East Tennessee · County seat Athens

Fishing in McMinn County, Tennessee

Q: Where do locals fish in McMinn County?

The Hiwassee below Reliance toward the US-411 bridge — calmer, more wadeable and much less crowded than the section above, and squarely the McMinn-side option. Oostanaula Creek at the Athens crossings, fished by locals and nobody else. Station Creek.

Hiwassee River (lower), Oostanaula Creek. 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 McMinn County

1 public access point in McMinn 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.

Hiwassee River 1 in McMinn County

Free2 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · OtherN Mouse Creek1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.32780, -84.78946

What to bring

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

McMinn County at a glance

McMinn County boat ramps and fishing access

McMinn 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 McMinn

Main fishing waters in McMinn County

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

free-flowing river · forms the southwestern boundary with Bradley County · TWRA; the upper…

Hiwassee River (lower)

McMinn owns the lower, calmer, more wadeable water below Reliance toward the Highway 411 bridge, which is less crowded than the famous section above; the Hiwassee was the first Tennessee river designated a State Scenic River.

below the trout zone: smallmouthlargemouthrock basschannel and flathead catfish

free-flowing creek · drains Athens and the central county toward the Hiwassee · mostly…

Oostanaula Creek

A real creek fishery running right past Athens, mostly overlooked because everyone drives past it to the Hiwassee.

smallmouthrock basssunfishchannel catfish

What it looks like

McMinn County water

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

Hiwassee RiverOpen the Hiwassee River page →ChristopherM at English Wikipedia / CC BY 2.5

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

Watauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0

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

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

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in McMinn County

Fishing from the bank in McMinn County

Oostanaula Creek crossings in and around Athens. Athens Regional Park and the city’s park system (confirm whether any holds a fishable pond before publishing).

Getting a boat on the water in McMinn County

No marina in McMinn County. The Hiwassee is float and wade water, heavily dependent on generation at the Apalachia Powerhouse upstream, check the TVA Reservoir Information Line (1-800-238-2264) before going.

Rafting and float outfitters concentrate at Reliance in Polk County, not in McMinn. Chickamauga Lake ramps are a short drive west in Meigs County.

Two different trips

Visiting McMinn County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in McMinn County

The Hiwassee Scenic River. The Lost Sea Adventure at Sweetwater (America’s largest underground lake, not fishable, but it is what visitors are pointed to). Mayfield Dairy Farms visitor centre, Athens. McMinn County Living Heritage Museum. Starr Mountain and the Cherokee National Forest. The Tennessee Overhill heritage area.

Where McMinn County locals actually go

The Hiwassee below Reliance toward the US-411 bridge, calmer, more wadeable and much less crowded than the section above, and squarely the McMinn-side option. Oostanaula Creek at the Athens crossings, fished by locals and nobody else. Station Creek.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for McMinn County water

Creel and length limits in McMinn County

Hiwassee River from the Apalachia Powerhouse downstream to the L&N Railroad Bridge, open season 1 March through 30 September with seven trout per day of which no more than two may be brown trout; catch-and-release only from 1 October through 28 February. That delayed-harvest window is the single most important regulation on the page and is easy to get wrong. Below the L&N bridge, standard statewide warmwater rules apply.

State record fish from McMinn County water

The Hiwassee River holds the Tennessee state record flathead catfish, 85 lb 15 oz, Larry Kaylor, 25 July 1993, plus the state records for mooneye (1 lb 4 oz, Steve D. Moss, 5 May 2005) and central stoneroller (10 oz, Roy S. King, 1 May 1983).

The record list names the river, not the county, and the Hiwassee runs through Polk, McMinn, Bradley and Meigs, present these as river records.

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

Questions people actually ask

McMinn County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in McMinn County?

Hiwassee River access points along the river-mile chain, with the lower ones nearest McMinn: US-411 bridge at river mile 42.6, Patty Bridge at 37.0, Old Patty at 34.5. Stone Bridge Park, Athens, during the winter trout stocking period. Oostanaula Creek crossings in and around Athens. Athens Regional Park and the city’s park system (confirm whether any holds a fishable pond before publishing).

How many public boat ramps are in McMinn County?

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

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

The main species across McMinn County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, rock bass, white bass and channel catfish. 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 McMinn 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 McMinn County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in McMinn County?

Hiwassee River from the Apalachia Powerhouse downstream to the L&N Railroad Bridge, open season 1 March through 30 September with seven trout per day of which no more than two may be brown trout; catch-and-release only from 1 October through 28 February. That delayed-harvest window is the single most important regulation on the page and is easy to get wrong Below the L&N bridge, standard statewide warmwater rules apply Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in McMinn County?

No tackle shop verified in McMinn County. Walmart Supercenter, Athens, for licences and basic tackle. The Hiwassee fly-fishing trade is based at Reliance in Polk County (about 30 minutes southeast), that is where guides and fly shops for this river actually are. Athens is also within 45 minutes of Cleveland and about an hour of Chattanooga and Knoxville for full outdoor retail.. There is a fuller list on the McMinn County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in McMinn County?

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in McMinn County

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

RiverHiwassee River1 access point in McMinn County, 13 in totalSee the spots →

McMinn County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, rock bass.

Conditions

McMinn County trout stocking

TroutTrout stocking in McMinn CountyTWRA stocks Athens City Park Pond. 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 McMinn 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 McMinn 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 AthensHiwassee River, Chickamauga LakeSee the spots →

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

Keep looking

Counties next to McMinn

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

Next county overBradley CountyHiwassee River, Candies CreekSee the spots →Next county overMeigs CountyChickamauga Lake, Watts Bar LakeSee the spots →Next county overPolk CountyHiwassee River, Parksville LakeSee the spots →Next county overRhea CountyWatts Bar Lake, Chickamauga LakeSee the spots →Next county overHamilton CountyChickamauga Lake, Nickajack LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More McMinn 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 McMinn County right now: McMinn County conditions.