Fishing Near Winchester, Tennessee

What is in there

Fish and limits around Winchester

Water around Winchester holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rock bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass and yellow bass.

Tims Ford runs an 18-inch minimum on smallmouth against 15 inches on largemouth, 5 per day combined; walleye 16-inch minimum; striped and hybrid striped bass 2 per day at a 15-inch minimum; crappie 15 per day at a 10-inch minimum. Woods Reservoir differs: black bass 5 per day in combination, crappie 15 per day at 10 inches, white bass 15 per day, catfish unlimited under 34 inches with one over per day. The Elk River trout regulation carries an explicit trophy-brown rule, brown trout 20-inch minimum, 1 per day, within a seven-trout total creel; stocked March through December from Tims Ford Dam down to the I-65 bridge. A Tennessee trout licence is required on the Elk tailwater. Cowan City Park pond is a seasonal trout water and the trout licence applies there too. Woods Reservoir sits on Arnold AFB property, confirm current base access requirements, which are outside TWRA’s control and can change.

From TWRA’s statewide creel and length limits, last updated 4 August 2026. Water-specific exceptions change, so check the current guide before keeping a fish.