West Tennessee · County seat Brownsville

Fishing in Haywood County, Tennessee

Haywood County is thin on public water. This page lists what there is, then points at what is close.

Find fishing spots6 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Haywood County

6 public access points in Haywood County: 6 boat launches. 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.

Hatchie River 5 in Haywood County

Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USFWSBig Eddy Road Ramp1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.47094, -89.13961 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TWRAHatchie RiverFrom Brownsville, take HWY 70 East, ramp is on Right as soon as you cross Hatchie River1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.52160, -89.34940 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · Private LandHighway 51From HWY 138, turn on Sturdivant Crossing Rd, slight Left on Bill & Rubye Mullen Rd, end at ramp1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.43750, -89.07940 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · USFWSHighway 76From I-40, Take Exit 56 South on HWY 76, ramp is on Right after crossing Hatchie River1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.52280, -89.25380 Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TWRAHop InFrom I-40, Take Exit 62 East on Mercer Rd approximately 2.6 miles, Right on Estanaula Rd about 8 miles, gravel road on Right leads to ramp1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.46010, -89.09950

South Fork Forked Deer River 1 in Haywood County

Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TWRAHighway 54From Brownsville, take HWY 54 North, ramp is on Left before you cross the Forked Deer River1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.71900, -89.21290

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Haywood 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:

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

Haywood County at a glance

Haywood County boat ramps and fishing access

Haywood County has 6 public fishing access points: 6 boat ramps, on 2 lakes, rivers and creeks.

6boat ramps

2lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Haywood

Main fishing waters in Haywood County

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

river · crosses the county west of Brownsville, Tennessee State Scenic River · TWRA, with…

Hatchie River

The county’s only significant water, and it is a river, not a lake, timber-choked, current-driven and fished from small boats.

largemouth basscrappiebluegillchannel and blue catfish

river · north of Brownsville · TWRA

South Fork Forked Deer River

One public ramp on Hwy 54 north of Brownsville, before the bridge.

catfishcrappielargemouthbowfin

What it looks like

Haywood County water

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

Hatchie RiverOpen the Hatchie River page →noaa.gov / Public domain

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

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

The ones nobody writes about

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

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

oxbow lakes, borrow pits and sloughs · 10 oxbow lakes, 4 borrow pit lakes, 3 lakes,…

Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge waters

This is the real small-water inventory for the county and it is almost entirely unpublicised. Fishing is daylight hours only, electric trolling motors only, and some areas close 15 November-15 March.

largemouth bassbluegillcrappie

refuge lakes · Hatchie NWR

Goose Lake and Quail Hollow Lake

These two carry their own 14 in minimum on bass, different from the surrounding water.

largemouthbluegillcrappie

river bend/access · Hatchie River

Big Eddy

Has its own ramp on Big Eddy Road.

catfishcrappiebowfin

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Haywood County

Fishing from the bank in Haywood County

The Hatchie bridge crossings at Hwy 70 east of Brownsville, Hwy 76 and Hwy 54 all have parking and fishable bank; Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge banks, sloughs and oxbow shorelines (daylight hours only, some areas closed 15 Nov-15 Mar). There is no fishing pier, no park lake and no municipal fishing water in the county.

Getting a boat on the water in Haywood County

Jonboats, canoes and kayaks. On refuge waters only electric trolling motors are permitted. The Hatchie moves and is full of strainers and deadfall. No marina, no fuel on the water, no rental boats anywhere in the county.

Two different trips

Visiting Haywood County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Haywood County

Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, the headline attraction; the Hatchie River scenic float; Brownsville’s Delta Heritage Center.

Where Haywood County locals actually go

Hop In, reached by eight miles of county road and then a gravel track off Estanaula Road, about as obscure as a public ramp gets; Big Eddy Road ramp; the refuge oxbows, which almost no published fishing content names individually.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Haywood County water

Creel and length limits in Haywood County

Hatchie NWR, fishing permitted during daylight hours only; 14 in minimum on bass in Goose and Quail Hollow Lakes specifically; electric trolling motors only on refuge waters; some areas closed 15 November-15 March. Outside the refuge, statewide limits apply.

6 public boat launches in Haywood County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Haywood County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Haywood County?

The Hatchie bridge crossings at Hwy 70 east of Brownsville, Hwy 76 and Hwy 54 all have parking and fishable bank.

How many public boat ramps are in Haywood County?

TWRA’s access database lists 6 boat launches in Haywood County. Most of them are on Hatchie River. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Haywood County water are largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, bowfin, gar and freshwater drum. 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 Haywood 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 Haywood County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Haywood County?

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Haywood County?

No dedicated bait or tackle shop was found inside Haywood County. No bait shop, tackle shop, marina store or boat rental was verified anywhere in Haywood County. Walmart in Brownsville is the only reliable source of tackle and terminal gear. Nearest genuine tackle selection is Jackson (Madison County, roughly 35 minutes east).

Where do locals fish in Haywood County?

Hop In, reached by eight miles of county road and then a gravel track off Estanaula Road, about as obscure as a public ramp gets. Big Eddy Road ramp. the refuge oxbows, which almost no published fishing content names individually.

If the county comes up short

The nearest real fishing to Haywood County

Haywood genuinely has little fishable public water. It has no reservoir, no lake, no state park lake and no agency lake; six public ramps on two rivers and a wildlife refuge is the whole inventory.

Nearest real lake water: Lake Graham (Madison County, 500 acres, TWRA agency lake with rentals and licence sales) about 35 minutes east near Jackson; Davy Crockett Lake (Crockett County, 87 acres) about 35 minutes north; Reelfoot Lake about 1 hour 30 minutes north; Kentucky Lake at Perryville about 1 hour 20 minutes east; Pickwick about 1 hour 45 minutes southeast.

Haywood County water holds largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Haywood County

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

RiverHatchie River5 access points in Haywood County, 11 in totalSee the spots →RiverSouth Fork Forked Deer River1 access point in Haywood CountySee the spots →

Conditions

Haywood County river levels

River levelsForked Deer River level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →

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

About this list

Where the Haywood County access list comes from

The 6 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 Haywood County

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

17 access points within 30 milesFishing near BrownsvilleHatchie River, Forked Deer RiverSee the spots →

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

Keep looking

Counties next to Haywood

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

Next county overCrockett CountyDavy Crockett LakeSee the spots →Next county overHardeman CountyHatchie River, Whiteville LakeSee the spots →Next county overTipton CountyGlen Springs Lake, Hatchie RiverSee the spots →Next county overMadison CountyForked Deer River, Lake GrahamSee the spots →Next county overChester CountyLake Placid, Lake LaJoieSee the spots →

Keep going

More Haywood 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 Haywood County right now: Haywood County conditions.