Statewide directory

Tennessee Fishing Guides and Charters

44 guide services, listed by the water they actually fish, with the captain’s own phone number where they publish one.

Jump to your water

Tennessee fishing guides by water

Type the lake or river you want to fish and this page jumps straight to the guides who run it. Call the captain direct: you book with them and you pay them, there is no booking fee and no middleman on this site.

Search the water you want to fish

Every water on this page

All the water Tennessee guides run

Each one opens the guides who fish it further down this page. The number is how many operations are listed on that water.

Kentucky Lake 4 Reelfoot Lake 3 Pickwick Lake 2 Chickamauga and Nickajack 4 Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill 4 Musky water 1 Norris and the Clinch 4 Cherokee and Douglas 3 Dale Hollow 4 Nashville lakes and the Cumberland 6 Center Hill and the Caney Fork 3 South Holston and Watauga 3 Hiwassee and the Smokies 2 Memphis and the Mississippi 1

Fishing guides on Kentucky Lake

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Steve McCadams Professional Guide Service Steve McCadams	Paris Landing	Crappie, bass, bluegill, catfish, white bass	731-642-0360	stevemccadams.com
Elliott’s Guide Service Terry Elliott	Greenfield	Crappie, bass	731-234-8817	elliottsguideservice.com
KY Lake Crappie Fishing Multiple guides	Springville	Crappie	—	kylakecrappiefishing.com
Tennessee Fishing Excursions Capt. Sean Signore	Camden / Savannah	Bass, catfish, walleye, crappie, striper	—	tnoutdoorsportsman.com

Public access on Kentucky Lake →

Tennessee requires a state guide licence from anyone who takes money to help you fish.

Fishing guides on Reelfoot Lake

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Kincade’s Guide Service Jon Kincade	Samburg / Hornbeak	Largemouth, crappie, catfish, bluegill	731-697-5494	kgsreelfoot.com
Reelfoot Lake Crappie Guide David Ransom	Hornbeak	Crappie, bluegill, catfish	731-335-2203	reelfootlakefishingguide.com
Blue Bank Resort guide staff Billy Blakley, Jeff Riddle	Hornbeak	Crappie	877-258-3226	bluebankresort.com

Public access on Reelfoot Lake →

Fishing guides on Pickwick Lake

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Pickwick Lake Fishing Guide Service Donald Hedge	Adamsville / Savannah	Smallmouth, largemouth, striper, white bass, catfish	225-936-6309	fishingpickwicklake.com
Pickwick Lake Guide Services Capt. Hunter Nanney	Counce area	Largemouth, smallmouth, striper, crappie	662-587-4019	pickwickguideservice.com

Public access on Pickwick Lake →

A guided trip does not cover your own fishing licence. Everyone 13 and over needs one.

Fishing guides on Chickamauga and Nickajack

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Paul Johnson Guide Service Capt. Paul Johnson	Chattanooga	Largemouth, spotted, smallmouth	423-598-9083	pauljohnsonguideservice.com
Chattanooga Fishing Guides Steve Kite and Chris Coleman	Chattanooga	Bass	423-240-5389	chattanoogafishingguides.com
Scenic City Fishing Charters Richard Simms and six guides	Chattanooga	Trophy catfish, walleye, crappie, bass, striper, sauger	—	sceniccityfishing.com
Fish Dayton	Dayton	Bass, striper, walleye, sauger, catfish	423-285-4542	fishdayton.com

Public access on Chickamauga Lake → Public access on Nickajack Lake →

Fishing guides on Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Tennessee River Valley Fishing Guide Service Capt. Billy Clabough	Knoxville / Kingston	Catfish, striper, smallmouth, drum	865-690-5144	tnrvg.com
Fish On! Guided Tours Capt. Chadwick Ferrell	Knoxville	Striper, catfish, bass, trout, musky, sauger, crappie	865-455-0412	fishontours.com
Tennessee River Monsters Capt. Brycen Roberts	Knoxville	Stripers, catfish, largemouth	865-207-8741	tennesseerivermonsters.com
Barry’s Guide Service Capt. Barry White	Crossville	Watts Bar and Chickamauga	931-261-4114	barrysguideservice.com

Public access on Watts Bar Lake → Public access on Fort Loudoun Lake → Public access on Melton Hill Lake →

Tennessee requires a state guide licence from anyone who takes money to help you fish.

