What to bring
Tackle for walleye
Three picks from the walleye and sauger 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
Walleye in Tennessee
Tennessee has its own southern strain of walleye, native to the Tennessee and Cumberland River systems. The state record from Old Hickory, 25 lb in 1960, stood as the world record for decades. Today the best walleye fishing is in the cold, clear highland lakes of Middle and East Tennessee.
How to tell a walleye
Olive to gold, with a large glassy eye, sharp teeth, and a white tip on the lower lobe of the tail. A dark spot at the back of the first dorsal fin separates it from a sauger. Also called walleyed pike.
Where to catch them
Best walleye water in Tennessee
Where walleye fishing is strongest. Each page lists every public ramp, pier and bank access on that water, with directions.
Other lakes and rivers with walleye
Limits
Tennessee walleye limits
Statewide: 5 a day, 16 in minimum. These 11 lakes and rivers have their own rules, which replace the statewide limit there.
| Water | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Lake | 10 walleye/sauger/saugeye combined | 15 in minimum | |
| Clinch River | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Norris Reservoir upstream to Grissom Island |
| Dale Hollow Lake | 5 | 16 in minimum, only one over 20 in | East Fork Obey River, Compton boat ramp to Hwy 52 bridge, Jan 1–Apr 15: one single-point hook or lure, max 3 rods; gigging, snagging, bowfishing closed on the East Fork Jan 1–Apr 30 |
| Douglas Lake | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Also applies on the Pigeon and French Broad upstream to the NC line |
| French Broad River | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| Norris Lake | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Upstream to Grissom Island on the Clinch |
| Obey River | 5 | 16 in minimum, only one over 20 in | East Fork Obey (Dale Hollow headwaters), Compton boat ramp to Hwy 52 bridge, Jan 1–Apr 15: one single-point hook or lure, max 3 rods. The tailwater below Dale Hollow Dam follows statewide rules |
| Pigeon River | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| South Holston Lake | 5 | 18 in minimum | Includes tributaries |
| Tellico Lake | 10 walleye/sauger combined, max 5 walleye | 15 in minimum; one walleye may be 24 in or longer | Includes tributaries |
| Watauga Lake | 5 | 18 in minimum | Walleye run rule Jan 1–Apr 30: single-point hook only on Elk River (Carter Co.), Doe Creek, Roan Creek and upper Watauga River |
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.