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East Tennessee · County seat Sevierville

Fishing in Sevier County, Tennessee

Douglas Lake, Little Pigeon River, French Broad River. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

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

What to bring

What to bring fishing in Sevier 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 checklistCrappie checklistStriper and Hybrid checklistFish Finders comparedTrolling Motors comparedLithium Marine Batteries comparedShallow Water Anchors compared

Sevier County at a glance

Sevier County boat ramps and fishing access

Sevier County has 6 public fishing access points: 3 boat ramps and 1 marina, on 2 lakes, rivers and creeks.

3boat ramps
1marina
2lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Sevier

Main fishing waters in Sevier County

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

TVA reservoir · 30,600 acres, 513–555 mi shoreline, ~60 mi long · TVA, dam completed February…

Douglas Lake

TWRA calls it flatly the best crappie reservoir in East Tennessee. Its defining feature is a roughly 60-foot annual drawdown, from 1,000 ft summer pool to 940 ft winter, and it can rise 15–20 feet in a day or two after heavy rain, that swing governs everything about fishing it, and summer stratification makes June through August genuinely poor until fall cooling.

crappielargemouth basssmallmouthwhite bass
free-flowing river, three forks · 30 mi, 373 sq mi basin · TWRA; NPS in the headwaters

Little Pigeon River

Flows entirely within Sevier County. The West Prong runs through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and is the most heavily stocked and most fished; the Middle Prong drains Greenbrier; the East Fork comes off English Mountain. They meet at Sevierville at the Forks of the River.

rainbowbrown and brook trout in the upper forks; smallmouth and rock bass lower down
free-flowing river · not verified · TWRA

French Broad River

Crosses the northern part of the county and receives the Little Pigeon north of Sevierville; below Douglas Dam it is a stocked trout tailwater, and further down it becomes one of the state’s better smallmouth rivers.

smallmouthlargemouthcatfishsauger

What it looks like

Sevier County water

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

Douglas Lake, TennesseeDouglas LakeOpen the Douglas Lake page →Dwight Burdette / CC BY 3.0French Broad River, TennesseeFrench Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0Norris Lake, TennesseeNorris LakeOpen the Norris Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Cherokee Lake, TennesseeCherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →TVA Web Team / CC BY 2.0Watauga Lake, TennesseeWatauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0Clinch River, TennesseeClinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Sevier County

Fishing from the bank in Sevier County

The Gatlinburg permit streams are the standout, the West Prong runs through the middle of town with public access along the parkway and the river walk, which makes Gatlinburg one of the few places in Tennessee where you can fish stocked trout on foot from a sidewalk. Mynatt Park, Mills Park and Holt Park in Gatlinburg.

Pigeon Forge City Park and Patriot Park on the West Prong. Sevierville City Park and the Forks of the River. Great Smoky Mountains National Park roadside access along Little River Road, Greenbrier Road and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Douglas Dam tailwater. Northview Optimist Park at Kodak.

Getting a boat on the water in Sevier County

Douglas Lake is the county’s boating water, though most of its developed ramps and marinas are on the Jefferson County shore at Dandridge; TVA runs Douglas Dam headwater and tailwater campgrounds. No blanket horsepower rule on Douglas, with no-wake zones around marinas and the dam.

The Little Pigeon forks are wade and small-craft water, not powerboat water. The French Broad below Douglas Dam is floated for trout and smallmouth.

Two different trips

Visiting Sevier County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Sevier County

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which covers roughly thirty percent of the county and is the most visited national park in the United States; Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge; Dollywood; the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail; Cades Cove (Blount County side); Douglas Lake; the Old Mill at Pigeon Forge, an 1830 working grist mill on the West Prong; Sevierville’s Forks of the River.

Where Sevier County locals actually go

The East Fork Little Pigeon off English Mountain, which is the one fork with no tourist town on it and correspondingly no pressure. Porters Creek and Ramsey Prong in the Greenbrier section of the park, which hold wild brook trout in their upper reaches and require a walk.

The Middle Prong above Greenbrier, quieter than the West Prong by an order of magnitude. Dudley Creek and LeConte Creek, which are Gatlinburg permit streams that almost everyone ignores in favour of the main West Prong. The Douglas Lake embayments on the Sevier shore, away from the Dandridge ramps.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Sevier County water

Creel and length limits in Sevier County

This county has the most regulation detail of any on the list, and getting it right matters. Gatlinburg city permit streams, West Prong Little Pigeon River, Dudley Creek, Roaring Fork and LeConte Creek.

A City of Gatlinburg permit is required in addition to a Tennessee fishing licence. These streams are CLOSED ON THURSDAYS every week. Fishing hours are sunrise to sunset, year round.

From 1 December–31 March possession of any trout is prohibited and all trout must be immediately returned, with only single-hook flies, spinners and spoons permitted and bait prohibited. From 1 April–30 November the limit is five trout per day on the general streams and two per day on the designated children’s streams for anglers aged 12 and under.

Little Pigeon River, from the mouth upstream to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundary, including the West Prong and East Fork, smallmouth bass 1 per day with a 20-inch minimum. This is a severe and easily missed rule. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, artificial lures only, no bait, single hook only, no treble hooks.

A precautionary consumption advisory applies to smallmouth bass from Abrams Creek and Little River. Park headquarters, Gatlinburg, (865) 436-1200. Douglas Reservoir, from 1 June–30 September only one largemouth or smallmouth bass over 16 inches may be kept per day; muskellunge 1 per day with a 36-inch minimum; sauger and sauger/walleye hybrids have no minimum length but only one over 16 inches may be kept.

The Henderson Island WMA rearing pond on Douglas is closed to fishing year round. French Broad River from Highway 168 to Douglas Dam, smallmouth bass 5 per day with an 18-inch minimum. Above Newport toward the North

3 public boat launches in Sevier County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Sevier County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Sevier County?

The Gatlinburg permit streams are the standout, the West Prong runs through the middle of town with public access along the parkway and the river walk, which makes Gatlinburg one of the few places in Tennessee where you can fish stocked trout on foot from a sidewalk. Mynatt Park, Mills Park and Holt Park in Gatlinburg. Pigeon Forge City Park and Patriot Park on the West Prong. Sevierville City Park and the Forks of the River. Great Smoky Mountains National Park roadside access along Little River Road, Greenbrier Road and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Douglas Dam tailwater. Northview Optimist Park at Kodak.

How many public boat ramps are in Sevier County?

TWRA’s access database lists 3 boat launches in Sevier County, plus 1 marina. Most of them are on Douglas Lake. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Sevier County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, white bass, walleye, sauger, muskellunge and 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 Sevier 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 Sevier County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Sevier County?

This county has the most regulation detail of any on the list, and getting it right matters. Gatlinburg city permit streams, West Prong Little Pigeon River, Dudley Creek, Roaring Fork and LeConte Creek A City of Gatlinburg permit is required in addition to a Tennessee fishing licence Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Sevier County?

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge support several fly shops and guide services and Sevierville has full big-box and outlet retail, this is the best-supplied county on the list by a wide margin.The Gatlinburg city fishing permit is sold by local vendors in town, which is itself a useful thing to tell a visitor. Knoxville, about 40 minutes west, has large-format outdoor retail.. There is a fuller list on the Sevier County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Sevier County?

The East Fork Little Pigeon off English Mountain, which is the one fork with no tourist town on it and correspondingly no pressure. Porters Creek and Ramsey Prong in the Greenbrier section of the park, which hold wild brook trout in their upper reaches and require a walk. The Middle Prong above Greenbrier, quieter than the West Prong by an order of magnitude. Dudley Creek and LeConte Creek, which are Gatlinburg permit streams that almost everyone ignores in favour of the main West Prong. The Douglas Lake embayments on the Sevier shore, away from the Dandridge ramps.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Sevier County

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

LakeDouglas Lake3 access points in Sevier County, 21 in totalSee the spots →RiverFrench Broad River3 access points in Sevier County, 13 in totalSee the spots →

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

Conditions

Sevier County lake levels, river levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsDouglas Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Douglas Dam generation schedule.Open →River levelsLittle Pigeon River level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Sevier CountyTWRA stocks Gatlinburg Streams, Mid. Prong Little Pigeon River, W. Prong Little Pigeon R. (Pigeon Forge). 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 Sevier 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 Sevier 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 SeviervilleDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near Pigeon ForgeDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →24 access points within 30 milesFishing near GatlinburgDouglas Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →

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

Keep looking

Counties next to Sevier

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

Next county overJefferson CountyDouglas Lake, Cherokee LakeSee the spots →Next county overCocke CountyFrench Broad River, Pigeon RiverSee the spots →Next county overGrainger CountyCherokee Lake, Norris LakeSee the spots →Next county overKnox CountyFort Loudoun Lake, French Broad RiverSee the spots →Next county overHamblen CountyCherokee LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More Sevier 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

Weather alerts, power outages and road closures in Sevier County right now: Sevier County conditions.