Fishing guides on Musky water

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Tennessee Musky Guide Service Steven Paul	Oak Ridge	Musky on Melton Hill, Center Hill, Great Falls, Caney Fork, Clinch	615-440-3237	tennesseemuskyfishing.com

Fishing guides on Norris and the Clinch

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Mel’s Striper Guide Service	Maynardville	Striped bass	865-661-7806	melsstriperguideservice.com
StriperFun Guide Service Capt. Jim Durham	Multi-base TN/KY	Charters on 13 TN waters: Norris, Cherokee, Dale Hollow, Percy Priest, Tims Ford, Center Hill and Normandy lakes; the Cumberland, Clinch, Powell, Holston, Obey and Caney Fork rivers	931-403-2501	striperfun.com
East Tennessee Guide Service	Anderson County	Norris Lake	865-310-5521	tnfishingguide.com
Rocky Top Reels	Rocky Top	Norris Lake	865-804-4257	rockytopreels.com

Public access on Norris Lake → Public access on Clinch River →

A guided trip does not cover your own fishing licence. Everyone 13 and over needs one.

Fishing guides on Cherokee and Douglas

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Skylar Hamilton Guide Service Capt. Skylar Hamilton	Dandridge	Bass	—	skylarhamiltonfishing.com
Nathan Mountain Outdoors Capt. Nathan Mountain	Dandridge / Gatlinburg	Largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, bluegill, trout	423-726-0240	nathanmountainoutdoors.com
StriperFun Guide Service Capt. Jim Durham	Multi-base TN/KY	Cherokee Lake stripers	931-403-2501	striperfun.com

Public access on Cherokee Lake → Public access on Douglas Lake →

Fishing guides on Dale Hollow

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Dale Hollow Bass Guide Isaac Peavyhouse	Star Point Marina	Bass	931-704-4642	dalehollowbassguide.com
Dale Hollow Trophy Troller “Dale Hollow Dave”	Dale Hollow	Trolling: smallmouth, walleye, musky, white bass, crappie, trout	615-477-7888	trolldhl.com
Reel Country with Bobby Gentry Bobby Gentry	Dale Hollow	Smallmouth	270-427-0419	bobbygentry.com
StriperFun Guide Service Capt. Jim Durham	Willow Grove Resort	Dale Hollow walleye, musky, crappie, bass; Obey River trout	931-403-2501	striperfun.com

Public access on Dale Hollow Lake →

Tennessee requires a state guide licence from anyone who takes money to help you fish.

Fishing guides on Nashville lakes and the Cumberland

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Nashville Fishing Charters Billy Flatt	Nashville	Stripers, hybrids, crappie, largemouth, smallmouth	615-812-2091	nashvillefishingcharters.com
Fish Nashville Capt. Brian and two guides	Nashville	Striper, hybrid, catfish, crappie, bass, trout	615-200-0618	fishnashville.com
Crappie Guide Service Mark Travis	Nashville area	White and black crappie	615-542-9800	crappieguideservice.com
Music City Fishing Charter Capt. Travis	Nashville	Hybrid striper, bass, catfish, crappie	615-323-3339	musiccityfishingcharter.com
Angello Striper Fishing Guide Service	Nashville	Stripers	615-498-7833	fishforstripers.com
StriperFun Guide Service Capt. Jim Durham	Multi-base TN/KY	Percy Priest stripers; Cumberland River striper, walleye, sauger	931-403-2501	striperfun.com

Public access on Old Hickory Lake → Public access on J. Percy Priest Lake → Public access on Cheatham Lake → Public access on Cumberland River →

Fishing guides on Center Hill and the Caney Fork

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Gone Fishin’ Expeditions	Smithville	Largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, bluegill, catfish	615-814-4832	gonefishinexpeditions.com
Trout Zone Anglers David Knapp	Crossville	Rainbow, brown and brook trout, smallmouth, musky	931-261-1884	troutzoneanglers.com
StriperFun Guide Service Capt. Jim Durham	Multi-base TN/KY	Center Hill and Normandy walleye, Tims Ford stripers, Caney Fork trout	931-403-2501	striperfun.com

Public access on Center Hill Lake →

A guided trip does not cover your own fishing licence. Everyone 13 and over needs one.

