East Tennessee · County seat Knoxville

Fishing in Knox County, Tennessee

Fort Loudoun Lake, Melton Hill Lake, Holston River. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots17 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Knox County

17 public access points in Knox County: 11 boat launches, 2 fishing piers and 6 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.

Fort Loudoun Lake 10 in Knox County

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Knox 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

Knox County at a glance

Knox County boat ramps and fishing access

Knox County has 17 public fishing access points: 11 boat ramps, 2 fishing piers and 6 marinas, on 4 lakes, rivers and creeks.

11boat ramps

2fishing piers

6marinas

4lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Knox

Main fishing waters in Knox County

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

reservoir · 14,600 acres, 360 miles of shoreline, running 55 miles from the dam up to the…

Fort Loudoun Lake

This is Knoxville’s home water, the Tennessee River running straight through the middle of the city, and it has hosted a string of high-profile bass tournaments. It fishes as a developed, current-influenced river lake rather than a highland reservoir.

largemouthsmallmouthwhite basscrappie

reservoir · roughly 5,690 acres on the Clinch River · TVA, much of the northwest shore is US…

Melton Hill Lake

The clearest cause-and-effect story of any lake in this group: cold water released from Norris Dam upstream keeps Melton Hill cool and relatively unproductive, which suppresses largemouth but holds excellent dissolved oxygen, which is exactly why smallmouth, stripers and musky do so well. It holds two state records.

muskellungestriped basssmallmouthlargemouth

river · flows in from the northeast to the Forks of the River · TVA/TWRA/TDOT (accesses)

Holston River

Downstream toward Knoxville the Holston becomes, in the guides’ words, one of the state’s best smallmouth rivers.

smallmouth bassrock basssaugercatfish

river · joins the Holston at the Forks of the River to form the Tennessee · TVA/TWRA/county/city

French Broad River

Three public accesses in Knox County plus Seven Islands State Birding Park, a genuinely good float-and-wade smallmouth river within the county line.

smallmouthlargemouthrock basscatfish

What it looks like

Knox County water

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

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

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

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

Melton Hill LakeOpen the Melton Hill Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain

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

The ones nobody writes about

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

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

creek · a 44-mile tributary spanning Knox County, with a designated water trail

Beaver Creek

The Beaver Creek Water Trail runs 44 miles across the county and holds a Class B state record. This is the best small-water story Knoxville has and almost nobody writes about fishing it.

smallmouthrock basssunfish

flooded marble quarry · Ijams Nature Center, 3518 Island Home Pike, Knoxville

Mead’s Quarry Lake

A flooded quarry inside the city with paddling and shore access, an unusual urban fishery.

bassbluegillcatfish

flooded quarry · Knoxville Urban Wilderness, South Knoxville

Fort Dickerson Quarry

Steep-sided quarry lake in the Urban Wilderness.

bassbluegillcatfish

small city lake · Fountain City, North Knoxville

Fountain City Lake

Named by TWRA as a location in its winter trout stocking program, trout in a city park pond, walkable, and the easiest trout fishing in Knox County.

winter-stocked rainbow troutbluegillcatfish

pond · West Knox County

Anchor Park pond

Two fishing piers and a small stocked pond, the best bank option for a family with young children.

stocked mixed species

wetland · 11529 Parkside Dr

Turkey Creek Wetland

Small urban wetland with public access.

sunfishbass

urban creeks · Knoxville greenway corridors

Third Creek, First Creek, Sinking Creek

Greenway-accessible urban creeks.

sunfishrock basssmall bass

creek/embayment · Melton Hill arm

Bull Run Creek

A named Melton Hill embayment on the Knox side.

crappielargemouthcatfish

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Knox County

Fishing from the bank in Knox County

Volunteer Landing on the downtown Knoxville riverfront; Concord Park Fishing Pier, 11399 S Northshore Dr; Carl Cowan Park pier; Boyd Island Access pier on the Holston; Anchor Park’s two piers; Mead’s Quarry at Ijams Nature Center; Fort Dickerson Quarry and Fort Dickerson Park in the Urban Wilderness; The Cove at Concord Park (11808 S Northshore Dr); Admiral Farragut Park (9950 S Northshore Dr); Keller Bend Park (3360 Keller Bend Rd); Lakeshore Park; Island Home Park and Marine Park (2201 Alcoa Hwy); Forks of the River Park, 5428 Strawberry Plains Pike, where the Holston and French Broad meet; Seven Islands State Birding Park, 425 acres with French Broad frontage and permitted fishing; Melton Hill Park; Fountain City Lake; the Knoxville greenway system along Third and First creeks.

Getting a boat on the water in Knox County

Fort Loudoun is the busiest recreational water in East Tennessee and marina capacity reflects it, Concord, Choto, Fox Road, Willow Point, Duncan, Volunteer Landing and the Concord Yacht Club, with fuel at Concord, Choto, Fox Road and Duncan. Melton Hill Park and Hickory Creek serve the Clinch side; two ramps sit at Melton Hill Dam, one above and one below, giving access to both Melton Hill and Watts Bar.

