East Tennessee · County seat Benton

Fishing in Polk County, Tennessee

Q: What are the creel limits in Polk County?

Hiwassee River delayed harvest — catch and release only, artificial lures only, bait prohibited, from the Apalachia Powerhouse to the L&N Railroad Bridge, 1 October–28 February. From 1 March–30 September, seven trout per day of which only two may be brown trout Parksville Reservoir: Alabama bass carry no creel limit, and there is an explicit prohibition on live transport of any black bass away from the reservoir — a containment rule and the most quotable regulation in the county Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.Benton is small. Cleveland, about 20–25 minutes west, is the nearest town with full sporting goods retail and is also the Cherokee National Forest headquarters. Chattanooga is about an hour for large-format outdoor retail.. There is a fuller list on the Polk County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Q: Where do locals fish in Polk County?

The Hiwassee below Reliance toward the 411 bridge — calmer, wadeable, and specifically noted as less crowded than the famous water above. The Conasauga in the Cohutta Wilderness, which requires a walk in from Betty Gap and holds rainbows to 20 inches and browns reported to nine pounds. Ocoee No. 3 lake, small, awkward to reach and the source of a state record. The Hiwassee Trophy Section, which is trail-access only. Sylco and the small forest-road creeks that nobody fishes because the Hiwassee is right there.

Hiwassee River, Parksville Lake (Ocoee No. 1), Ocoee River. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots14 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Polk County

14 public access points in Polk County: 11 boat launches, 1 designated fishing site and 1 marina. 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 Polk 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 Catfish checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Polk County at a glance

Polk County boat ramps and fishing access

Polk County has 14 public fishing access points: 11 boat ramps and 1 marina, on 4 lakes, rivers and creeks.

11boat ramps

1marina

4lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Polk

Main fishing waters in Polk County

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

tailwater and scenic river · 23-mile scenic reach from the NC line to US-411; about 21 miles…

Hiwassee River

The first river in Tennessee designated a State Scenic River. Its character is set by the Apalachia Powerhouse, which sits miles downstream of Apalachia Dam and dumps the river’s flow in at one point, so the water above and below the powerhouse are effectively different rivers.

rainbow and brown troutsmallmouthflathead catfish

TVA reservoir · 1,930 acres · TVA, acquired 1939; dam built 1911

Parksville Lake (Ocoee No. 1)

One of the oldest impoundments in the state and now the clearest case study in Tennessee of a black bass population taken over by an invasive: Alabama bass have consistently made up around 60% of the black bass here in recent years.

Alabama basslargemouthspotted bassCoosa (redeye) bass

free-flowing and impounded reaches · 93 mi overall (Toccoa in Georgia, Ocoee in Tennessee) ·…

Ocoee River

Better known as whitewater than as fishing water, Class III–V, host of the 1996 Olympic slalom, but it holds the state record Alabama bass and the state record yellow perch came from Ocoee No. 3.

Alabama basssmallmouthtrout in placesyellow perch in Ocoee No. 3

free-flowing river · 93 mi overall · USFS (Cherokee National Forest / Cohutta Wilderness)

Conasauga River

The only river in Tennessee that is not part of the Mississippi River basin, and one of the most biodiverse streams in the country; access in Polk County is by foot only.

rainbow and brown trout90+ fish species

What it looks like

Polk 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

Parksville LakeOpen the Parksville Lake page →Peter K. / CC BY-SA 3.0

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

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Polk County

Fishing from the bank in Polk County

The Hiwassee Trophy Section above Reliance is reachable on foot by trail. Parksville Lake has USFS shoreline and recreation areas along US-64. Gee Creek Campground. The Conasauga is foot access only.

Getting a boat on the water in Polk County

Parksville Lake is the county’s flat water, with USFS ramps and a no-wake regime around recreation areas. The Hiwassee is floated in rafts, drift boats and kayaks and is heavily dependent on the Apalachia Powerhouse generation schedule, the river changes several feet in minutes when generation starts.

The Ocoee middle and Olympic sections are commercial whitewater, not fishing floats: rafting runs 34 days a year on the Olympic course and five days a week on the middle section in summer. Numerous commercial raft outfitters operate on the Ocoee; they are not fishing operations.

Two different trips

Visiting Polk County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Polk County

Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park; the Ocoee whitewater corridor and the 1996 Olympic course (the Ocoee Whitewater Center building burned in 2022); Cherokee National Forest; Parksville Lake and the Chilhowee recreation area; the Hiwassee at Reliance, including the John Muir Trail; the Cohutta Wilderness.

