West (TWRA Region 1; geographically northwest Middle Tennessee) Tennessee · County seat Dover

Fishing in Stewart County, Tennessee

Q: Where can I buy bait and tackle in Stewart County?

- Swan's Bait and Tackle, 1601 Highway 79, Dover — (931) 305-6043. Listed on YellowPages. There is a fuller list on the Stewart County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, Cumberland River (below Barkley Dam / through Cumberland City). Where to launch, where to fish from the bank, and where to buy what you forgot.

Find fishing spots31 public access points Find gear & baitBait shops, tackle, rentals, licences

Every public access point

Fishing access in Stewart County

31 public access points in Stewart County: 29 boat launches, 4 fishing piers and 2 marinas. 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.

Kentucky Lake 11 in Stewart County

Lake Barkley 20 in Stewart County

What to bring

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

Stewart County at a glance

Stewart County boat ramps and fishing access

Stewart County has 31 public fishing access points: 29 boat ramps, 4 fishing piers and 2 marinas, on 2 lakes, rivers and creeks.

29boat ramps

4fishing piers

2marinas

2lakes, rivers and creeks

The big water in Stewart

Main fishing waters in Stewart County

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

Cumberland River impoundment · 57,920 ac total, ~10,350 ac in Tennessee · US Army Corps of…

Lake Barkley

Lick, Long and Dyer creeks off the main channel are the named largemouth areas; full pool arrives around 1 May and the lake drops toward winter pool after 4 July, so the shallow-cover bite is a spring event.

largemouthcrappieblue/channel/flathead catfishsauger

Tennessee River impoundment · 160,000+ ac total; forms Stewart’s western border with Henry…

Kentucky Lake

The Stewart County shoreline is the quiet east side around Leatherwood Bay and the Danville/Big Sandy stretch, fished for ledges and stump flats rather than the developed Paris Landing side.

largemouthsmallmouthcrappiecatfish

river · USACE

Cumberland River (below Barkley Dam / through Cumberland City)

The tailwater and the Cumberland City steam-plant discharge stretch are cold-weather catfish and sauger water.

catfishsaugerwhite bassskipjack

What it looks like

Stewart County water

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

Lake BarkleyOpen the Lake Barkley page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain

Kentucky LakeOpen the Kentucky Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain

Cumberland River, TennesseeU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain

Reelfoot LakeOpen the Reelfoot Lake page →User:JeremyA / CC BY-SA 2.5

Mississippi RiverOpen the Mississippi River page →Ceptember / CC BY-SA 4.0

Pickwick LakeOpen the Pickwick Lake page →Kbh3rd / CC BY-SA 3.0

No boat, or your own boat

Bank fishing and launching in Stewart County

Fishing from the bank in Stewart County

Cross Creeks NWR pool banks and levees (15 Mar–31 Oct, daylight only; no fishing from designated bridges); Standing Rock Creek road crossings; Fort Donelson National Battlefield river frontage on the Cumberland at Dover; Bards Lake shoreline; Leatherwood Bay shoreline; LBL lakeshore along the Trace and the Fort Henry/Piney area.

Getting a boat on the water in Stewart County

Leatherwood Resort & Marina (Kentucky Lake, Stewart County). Piney Campground boat launch and Whenever Watersports kayak/paddleboard rental kiosk at Piney Campground, Dover. Bards Lake is no-wake and effectively a paddle/jonboat lake.

Cross Creeks pools are slow-speed/minimum-wake only and boats must be removed daily. The Barkley–Kentucky Lake canal at Cumberland River mile 32.8 lets you run between the two reservoirs.

Two different trips

Visiting Stewart County versus fishing it like a local

Where visitors get pointed in Stewart County

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (Homeplace, Elk & Bison Prairie, The Trace); Fort Donelson National Battlefield and National Cemetery, Dover; Dover Hotel (Surrender House); Cross Creeks NWR wildlife drive; Leatherwood Bay.

Where Stewart County locals actually go

Standing Rock Creek trout stockings; the Cross Creeks numbered pools (Pool Two, Four, Five, Six, Fourteen), shallow moist-soil impoundments that fish like farm ponds and are almost never fished by non-locals; Bards Lake; the back of Rushing Bay outside the 1 Nov–15 Mar closure; Byrd Bay and Panther Bay on the LBL side; Elk Creek Reservoir crappie.