Melton Hill Lake also carries a nationally recognised rowing course used for collegiate spring training, so plan around regattas on that reach. Paddling: the Beaver Creek Water Trail (44 miles), the Tennessee River Blueway through downtown, and the French Broad from Seven Islands or Cruze Landing. Fort Loudoun gets heavy summer traffic and barge movement near the navigation channel.

Two different trips

Visiting Knox County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Knox County

Volunteer Landing and the downtown Knoxville riverfront; Ijams Nature Center and Mead’s Quarry; Concord Park and The Cove; Seven Islands State Birding Park; the Knoxville Urban Wilderness and Fort Dickerson Quarry; Melton Hill Park; Forks of the River.

Where Knox County locals actually go

Beaver Creek and its 44-mile water trail, a county-spanning smallmouth and panfish creek that holds a state record and gets almost no fishing coverage; Fountain City Lake in winter when TWRA stocks trout; Boyd Island Access on the Holston, a city ramp with a pier that most anglers never find; Cruze Landing and McBee Ferry Landing on the French Broad; the Asheville Highway access at Holston river mile 6.57; Bull Run Creek on the Melton Hill side; Fort Dickerson Quarry; Marine Park off Alcoa Highway.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Knox County water

Creel and length limits in Knox County

Consumption advisories: TDEC advises caution on catfish and some largemouth from Fort Loudoun (PCBs, mercury), and advises everyone against eating catfish from Melton Hill (PCBs), that second one is a blanket advisory, not a sensitive-population advisory.

State record fish from Knox County water

Class B yellow bullhead, 9 oz, jug, Beaver Creek (Knoxville), Dan Pluff, 17 September 2013, the only Tennessee record TWRA attributes explicitly to Knoxville. Class B blue catfish, 130 lb, commercial gear, Ft. Loudoun Reservoir, J.C.

Garland, Bill Norman and Richard Reagan, 18 December 1976, important correction: TWRA’s own Fort Loudoun page presents this as the state record, and it is not. It is a Class B record taken with commercial gear; the Class A state record blue catfish is 122 lb 3 oz from Barkley Reservoir (2023).

Melton Hill Reservoir: muskellunge 43 lb 14 oz, Steven Paul, 2 March 2017; saugeye 10 lb 12 oz, Chris Vittetoe, 18 July 1998. Holston River: 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. French Broad River: smallmouth redhorse 1 lb 10 oz, Larry Hamilton, 27 July 2013.

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

Questions people actually ask

Knox County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Knox County?

Volunteer Landing on the downtown Knoxville riverfront. Also concord park fishing pier, 11399 s northshore dr, and carl cowan park pier. Knox County has 2 public fishing piers listed in TWRA’s access database.

How many public boat ramps are in Knox County?

TWRA’s access database lists 11 boat launches in Knox County, plus 6 marinas. Most of them are on Fort Loudoun Lake. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Knox County?

Fort Loudoun, walleye 5 per day at a 16 in minimum, otherwise statewide limits (black bass 5 per day, crappie 15 per day at 10 in, striped/hybrid bass 2 per day at 15 in, sauger 10 per day at 15 in, catfish unlimited under 34 in with one over). Melton Hill carries three exceptions worth stating separately because they are unusual: muskellunge 1 per day with a 50 in minimum; striped bass with a 32-42 in protected length range; smallmouth bass 18 in minimum Consumption advisories: TDEC advises caution on catfish and some largemouth from Fort Loudoun (PCBs, mercury), and advises everyone against eating catfish from Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Knox County?

Academy Sports + Outdoors, 6574 Clinton Hwy, Knoxville TN 37912, (865) 895-9230. There is a fuller list on the Knox County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Knox County?

Beaver Creek and its 44-mile water trail, a county-spanning smallmouth and panfish creek that holds a state record and gets almost no fishing coverage. Fountain City Lake in winter when TWRA stocks trout. Boyd Island Access on the Holston, a city ramp with a pier that most anglers never find.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Knox County

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

LakeFort Loudoun Lake10 access points in Knox County, 27 in totalSee the spots →RiverFrench Broad River3 access points in Knox County, 13 in totalSee the spots →RiverHolston River2 access points in Knox County, 12 in totalSee the spots →LakeMelton Hill Lake2 access points in Knox County, 5 in totalSee the spots →

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

Conditions

Knox County lake levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsFort Loudoun Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Fort Loudoun Dam generation schedule.Open →Lake conditionsMelton Hill Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Melton Hill Dam generation schedule.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Knox CountyTWRA stocks Fountain City Lake. 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 Knox County access list comes from

The 17 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 Knox 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 KnoxvilleFort Loudoun Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near FarragutFort Loudoun Lake, Melton Hill LakeSee the spots →

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

Keep looking

Counties next to Knox

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

Next county overBlount CountyFort Loudoun Lake, Little RiverSee the spots →Next county overLoudon CountyTellico Lake, Fort Loudoun LakeSee the spots →Next county overAnderson CountyClinch River, Norris LakeSee the spots →Next county overSevier CountyDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →Next county overMonroe CountyTellico Lake, Tellico RiverSee the spots →

Keep going

More Knox 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 Knox County right now: Knox County conditions.