Fishing guides on South Holston and Watauga

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
South Holston River Company Patrick Fulkrod	Piney Flats / Bristol	Brown and rainbow trout, smallmouth	—	southholstonrivercompany.com
Watauga River Guides	Elizabethton	Trout	704-773-4497	wataugariverguides.com
South Holston River Fly Shop	Bristol	Brown and rainbow trout	423-878-2822	southholstonriverflyshop.com

Public access on South Holston Lake → Public access on Watauga Lake → Public access on Watauga River →

Fishing guides on Hiwassee and the Smokies

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Southeastern Anglers	Reliance	Rainbow and brown trout, stripers	866-558-7688	southeasternanglers.com
R and R Fly Fishing	Townsend	Rainbow, brown and brook trout, smallmouth	865-448-0467	randrflyfishing.com

Public access on Hiwassee River → Public access on Tellico River →

Tennessee requires a state guide licence from anyone who takes money to help you fish.

Fishing guides on Memphis and the Mississippi

Operation	Base	Specialty	Phone	Website
Catfishing Tennessee Guide Service	Memphis	Catfish on the Mississippi, Tennessee River and Pickwick tailwater	731-394-1549	catfishtennessee.com

Public access on Mississippi River →

About this list

How guides get listed here

Every operation was checked against its own website. Where a guide does not publish a phone number, this page does not invent one, and nobody pays to appear.

Tennessee requires a state guide licence from anyone who accepts compensation for helping another person fish. It is $150 for residents and $650 for non-residents, on top of the guide’s own fishing licence. The trigger is compensation, not boat size or passenger count.

It is also separate from a USCG captain’s licence, which is a federal merchant-mariner credential and does not substitute for the state one. Plenty of directories conflate the two.

A guided trip does not cover your own licence. Everyone fishing aged 13 and over needs one, and if the trip is on the South Holston, Watauga, Clinch, Caney Fork, Elk or Hiwassee, it needs to be an all-species or trout-supplemented licence.

Questions

Booking a Tennessee fishing guide

Do Tennessee fishing guides need a license?

Yes. TWRA requires a guide license from anyone accepting compensation for assisting another person in hunting, fishing or trapping. Resident guide license is $150, non-resident is $650, and it is required in addition to the guide’s own fishing license.

Is a USCG captain’s license the same as a Tennessee guide license?

No. A USCG captain’s licence is a federal merchant-mariner credential. The TWRA guide licence is a state requirement. A guide who advertises being USCG certified still needs the state licence.

Do I need my own fishing license on a guided trip?

Yes. The guide’s licence does not cover clients. Every paying customer aged 13 and over needs their own Tennessee licence, and for any trout tailwater that means an all-species or trout-supplemented licence.

How much does a Tennessee fishing guide cost?

Rates vary by water, boat and trip length and most operations quote directly rather than publishing a price list. Call two or three on the water you want to fish and compare what is included, particularly tackle, bait, licences and fish cleaning.

What should I ask a guide before booking?

Which water they will actually fish and why, what is included, how many anglers the boat takes, what happens if the weather turns, and whether they hold a current TWRA guide licence.

Can you fish Reelfoot Lake without a guide?

You can, but most visitors do not. About 68 percent of Reelfoot is three feet deep or less, full of stumps and standing cypress, and an unfamiliar boater will hit something. Most people hire a guide or rent a lake-rigged jon boat from a resort.

Not sure who to call

Pick the water first, then the guide

Every lake and river on this site has its own page listing the public access, the fish it holds and the guides who run it. Start there and the shortlist makes itself.

Every lake and river Licence and limits