What to bring
Tackle for smallmouth bass
Three picks from the smallmouth 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.
RodSt. Croix Bass X 7 ft medium spinning rodLight enough for a Ned rig, with enough backbone for a 5 lb fish in current.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
ReelPflueger President 30 spinning reelSmooth drag at a fair price. Fill it with braid and a leader.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
FinesseZ-Man Finesse TRD and Ned rig jigheadsThe single most reliable smallmouth bait on Tennessee rock. Drag it slowly.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
The fish
Smallmouth bass in Tennessee
Tennessee holds the world record smallmouth: 11 lb 15 oz from Dale Hollow in 1955, still unbeaten. Smallmouth want clear water and rock, so they are strongest in the highland reservoirs of Middle and East Tennessee and in the cool, rocky rivers that feed them.
How to tell a smallmouth bass
Bronze to brown with dark vertical bars, and a red or orange eye. The upper jaw stops at about the middle of the eye, which separates it from a largemouth. Also called smallie, brown bass, bronzeback.
11 lb 15 ozstate record, Dale Hollow Reservoir, 1955
62lakes and rivers on this site
815public access points on them
Where to catch them
Best smallmouth bass water in Tennessee
Where smallmouth bass fishing is strongest. Each page lists every public ramp, pier and bank access on that water, with directions.
Dale Hollow LakeThe world record lake. Clear, deep and rocky, with a 16 to 21 in protected slot.See the spots →Pickwick LakeBig river smallmouth below Pickwick and around the rocky shoals.See the spots →Center Hill LakeDeep, clear water with an 18 in minimum.See the spots →Norris LakeClear highland lake, with a seasonal smallmouth limit.See the spots →Clinch RiverRiver smallmouth above Norris, 13 to 17 in protected slot.See the spots →French Broad RiverFloat trips and wading water in East Tennessee.See the spots →
Other lakes and rivers with smallmouth bass
Kentucky LakeOld Hickory LakeWatts Bar LakeChickamauga LakeCherokee LakeJ. Percy Priest LakeFort Loudoun LakeDuck RiverDouglas LakeNickajack LakeTellico LakeCordell Hull LakeBoone LakeCumberland RiverHiwassee RiverHarpeth RiverHolston RiverElk RiverNolichucky RiverSouth Fork Holston RiverTims Ford LakeCollins RiverNormandy LakeWatauga LakeWatauga RiverRed RiverBarren Fork RiverMelton Hill LakePigeon RiverWoods Reservoir
Limits
Tennessee smallmouth bass limits
Statewide: 5 black bass combined a day, no minimum. These 37 lakes and rivers have their own rules, which replace the statewide limit there.
| Water | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Lake | 5 combined with largemouth | 15 in minimum | |
| Center Hill Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Cheatham Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Cherokee Lake | 1 (Jun 1–Oct 15); 5 (Oct 16–May 31) | 18 in minimum Jun 1–Oct 15; 15 in minimum Oct 16–May 31 | Within the 5 largemouth/smallmouth combined limit |
| Chickamauga Lake | 5 black bass combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Same rule covers spotted, Alabama and hybrid bass: only one of these over 16 in per day |
| Chilhowee LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5 | 15 in minimum | All black bass species |
| Clinch River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Hwy 25E bridge upstream to the Virginia line |
| Cordell Hull Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Dale Hollow LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5, only 2 may be smallmouth | — | |
| Dale Hollow Lake | 2 | 16–21 in protected slot: one under 16 in and one over 21 in | Includes the Wolf River upstream to South Ford Road bridge |
| Douglas LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5 | No length limit Oct 1–May 31; Jun 1–Sep 30 only one largemouth or smallmouth over 16 in | Spotted bass: no length limit year-round. Reservoir rules extend up to ENKA Dam (Nolichucky) and the Hwy 321 bridges on the Pigeon and French Broad |
| Fort Loudoun LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5 | 15 in minimum | All black bass species |
| French Broad River | 5 | 18 in minimum | Hwy 168 to Douglas Dam |
| French Broad River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| Guntersville Lake | 5 black bass combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Same rule for spotted, Alabama and hybrid bass |
| Holston River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | I-40 bridge upstream to Cherokee Dam, and John Sevier Dam upstream to the North Fork |
| J. Percy Priest Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Kentucky Lake | 5 black bass combined | 15 in minimum | |
| Lake Barkley | 5 black bass combined | 15 in minimum | |
| Little River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Rockford Dam upstream to the Great Smoky Mountains NP boundary |
| Melton Hill Lake | 5 combined with largemouth | 18 in minimum | |
| Mississippi RiverBlack bass (combined) | 10 | No length limit | Includes adjacent sloughs, bayous, chutes and river runs reachable by boat from the river |
| Nickajack Lake | 5 black bass combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Same rule for spotted, Alabama and hybrid bass |
| Nolichucky River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | ENKA Dam upstream to the NC line, including Davy Crockett Lake. Below ENKA Dam, Douglas Lake rules apply |
| Normandy Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Norris Lake | 1 (Jun 1–Oct 15); 5 (Oct 16–May 31) | 18 in minimum Jun 1–Oct 15; 15 in minimum Oct 16–May 31 | |
| Old Hickory Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Parksville Lake | No limit | No length limit | Same for spotted, Alabama and hybrid bass |
| Parksville LakeBlack bass (combined) | — | — | No live transport of any black bass away from the lake |
| Pickwick LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5 | 15 in minimum | All black bass species |
| Pigeon River | 1 | 20 in minimum | Hwy 321 bridge (Newport) upstream to the NC line |
| Powell River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Gap Creek upstream to the Virginia line. Below Gap Creek, Norris Lake rules apply |
| South Fork Holston River | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Below Fort Patrick Henry Dam down to the North Fork confluence |
| South Holston Lake | 5 combined with largemouth | 15 in minimum | Largemouth: no length limit |
| Stones River | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | Below J. Percy Priest Dam |
| Tellico LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5 | 15 in minimum | All black bass species. Reservoir rules extend up the Tellico River to Big Creek boat ramp |
| Tims Ford Lake | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | |
| Watauga Lake | 5 combined with largemouth | 15 in minimum | |
| Watts Bar LakeBlack bass (combined) | 5 | 15 in minimum | All black bass species |
| Woods Reservoir | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | Largemouth and spotted bass: no length limit |
From the 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide (TWRA), in effect 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, checked 25 September 2026. Rules change, so check the guide before you keep a fish.