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Macon County, Tennessee

Where to Buy or Rent Fishing Gear in Macon County

Bait, tackle, rental boats and licenses in and around Macon County.

Closest first

Bait and tackle shops in and near Macon County

No bait or tackle shop within about 45 miles of Macon County is on this site yet. The chain stores below and the marinas at the water are the nearest options.

The big stores

Chain stores near Macon County

The closest full tackle wall to Macon County is the Academy in Mt Juliet, about 36 miles from Lafayette. Distances here are straight line, so the drive is longer. The rest below are the next nearest, each with a map link.

Mt Juliet · about 36 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Cookeville · about 38 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Madison · about 44 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →Smyrna · about 47 milesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsChain sporting goods. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and a licence counter.Open in maps →

Before you cast

Buying a Tennessee fishing license in Macon County

Buy online at gooutdoorstennessee.com and the license is on your phone in a minute, nothing is mailed. Over the counter, the Macon County Clerk in Lafayette sells them, along with most Walmart stores and licensed agents in the county.

Anyone 13 and over needs a license to fish Macon County water, and under 13 is free. If you live in Macon County, the $10 county-of-residence license covers you on Macon County water, though not for trout.

All license prices and rules

Gear questions

Buying and renting gear in Macon County

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Macon 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.

Does my Tennessee license cover trout in Macon 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 Macon County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Macon County?

No tackle or bait shop verified in Macon County. Walmart, Lafayette, for licences and basic tackle. Nearest larger selection: Academy Sports in Hendersonville or Cookeville, roughly an hour either way.. There is a fuller list on the Macon County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Can I buy a fishing license in Macon County?

Yes. County clerks, most Walmart stores and licensed agents in Macon County sell them over the counter, and gooutdoorstennessee.com sells them 24 hours a day. The license is digital or printable, nothing is mailed.

Do I need a boat to fish Macon County?

Not necessarily, though Macon County is short on developed bank access. The fishing spots page lists every road crossing and park shoreline that is genuinely public.

What it looks like

What Macon County water looks like

The lakes and rivers you are buying gear for.

Center Hill Lake, TennesseeCenter Hill LakeOpen the Center Hill Lake page →Tyler White / Public domainOld Hickory Lake, TennesseeOld Hickory LakeOpen the Old Hickory Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Cumberland River, TennesseeCumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domainDuck River, TennesseeDuck RiverOpen the Duck River page →SBaker43 / CC BY-SA 3.0Tims Ford Lake, TennesseeTims Ford LakeOpen the Tims Ford Lake page →Geobeedude / CC BY-SA 3.0Cordell Hull Lake, TennesseeCordell Hull LakeOpen the Cordell Hull Lake page →United States Army Corps of Engineers image / Public domain

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

Where to fish it

Now find the water in Macon County

Got what you need? The Macon County fishing spots page has every ramp, pier, creek and lake in the county, with directions to each one and the limits that apply on it.

Macon County fishing spotsBack to the county page

Keep going

More Macon 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 waterLicence and limits