Middle Tennessee · County seat Lawrenceburg

Fishing in Lawrence County, Tennessee

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

Veterans Park, Lawrenceburg — Shoal Creek wraps the park on three sides, giving bank and fly-fishing access right in town. David Crockett State Park — Lake Lindsey piers and the Shoal Creek frontage at Crockett Falls. Laurel Hill Lake fishing pier and VFW Lake piers, both described by the county as handicap-accessible.. Lawrence County has 3 public fishing piers listed in TWRA's access database.

Q: What are the creel limits in Lawrence County?

Laurel Hill Lake — largemouth 5/day with a 13–18 in protected slot, only one over 18 in; crappie 15/day, 10 in minimum; bluegill/redear 20/day combined; blue and channel catfish 5/day combined, 14 in minimum; one embayment restricted to anglers 16 and under; nursery ponds close as posted. VFW Lake — largemouth 5/day no length limit; crappie 15/day, 10 in minimum; bluegill/redear 20/day combined; catfish 5/day, 14 in minimum Both are TWRA agency lakes, so agency-lake rules and any posted permit requirements apply on top of a state licence Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Laurel Hill Lake, Shoal Creek, Buffalo River (headwaters and Little Buffalo). Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

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

Every public access point

Fishing access in Lawrence County

6 public access points in Lawrence County: 5 boat launches, 3 fishing piers 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.

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Lawrence 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

Lawrence County at a glance

Lawrence County boat ramps and fishing access

Lawrence County has 6 public fishing access points: 5 boat ramps and 3 fishing piers, on 4 lakes, rivers and creeks.

5boat ramps

3fishing piers

4lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Lawrence

Main fishing waters in Lawrence County

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

TWRA agency lake · 325 acres · TWRA (Region 2), inside the ~15,000-acre Laurel Hill WMA

Laurel Hill Lake

This is the county’s real fishing destination, boat ramps, a fishing pier, boat rentals, fish attractors and a separate youth-only embayment near the concession building, about 15 miles west of Lawrenceburg.

largemouth basscrappiebluegillredear

free-flowing creek · runs the length of the county · mixed public/private; public at parks

Shoal Creek

It wades and floats better than it bank-fishes; it deepens and widens as it runs south toward Iron City and the Alabama line.

smallmouth and rock basssunfishcatfish

free-flowing river, 125 mi total · northern Lawrence County · State Scenic River designation…

Buffalo River (headwaters and Little Buffalo)

The longest unimpounded river in Middle Tennessee, and its scenic-river stretch starts here; Class I float water with long flat pools.

smallmouthrock basscatfishdrum

What it looks like

Lawrence County water

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

Buffalo River, TennesseeLa Citta Vita / CC BY-SA 2.0

Center Hill LakeOpen the Center Hill Lake page →Tyler White / Public domain

Old Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain

Duck RiverOpen the Duck River page →SBaker43 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Tims Ford LakeOpen the Tims Ford Lake page →Geobeedude / CC BY-SA 3.0

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Lawrence County

Fishing from the bank in Lawrence County

Laurel Hill Lake fishing pier and VFW Lake piers, both described by the county as handicap-accessible.

Getting a boat on the water in Lawrence County

No marina. Laurel Hill Lake and VFW Lake both rent boats and both are small-motor water (agency lakes; confirm the current horsepower/no-wake rule with the Region 2 office). Lake Lindsey at David Crockett SP is trolling-motor/paddle only.

Shoal Creek is the paddling water: Crockett Shoals Tubing Co., 1104 West Gaines St, Lawrenceburg; UPA Creek Canoe & Kayak Rentals, 5585 Wayland Springs Road, Iron City; Shoal Creek Canoe Run, 472 Iron City Road, Iron City; Double G Canoe Rentals, 629 Busby Road (listed as West Point on one county page and Loretto on another). Trips run from 3–4 hours to 10–12 hours.

Two different trips

Visiting Lawrence County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Lawrence County

David Crockett State Park (1,319–1,400 acres, cabins, camping, museum, restaurant, Crockett Falls). Laurel Hill WMA and Lake. Natchez Trace Parkway access at the Hwy 64 West entrance. Amish country around Ethridge. Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area near Summertown.

Where Lawrence County locals actually go

The Little Buffalo River inside Laurel Hill WMA, reached off the 30 miles of chert gravel roads. VFW Lake, which almost nobody outside the county has heard of. The Shoal Creek stretch through Veterans Park, fished by locals in town on a lunch break.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Lawrence County water

Creel and length limits in Lawrence County

Both are TWRA agency lakes, so agency-lake rules and any posted permit requirements apply on top of a state licence.

5 public boat launches in Lawrence County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Lawrence County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Lawrence County?

Veterans Park, Lawrenceburg, Shoal Creek wraps the park on three sides, giving bank and fly-fishing access right in town. David Crockett State Park, Lake Lindsey piers and the Shoal Creek frontage at Crockett Falls. Laurel Hill Lake fishing pier and VFW Lake piers, both described by the county as handicap-accessible.. Lawrence County has 3 public fishing piers listed in TWRA’s access database.

How many public boat ramps are in Lawrence County?

TWRA’s access database lists 5 boat launches in Lawrence County. Most of them are on Laurel Hill Lake. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

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

What are the creel limits in Lawrence County?

Laurel Hill Lake, largemouth 5/day with a 13–18 in protected slot, only one over 18 in; crappie 15/day, 10 in minimum; bluegill/redear 20/day combined; blue and channel catfish 5/day combined, 14 in minimum; one embayment restricted to anglers 16 and under; nursery ponds close as posted. VFW Lake, largemouth 5/day no length limit; crappie 15/day, 10 in minimum; bluegill/redear 20/day combined; catfish 5/day, 14 in minimum Both are TWRA agency lakes, so agency-lake rules and any posted permit requirements apply on top of a state licence Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Lawrence County?

Laurel Hill Bait & Deli, at Laurel Hill WMA west of Lawrenceburg off Hwy 64, sells sportsman licences, bait and tackle, picnic supplies, and doubles as a hunter check-in station. Laurel Hill Lake has a concession building (931-324-9835). VFW Lake info line 931-762-7200. Paddle rentals as listed under BOATING. Walmart Supercenter, Lawrenceburg, for licences and basic tackle.. There is a fuller list on the Lawrence County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Lawrence County?

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Lawrence County

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

LakeLaurel Hill Lake2 access points in Lawrence CountySee the spots →CreekShoal Creek2 access points in Lawrence CountySee the spots →

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

Conditions

Lawrence County river levels and trout stocking

River levelsShoal Creek level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Lawrence CountyTWRA stocks East Fork Shoal Creek, Little Buffalo River. 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 LawrenceburgDuck River, Richland CreekSee the spots →

3 public fishing piers in Lawrence County, no boat needed.

Keep looking

Counties next to Lawrence

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

Next county overLewis CountyBuffalo RiverSee the spots →Next county overGiles CountyRichland Creek, Elk RiverSee the spots →Next county overWayne CountyKentucky LakeSee the spots →Next county overMaury CountyDuck River, Bluecat LakeSee the spots →Next county overPerry CountyBuffalo RiverSee the spots →

Keep going

More Lawrence 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 Lawrence County right now: Lawrence County conditions.