and fishing access

Hawkins County has 12 public fishing access points: 11 boat ramps, on 2 lakes, rivers and creeks.

11boat ramps

2lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Hawkins

Main fishing waters in Hawkins County

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

reservoir · 30,300 acres, 393 mi shoreline across four counties; Hawkins holds the upper,…

Cherokee Lake

TWRA notes fish densities here are greater than in most Tennessee reservoirs because of high fertility; the Hawkins end fishes more like a river than a lake.

largemouthsmallmouthstriped bassCherokee (hybrid) bass

river · above Cherokee Lake through Church Hill, Surgoinsville and Rogersville, roughly river…

Holston River

This is the warm-water Holston above the lake, not the Cherokee Dam trout tailwater downstream in Jefferson County, a distinction almost every competing page gets wrong.

smallmouth bassrock bassredbreast sunfishwalleye

What it looks like

Hawkins County water

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

Holston RiverOpen the Holston River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

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

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

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

Clinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

The ones nobody writes about

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

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

creek/embayment · Poor Valley Creek Mile 1.2, Mooresburg

Poor Valley Creek

Has its own one-lane ramp at 289 Substation Rd, Mooresburg.

crappielargemouthcatfish

creek/embayment · Cherokee arm, river mile 96.6

Caney Creek

Ramp at 469 Marble Hill Rd, Rogersville.

crappielargemouthbluegill

creek · Holston tributary, river mile 108.7, Tunnel Hill Rd, Rogersville

Beech Creek

Two separate TWRA-listed ramps within sight of each other.

smallmouthrock basscatfish

creek · Laurel Run Park, Church Hill

Laurel Run

Best known for its waterfall and hiking, but it also carries a city-owned Holston River boat ramp.

sunfishrock bass

creek · Rogersville area

Big Creek

Named locally, no confirmed public access point.

smallmouthrock bass

river corridor · 1,000 acres across eastern Hancock and northern Hawkins, on the Clinch

Kyles Ford WMA (part)

The Hawkins share gives the county a second river system; TWRA maintains a kayak and canoe launch.

smallmouthrock basscatfish

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Hawkins County

Fishing from the bank in Hawkins County

Church House Point, a TWRA-designated fishing site rather than a ramp, south of Rogersville; Laurel Run Park in Church Hill; Church Hill City Park on Silver Lake Road; the John Sevier Steam Plant access, where the warm-water discharge is the classic cold-weather stand for walleye, saugeye and sauger and is the county’s best-known local secret; Surgoinsville Bridge; the Kyles Ford WMA canoe launch on the Clinch.

Getting a boat on the water in Hawkins County

All the Cherokee-side ramps are single- or double-lane TVA/TWRA facilities, no public marina with fuel was verified anywhere in Hawkins County, the marinas on Cherokee are downlake in Hamblen and Jefferson. The upper Cherokee arm in Hawkins is shallow and stump-prone at winter pool.

The Holston above the lake is jonboat, canoe and kayak water: Christian Bend down to Surgoinsville Bridge, and Surgoinsville down to Beech Creek, are the two standard floats.

Two different trips

Visiting Hawkins County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Hawkins County

Laurel Run Park, Church Hill (waterfall, swimming, picnic); Cherokee Lake’s upper end; historic Rogersville, Tennessee’s second-oldest town; the Holston River float between Church Hill and Surgoinsville; Kyles Ford WMA.

Where Hawkins County locals actually go

The John Sevier Steam Plant discharge in January and February, warm water pulls walleye, saugeye and baitfish, a genuine local-knowledge spot; Poor Valley Creek ramp at Mooresburg; Christian Bend on the upper Holston; Beech Creek #1, the quieter of the pair and canoe-only in practice; Church House Point for bank fishing.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Hawkins County water

Creel and length limits in Hawkins County

Cherokee Lake, smallmouth bass 1 per day at an 18 in minimum from 1 June to 15 October; paddlefish snagging permitted 1 through 15 April only, 1 per day; boat fishing closed near Cherokee Dam 1 July-15 September (that closure is downlake in Jefferson/Grainger). Holston River above the lake, statewide limits, no trout regulations. The Clinch at Kyles Ford is likewise under statewide limits.

State record fish from Hawkins County water

Paddlefish, 149 lb, Cherokee Reservoir, Henry Dyer, 13 April 2023, the lake spans four counties and TWRA records no catch county. Holston River records, county-unspecified: redbreast sunfish, 1 lb 5 oz, R. W.

Gillespie, 22 June 1974; gizzard shad, 3 lb 3 oz, Preston H. Taylor III, 13 December 2008.

11 public boat launches in Hawkins County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Hawkins County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Hawkins County?

Church House Point, a TWRA-designated fishing site rather than a ramp, south of Rogersville.

How many public boat ramps are in Hawkins County?

TWRA’s access database lists 11 boat launches in Hawkins County. Most of them are on Holston River. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Hawkins County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rock bass, 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 Hawkins 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 Hawkins County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Hawkins County?

Cherokee Lake, smallmouth bass 1 per day at an 18 in minimum from 1 June to 15 October; paddlefish snagging permitted 1 through 15 April only, 1 per day; boat fishing closed near Cherokee Dam 1 July-15 September (that closure is downlake in Jefferson/Grainger). Holston River above the lake, statewide limits, no trout regulations The Clinch at Kyles Ford is likewise under statewide limits Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Hawkins County?

No dedicated bait or tackle shop was found inside Hawkins County. No bait shop with a confirmed Hawkins County address was found. Cherokee Bait & Tackle is in Jefferson City, Jefferson County, not Hawkins. Walmart in Rogersville is the practical fallback; Morristown (Hamblen County, roughly 30 minutes) has the nearest real tackle selection.

Where do locals fish in Hawkins County?

The John Sevier Steam Plant discharge in January and February, warm water pulls walleye, saugeye and baitfish, a genuine local-knowledge spot. Poor Valley Creek ramp at Mooresburg. Christian Bend on the upper Holston.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Hawkins County

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

RiverHolston River7 access points in Hawkins County, 12 in totalSee the spots →LakeCherokee Lake5 access points in Hawkins County, 47 in totalSee the spots →

Hawkins County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.

Conditions

Hawkins County lake levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsCherokee Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Cherokee Dam generation schedule.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Hawkins CountyTWRA stocks Alexander Creek, Big Creek. 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 Hawkins County access list comes from

The 12 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 Hawkins 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 GreenevilleNolichucky River, Holston RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near MorristownCherokee LakeSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near KingsportBoone Lake, South Fork Holston RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near NewportDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →

Tennessee sells no non-resident one-day fishing license. The three-day is the shortest option.

Keep looking

Counties next to Hawkins

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

Next county overHancock CountyClinch River, Powell RiverSee the spots →Next county overHamblen CountyCherokee LakeSee the spots →Next county overGreene CountyNolichucky RiverSee the spots →Next county overGrainger CountyCherokee Lake, Norris LakeSee the spots →Next county overWashington CountyBoone Lake, Nolichucky RiverSee the spots →

Keep going

More Hawkins 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 Hawkins County right now: Hawkins County conditions.