With a guide
Guides and charters near Bear Branch
Captains who run Chickamauga Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Paul Johnson Guide Service
Largemouth, spotted, smallmouthCall 423-598-9083pauljohnsonguideservice.com
Chattanooga Fishing Guides
Scenic City Fishing Charters
Trophy catfish, walleye, crappie, bass, striper, saugersceniccityfishing.com
What to bring
Tackle for Bear Branch
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 Bear Branch
Bear Branch is a public boat launch on Chickamauga Lake in Meigs County, Tennessee, run by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Hwy 60 north from Birchwood approx 2.25 miles to Burton Rd, left to Shahan Rd, approx..5 miles to ramp on right
Bear Branch is 7.6 miles south of Dayton, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Blythes Ferry / Meigs County, 1.9 miles to the north on the same water. For bait, FishTales Bait and Tackle in Cleveland is about 13 miles away.
Coordinates 35.38249, -85.01522
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Bear Branch
Chickamauga Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Meigs County holds the mid-lake water where the reservoir slows into sloughs and embayments; TWRA’s stocking programme lifted average angler catch weight from 1.42 lb to consistently over 3 lb, and crappie surveys average 2.85 fish per hour at 0.76–0.80 lb.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Bear Branch
What you can keep from Chickamauga Lake at Bear Branch. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Chickamauga 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 | 15 in minimum | Chickamauga Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 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 |
| Spotted bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Includes Alabama bass and hybrids |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| Redear sunfish | 20 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Striped bass | 2 striped and hybrid combined | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 in minimum | Statewide |
| Sauger | 10 | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
Other rules on Chickamauga Lake
- Hiwassee Refuge closed to all use Nov 15–end of Feb except the wildlife viewing area; fishing allowed on the main river channel through the refuge.
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.
14 public boat launches in Meigs County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Chickamauga Lake around Bear Branch
What the water at Bear Branch actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Chickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain
Watts Bar LakeOpen the Watts Bar Lake page →ChristopherM / CC BY 2.5
Hiwassee RiverOpen the Hiwassee River page →ChristopherM at English Wikipedia / CC BY 2.5
Chickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain
Watts Bar LakeOpen the Watts Bar Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0
Chickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domainNext one along
More Chickamauga Lake access near Bear Branch
The closest other public access points on Chickamauga Lake, measured straight line from Bear Branch. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Bear Branch water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Bear Branch
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Bear Branch, including Hiwassee River and Candies Creek. Handy when the wind is wrong on Chickamauga Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Bear Branch
The closest shops to Bear Branch that this site has checked. FishTales Bait and Tackle in Cleveland is nearest, about 13 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Bear Branch
Bear Branch is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.