Where Polk County locals actually go

3 lake, small, awkward to reach and the source of a state record. The Hiwassee Trophy Section, which is trail-access only. Sylco and the small forest-road creeks that nobody fishes because the Hiwassee is right there.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Polk County water

Creel and length limits in Polk County

Parksville Reservoir: Alabama bass carry no creel limit, and there is an explicit prohibition on live transport of any black bass away from the reservoir, a containment rule and the most quotable regulation in the county. Statewide trout creel is seven per day. Cherokee National Forest wild trout streams elsewhere in the system require single-hook artificial lures with bait prohibited; confirm which Polk County streams carry that designation before publishing a list.

State record fish from Polk County water

Rainbow trout, 18 lb 8 oz, “Pond (Polk County)”, John H. Morgan III, 17 June 2016, a private pond, not public water, but it is the state record and it is credited to this county. Coosa (redeye) bass, 1 lb 15 oz, Parksville Reservoir, Harry E. Parker, 18 August 1991.

Alabama bass, 7 lb 3 oz, Ocoee River, Caleb Bell, 19 November 2024. Yellow perch, 2 lb 5 oz, Ocoee No. 3 Lake, Jeremy Gary Lorenz, 26 March 2019. Flathead catfish, 85 lb 15 oz, Hiwassee River, Larry Kaylor, 25 July 1993. Mooneye, 1 lb 4 oz, Hiwassee River, Steve D. Moss, 5 May 2005.

Central stoneroller, 10 oz, Hiwassee River, Roy S. King, 1 May 1983. This is one of the richest record counties in the state.

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

Questions people actually ask

Polk County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Polk County?

The Hiwassee has the best bank and wade access in the region, with numbered river-mile access points: Powerhouse at 53.2, Reliance at 48.2, Gee Creek at 43.5, US-411 at 42.6, Patty Bridge at 37.0 and Old Patty at 34.5. Below Reliance toward the Highway 411 bridge the river is calmer, more wadeable and much less crowded. The Hiwassee Trophy Section above Reliance is reachable on foot by trail. Parksville Lake has USFS shoreline and recreation areas along US-64. Gee Creek Campground. The Conasauga is foot access only.

How many public boat ramps are in Polk County?

TWRA’s access database lists 11 boat launches in Polk County, plus 1 marina. 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 Polk 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 Polk County?

The main species across Polk County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, Alabama bass, crappie, flathead catfish and brown trout. 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 Polk 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. This matters in Polk County, because there is trout water here.

What are the creel limits in Polk County?

Hiwassee River delayed harvest, catch and release only, artificial lures only, bait prohibited, from the Apalachia Powerhouse to the L&N Railroad Bridge, 1 October–28 February. From 1 March–30 September, seven trout per day of which only two may be brown trout Parksville Reservoir: Alabama bass carry no creel limit, and there is an explicit prohibition on live transport of any black bass away from the reservoir, a containment rule and the most quotable regulation in the county Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Polk County?

Benton is small. Cleveland, about 20–25 minutes west, is the nearest town with full sporting goods retail and is also the Cherokee National Forest headquarters. Chattanooga is about an hour for large-format outdoor retail.. There is a fuller list on the Polk County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Polk County?

The Hiwassee below Reliance toward the 411 bridge, calmer, wadeable, and specifically noted as less crowded than the famous water above. The Conasauga in the Cohutta Wilderness, which requires a walk in from Betty Gap and holds rainbows to 20 inches and browns reported to nine pounds. Ocoee No. 3 lake, small, awkward to reach and the source of a state record. The Hiwassee Trophy Section, which is trail-access only. Sylco and the small forest-road creeks that nobody fishes because the Hiwassee is right there.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Polk County

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

RiverHiwassee River8 access points in Polk County, 13 in totalSee the spots →LakeParksville Lake3 access points in Polk CountySee the spots →RiverOcoee River2 access points in Polk CountySee the spots →

Polk County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, Alabama bass.

Conditions

Polk County lake levels, river levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsParksville Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Ocoee No. 1 Dam generation schedule.Open →River levelsHiwassee River level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →River levelsOcoee River level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Polk CountyTWRA stocks Apalachia TW / Hiwassee River*, Goforth Creek, Greasy Creek and 4 more. 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 Polk County access list comes from

The 14 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 Polk 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 ClevelandChickamauga Lake, Hiwassee RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near AthensHiwassee River, Chickamauga LakeSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near DaytonChickamauga Lake, Hiwassee RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near Soddy-DaisyChickamauga Lake, North Chickamauga CreekSee the spots →

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

Keep looking

Counties next to Polk

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

Next county overMcMinn CountyHiwassee RiverSee the spots →Next county overBradley CountyHiwassee River, Candies CreekSee the spots →Next county overMeigs CountyChickamauga Lake, Watts Bar LakeSee the spots →Next county overHamilton CountyChickamauga Lake, Nickajack LakeSee the spots →Next county overMonroe CountyTellico Lake, Tellico RiverSee the spots →

Keep going

More Polk 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 Polk County right now: Polk County conditions.