What to bring
Tackle for striped bass
Three picks from the striper and hybrid checklist that work for the fish here. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
The fish
Striped bass in Tennessee
Striped bass are a sea fish that TWRA stocks into Tennessee reservoirs, where they grow very large. The state record, 65 lb 6 oz, came from Cordell Hull in 2000. Several lakes have their own limits, including protected slots on Melton Hill and Cordell Hull and seasonal limits on Norris and Watts Bar.
How to tell a striped bass
Silver with seven or eight solid dark stripes running the length of the body, and a longer, slimmer body than a white bass. Hybrids have broken stripes. Also called striper, rockfish.
Where to catch them
Best striped bass water in Tennessee
Where striped bass fishing is strongest. Each page lists every public ramp, pier and bank access on that water, with directions.
Other lakes and rivers with striped bass
Limits
Tennessee striped bass limits
Statewide: 2 striped and hybrid combined a day, 15 in minimum. These 8 lakes and rivers have their own rules, which replace the statewide limit there.
| Water | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Lake | 1 (2 striped/hybrid combined) | 36 in minimum | |
| Clinch River | 2 striped/hybrid combined | 32–42 in protected slot, one over 42 in | Melton Hill rule, applies on the Clinch upstream to the Hwy 61 bridge in Clinton. Hybrids 15 in minimum |
| Cordell Hull Lake | 2 striped/hybrid combined | 32–42 in protected slot, one over 42 in | |
| Douglas Lake | 15 white/striped/hybrid combined | No length limit | |
| Melton Hill Lake | 2 striped/hybrid combined | 32–42 in protected slot, one over 42 in | Includes the Clinch River upstream to the Hwy 61 bridge in Clinton |
| Mississippi River | 6 striped/hybrid combined | No length limit | |
| Norris Lake | 2 (Apr 1–Oct 31); 1 (Nov 1–Mar 31) | 15 in minimum Apr–Oct; 36 in minimum Nov–Mar | |
| Watts Bar Lake | Apr 1–Oct 31: 2 combined with hybrids; Nov 1–Mar 31: 2 combined, only 1 striped | 15 in minimum Apr–Oct; 36 in minimum Nov–Mar | Hybrids 15 in minimum year-round |
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.