With a guide
Guides and charters near Avondale Recreation Area
Captains who run Old Hickory Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Nashville Fishing Charters
Stripers, hybrids, crappie, largemouth, smallmouthCall 615-812-2091nashvillefishingcharters.com
Fish Nashville
Striper, hybrid, catfish, crappie, bass, troutCall 615-200-0618fishnashville.com
Crappie Guide Service
White and black crappieCall 615-542-9800crappieguideservice.com
What to bring
Tackle for Avondale Recreation Area
Three picks from the largemouth 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.
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
How to get there
Getting to Avondale Recreation Area
Avondale Recreation Area is a public boat launch on Old Hickory Lake in Sumner County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Shutes Lane to Avondale Access
Avondale Recreation Area is 4.6 miles east of Hendersonville, the nearest town with its own page here. The county seat, Gallatin, is 6.9 miles to the north-east. The closest other public access is Saundersville, 1.1 miles to the west on the same water. For bait, Poindexter Bait Shop in Gallatin is about 6 miles away.
Coordinates 36.32340, -86.54110
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Avondale Recreation Area
Old Hickory Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
The Cumberland forms Wilson County’s northern border with Trousdale and Sumner and that reach is Old Hickory; the Wilson side is the Cedar Creek and Hunters Point country, and TWRA rates the lake a world-class trophy striped bass fishery with regular catches over 50 lb.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Avondale Recreation Area
What you can keep from Old Hickory Lake at Avondale Recreation Area. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Old Hickory Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 14 in minimum | Old Hickory Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | Old Hickory Lake rule |
| Crappie | 30 | 10 in minimum | Old Hickory Lake rule |
| Striped bass | 2 striped and hybrid combined | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| White bass | 15 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 in minimum | Statewide |
| Sauger | 10 | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| Channel catfish | No limit under 34 in | Only one over 34 in | Statewide |
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.
20 public boat launches in Sumner County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Old Hickory Lake around Avondale Recreation Area
What the water at Avondale Recreation Area actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Next one along
More Old Hickory Lake access near Avondale Recreation Area
The closest other public access points on Old Hickory Lake, measured straight line from Avondale Recreation Area. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Avondale Recreation Area water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Avondale Recreation Area
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Avondale Recreation Area, including Cheatham Lake and Stones River. Handy when the wind is wrong on Old Hickory Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Avondale Recreation Area
The closest shops to Avondale Recreation Area that this site has checked. Poindexter Bait Shop in Gallatin is nearest, about 6 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Avondale Recreation Area
Avondale Recreation Area is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.