West Tennessee · County seat Ripley

Fishing in Lauderdale County, Tennessee

Q: Where can I fish from the bank in Lauderdale County?

Fort Pillow State Historic Park — lake shoreline and the park's fishing area, the only easy, maintained bank fishing in the county. Hatchie River bridge crossings on SR-19 and SR-87 (right-of-way only.

Q: Where do locals fish in Lauderdale County?

Crutcher Lake Road and Sam Taylor Road into John Tully WMA — sloughs a short walk from the truck. The Forked Deer cut-off finger lakes, a documented local fishery created when the river was straightened. Hatchie bottoms sloughs off SR-87 between Henning and the river.

Mississippi River, Hatchie River, Forked Deer River (main stem/North Fork). Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots1 public access point Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Lauderdale County

1 public access point in Lauderdale County: 1 boat launch. 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.

Cold Creek 1 in Lauderdale County

Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat LaunchCold Creek Boat Launch1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.64803, -89.83478

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Lauderdale 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 Striper and Hybrid checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Lauderdale County at a glance

Lauderdale County boat ramps and fishing access

Lauderdale County has 1 public fishing access point: 1 boat ramp, on 1 lake or river.

1boat ramp

1lake, river or creek

The big water in Lauderdale

Main fishing waters in Lauderdale County

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

free-flowing large river · forms the entire western county line · navigation channel USACE…

Mississippi River

Fish the slack water behind wing dams and the rock revetment on a falling stage; barge traffic and current make this a boat-and-experience water, not casual shoreline fishing.

blue/flathead/channel catfishsmallmouth and bigmouth buffalofreshwater drumwhite bass

free-flowing bottomland river, 238 mi total · forms the southern line with Haywood County ·…

Hatchie River

It is the only major West Tennessee river never impounded or channelized, so in high water it spreads a mile wide through the bottoms and the fish scatter into sloughs; low water concentrates them back in the main channel bends.

flathead and channel catfishlargemouthcrappie in the oxbowsbowfin

channelized bottomland river · northern line with Dyer County · TWRA

Forked Deer River (main stem/North Fork)

The dredged main channel is poor; the cut-off meanders and finger lakes left beside it are where locals actually fish.

channel and flathead catfishcrappielargemouth

What it looks like

Lauderdale County water

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

Mississippi RiverOpen the Mississippi River page →Ceptember / CC BY-SA 4.0

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

Forked Deer River, TennesseeMalepheasant at en.wikipedia / Public domain

Reelfoot LakeOpen the Reelfoot Lake page →User:JeremyA / CC BY-SA 2.5

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

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Lauderdale County

Fishing from the bank in Lauderdale County

Fort Pillow State Historic Park, lake shoreline and the park’s fishing area, the only easy, maintained bank fishing in the county. Hatchie River bridge crossings on SR-19 and SR-87 (right-of-way only; the banks beyond are private or WMA).

Forked Deer bridge crossings on SR-181/SR-88. Roadside sloughs inside John Tully WMA. There is no developed public bank access to the Mississippi River itself in this county.

Getting a boat on the water in Lauderdale County

No marina verified in Lauderdale County. Fort Pillow State Historic Park lists boat access, a boat ramp and boat/paddle rentals. The Hatchie is genuinely good flatwater paddling, Class I, slow, heavy deadfall, easy to get lost in the bottoms at high water. Mississippi River launching is for experienced boaters with adequate power only.

Two different trips

Visiting Lauderdale County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Lauderdale County

Fort Pillow State Historic Park (Civil War fort, bluff overlook, camping). Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center, Henning. Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge. The Hatchie as the last unaltered West Tennessee river.

Where Lauderdale County locals actually go

Crutcher Lake Road and Sam Taylor Road into John Tully WMA, sloughs a short walk from the truck. The Forked Deer cut-off finger lakes, a documented local fishery created when the river was straightened. Hatchie bottoms sloughs off SR-87 between Henning and the river.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Lauderdale County water

Creel and length limits in Lauderdale County

Statewide catfish rule applies (no limit under 34 in, one per day over 34 in). Commercial gear is legal on the Mississippi, so trotlines and nets you encounter are usually lawful.

State record fish from Lauderdale County water

None confirmed for this county. The state record white bass (5 lb 10 oz, Bill Nelson, 29 Sept 2003) is credited to “Mississippi River” with no county given.

1 public boat launches in Lauderdale County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Lauderdale County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Lauderdale County?

How many public boat ramps are in Lauderdale County?

TWRA’s access database lists 1 boat launch in Lauderdale County. Most of them are on Cold Creek. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Lauderdale County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, white bass, sauger, catfish, paddlefish, bowfin and gar. 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 Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Lauderdale County?

The Mississippi is a boundary water; check reciprocal licence provisions with Arkansas and Missouri before fishing the far bank or chutes. Refuge and WMA units close seasonally around waterfowl season Statewide catfish rule applies (no limit under 34 in, one per day over 34 in) Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Lauderdale County?

No tackle or bait shop verified in Lauderdale County. Nearest full retail is the Walmart Supercenter in Ripley (licences, basic tackle). Academy Sports in Dyersburg (~25 min north) and Jackson (~1 hr east). Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, Memphis, roughly an hour south.. There is a fuller list on the Lauderdale County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Lauderdale County?

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Lauderdale County

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

RiverMississippi River6 in totalSee the spots →RiverHatchie River11 in totalSee the spots →

Lauderdale County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, white bass.

About this list

Where the Lauderdale County access list comes from

The 1 access point above comes 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 Lauderdale County

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

15 access points within 30 milesFishing near CovingtonHatchie River, Obion RiverSee the spots →10 access points within 30 milesFishing near MillingtonMississippi River, Wolf RiverSee the spots →10 access points within 30 milesFishing near BartlettMississippi River, Wolf RiverSee the spots →17 access points within 30 milesFishing near BrownsvilleHatchie River, Forked Deer RiverSee the spots →

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

Keep looking

Counties next to Lauderdale

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

Next county overTipton CountyGlen Springs Lake, Hatchie RiverSee the spots →Next county overDyer CountyForked Deer River, Obion RiverSee the spots →Next county overShelby CountyMississippi River, Wolf RiverSee the spots →Next county overHaywood CountyHatchie River, South Fork Forked Deer RiverSee the spots →Next county overFayette CountyWolf River, Herb Parsons LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County right now: Lauderdale County conditions.