Rules and record fish

Limits and records for Stewart County water

Creel and length limits in Stewart County

Cross Creeks NWR: 15 Mar–31 Oct daylight only, no trotlines/limblines/jugs/slat baskets, no bows and arrows, boats removed daily, Barkley limits apply, refuge may close for flooding or nesting bald eagles. Rushing Bay back half closed 1 Nov–15 Mar. Kentucky Lake reciprocal with Kentucky from the Ned McWherter Bridge (US 79/TN 76) north to Eggner’s Ferry Bridge, excluding the Blood River embayment. LBL requires the relevant state’s license depending on which side you’re fishing.

State record fish from Stewart County water

– Blue catfish, 122 lb 3 oz, Barkley Reservoir, Micka Burkhart, 28 June 2023 (current Class A state record)., Longnose gar, 38 lb 3 oz, Barkley Reservoir, Mathew A. Norton, 19 April 2002., Shortnose gar, 7 lb 3 oz, Cross Creeks (Barkley Res.), Stephanie Flood, 13 June 2014, Cross Creeks is in Stewart County., Spotted gar, 10 lb 10 oz, Cross Creeks (Barkley Res.), Keith Edward Bartley, 28 April 2014., Green sunfish, 1 lb 4 oz, North Cross Creek, Dwight M. Lehman, 8 June 1991, North Cross Creek is in Stewart County.

29 public boat launches in Stewart County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

Questions people actually ask

Stewart County fishing questions

Where can I fish from the bank in Stewart County?

Cross Creeks NWR pool banks and levees (15 Mar–31 Oct, daylight only. Also no fishing from designated bridges), and standing rock creek road crossings. Stewart County has 4 public fishing piers listed in TWRA’s access database.

How many public boat ramps are in Stewart County?

TWRA’s access database lists 29 boat launches in Stewart County, plus 2 marinas. Most of them are on Lake Barkley. Every one is listed further up this page with its owner and lane count.

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

The main species across Stewart County water are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass, white bass, sauger, catfish, gar and skipjack herring. 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 Stewart 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 Stewart County, but it is worth knowing before you drive to a tailwater elsewhere in the state.

What are the creel limits in Stewart County?

Barkley and Kentucky Lake both run crappie 20/day with a 10″ minimum and black bass 5/day with a 15″ minimum on largemouth and smallmouth (spotted bass no length limit); catfish unlimited under 34″ with one over. Bards Lake: trotlines and limblines prohibited, jugs 1 Oct–21 Mar at 10 per person, 20 redear/day, 15 crappie Cross Creeks NWR: 15 Mar–31 Oct daylight only, no trotlines/limblines/jugs/slat baskets, no bows and arrows, boats removed daily, Barkley limits apply, refuge may close for flooding or nesting bald eagles Always check the current TWRA guide before you keep anything, because water-specific exceptions change.

Where can I buy bait and tackle in Stewart County?

– Swan’s Bait and Tackle, 1601 Highway 79, Dover, (931) 305-6043. Listed on YellowPages. There is a fuller list on the Stewart County gear page, including anywhere renting boats or kayaks and the nearest big-box store.

Where do locals fish in Stewart County?

Standing Rock Creek trout stockings. the Cross Creeks numbered pools (Pool Two, Four, Five, Six, Fourteen), shallow moist-soil impoundments that fish like farm ponds and are almost never fished by non-locals. Bards Lake.

The water itself

Lakes and rivers in Stewart County

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

LakeLake Barkley20 access points in Stewart County, 29 in totalSee the spots →LakeKentucky Lake11 access points in Stewart County, 86 in totalSee the spots →

Stewart County water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass.

Conditions

Stewart County lake levels and trout stocking

Lake conditionsKentucky Lake level todayTVA’s current reading and the Kentucky Dam generation schedule.Open →Lake conditionsLake Barkley level todayTVA’s current reading and the Barkley Dam generation schedule.Open →TroutTrout stocking in Stewart CountyTWRA stocks Standing Rock Creek. 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 Stewart County access list comes from

The 31 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 Stewart 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 DoverLake Barkley, Kentucky LakeSee the spots →

4 public fishing piers in Stewart County, no boat needed.

Keep looking

Counties next to Stewart

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

Next county overHouston CountyKentucky Lake / Tennessee River, Cumberland River / Lake BarkleySee the spots →Next county overHenry CountyKentucky LakeSee the spots →Next county overMontgomery CountyLake Barkley, Red RiverSee the spots →Next county overBenton CountyKentucky Lake, Ky. ReservoirSee the spots →Next county overHumphreys CountyKentucky Lake, Duck RiverSee the spots →

Keep going

More Stewart 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 Stewart County right now: Stewart County conditions.