With a guide
Guides and charters near Boone Dam
Captains who run South Holston and Watauga, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
South Holston River Company
Brown and rainbow trout, smallmouthsouthholstonrivercompany.com
Watauga River Guides
South Holston River Fly Shop
Brown and rainbow troutCall 423-878-2822southholstonriverflyshop.com
What to bring
Tackle for Boone Dam
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 Boone Dam
Boone Dam is a public boat launch on Boone Lake in Sullivan County, Tennessee, run by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
TWRA holds no written directions for Boone Dam. