Middle Tennessee · County seat Carthage

Fishing in Smith County, Tennessee

Cordell Hull Lake, Caney Fork River, Cumberland River. Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots17 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Smith County

17 public access points in Smith County: 12 boat launches, 1 fishing pier, 4 designated fishing sites 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 Smith 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:

Crappie checklist Bluegill and Panfish checklist Striper and Hybrid checklist Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

Smith County at a glance

Smith County boat ramps and fishing access

Smith County has 17 public fishing access points: 12 boat ramps, 1 fishing pier and 1 marina, on 4 lakes, rivers and creeks.

12boat ramps

1fishing pier

1marina

4lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Smith

Main fishing waters in Smith County

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

USACE reservoir · ~12,000–13,920 acres, 381 mi shoreline, 72 mi long, average depth 20 ft, max…

Cordell Hull Lake

One of the younger reservoirs in Tennessee and one of the few in the state with a self-sustaining, naturally reproducing sauger population. Winter drawdown is only about five feet, so the shoreline cover stays usable year-round, and spring electrofishing surveys consistently turn up largemouth over five pounds.

largemouth basssaugercrappiestriped bass

tailwater · 15+ miles of trout water from Center Hill Dam to the Cumberland · US Army Corps of…

Caney Fork River

Runs out of DeKalb County into Smith County and meets the Cumberland at Carthage. Known as a midge factory and fished with zebra midges, dry-dropper rigs in low water and terrestrials in season. The river can rise several feet in minutes once generation begins, which is the most important safety fact about it.

rainbowbrownbrook and cutthroat trout

river / reservoir · not applicable · US Army Corps of Engineers

Cumberland River

Threads the county and receives the Caney Fork at Carthage; the reach below Cordell Hull Dam is the winter sauger water that feeds Old Hickory downstream.

saugercatfishlargemouthstriped bass

What it looks like

Smith County water

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

Cordell Hull LakeOpen the Cordell Hull Lake page →United States Army Corps of Engineers image / Public domain

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

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

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

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

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

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Smith County

Fishing from the bank in Smith County

The Caney Fork below Center Hill Dam has the best wade and bank access in the county, with roadside pull-offs along Highway 141 and the Lancaster and Happy Hollow access points; Betty’s Island. Defeated Creek Recreation Area on Cordell Hull. The Cordell Hull dam tailwater at Carthage.

Carthage riverfront at the Caney Fork confluence. Corps shoreline around the Cordell Hull recreation areas.

Getting a boat on the water in Smith County

Cordell Hull is the county’s boating water, with the Corps operating ramps and recreation areas, Defeated Creek is the principal one on the Smith side, with a marina and campground. No blanket horsepower rule, with no-wake zones around marinas, the dam and recreation areas.

A navigation lock at Cordell Hull Dam connects to the Cumberland below. The Caney Fork is a drift-boat, raft and kayak river and is floated heavily; generation schedules dictate everything, and a float should never be launched without checking the Corps release schedule first.

Two different trips

Visiting Smith County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Smith County

Cordell Hull Lake and Defeated Creek; the Caney Fork trout float, which is the closest quality tailwater to Nashville at about an hour east and is the county’s main visitor draw; Carthage’s courthouse square and the Cordell Hull Bridge; Edgar Evins and Center Hill upstream; the Cordell Hull Dam visitor area.

Where Smith County locals actually go

The upper Caney Fork pools between Lancaster and Happy Hollow, which most floaters pass through rather than fish. Goose Creek and Town Creek if the winter trout stocking is confirmed.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Smith County water

Creel and length limits in Smith County

Brown trout are 1 per day with a 24-inch MINIMUM, which is an explicit trophy-brown rule and the most distinctive trout regulation in Middle Tennessee. Stocked March through December. Note that the single-hook walleye rule on the Caney Fork applies to the reach above Center Hill Lake, from the Rock Island State Park ramp up to Great Falls Dam, and not to this tailwater, those two reaches share a river name and have completely different rules, which is an easy and consequential mistake to make on a county page.

Cordell Hull falls under Region 2 reservoir rules; confirm the current crappie, bass and striped bass limits against the printed guide, as TWRA’s regional summary page did not enumerate Cordell Hull separately. Statewide trout creel elsewhere is seven per day.

State record fish from Smith County water

Striped bass, 65 lb 6 oz, Cordell Hull Reservoir, Ralph H. Dallas, 1 May 2000, the Tennessee state record. Brook trout, 4 lb 12 oz, Caney Fork River, Saša Krezić, 1 April 2016, also the state record, and a remarkable one for a Southern tailwater.

Class B river carpsucker, 8 lb 1 oz, archery, Cordell Hull Reservoir, Brandon Nixon, 2 May 2020. Cordell Hull spans Smith, Jackson and Clay counties and the Caney Fork runs through DeKalb and Smith, so credit these to the water rather than to the county.

12 public boat launches in Smith County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Smith County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Smith County?

The Caney Fork below Center Hill Dam has the best wade and bank access in the county, with roadside pull-offs along Highway 141 and the Lancaster and Happy Hollow access points. Also betty’s island. defeated creek recreation area on cordell hull. the cordell hull dam tailwater at carthage. carthage riverfront at the caney fork confluence. corps shoreline around the cordell hull recreation areas. Smith County has 1 public fishing pier listed in TWRA’s access database.

How many public boat ramps are in Smith County?

TWRA’s access database lists 12 boat launches in Smith County, plus 1 marina. Most of them are on Cordell Hull Lake. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Smith County water are largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, striped bass, sauger, catfish and 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 Smith 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 Smith County, because there is trout water here.

What are the creel limits in Smith County?

Caney Fork River, from Center Hill Dam downstream to the Cumberland River, the total daily trout creel is five fish. Rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout are on a 14–20 inch protected length range with only one over 20 inches Brown trout are 1 per day with a 24-inch MINIMUM, which is an explicit trophy-brown rule and the most distinctive trout regulation in Middle Tennessee Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Smith County?

Carthage is small. There is a fuller list on the Smith County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Smith County?

The Cordell Hull tailwater below the dam at Carthage for winter sauger, which is fished by locals and essentially nobody else. The Roaring River arm, a State Scenic River reach entering the lake from Jackson County. Salt Lick and Peyton creek embayments. The upper Caney Fork pools between Lancaster and Happy Hollow, which most floaters pass through rather than fish. Goose Creek and Town Creek if the winter trout stocking is confirmed.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Smith County

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

LakeCordell Hull Lake6 access points in Smith County, 15 in totalSee the spots →RiverCaney Fork River5 access points in Smith County, 10 in totalSee the spots →RiverCumberland River5 access points in Smith County, 13 in totalSee the spots →LakeOld Hickory Lake1 access point in Smith County, 54 in totalSee the spots →

Smith County water holds largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, striped bass.

Conditions

Smith County lake levels, river levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsCordell Hull Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Cordell Hull Dam generation schedule.Open →Lake conditionsOld Hickory Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Old Hickory Dam generation schedule.Open →River levelsCaney Fork River level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →River levelsCumberland River level todayUSGS flow, gauge height and the seven-day trend.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Smith CountyTWRA stocks Center Hill TW / Caney Fork 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 Smith County access list comes from

The 17 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 Smith 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 CarthageCordell Hull Lake, Caney Fork RiverSee the spots →

1 public fishing pier in Smith County, no boat needed.

Keep looking

Counties next to Smith

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

Next county overJackson CountyCordell Hull Lake, Roaring RiverSee the spots →Next county overTrousdale CountyOld Hickory Lake, Goose CreekSee the spots →Next county overDeKalb CountyCenter Hill Lake, Caney Fork RiverSee the spots →Next county overMacon Countypublic waterSee the spots →Next county overPutnam CountyCenter Hill Lake, Cane Creek LakeSee the spots →

Keep going

More Smith 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 Smith County right now: Smith County conditions.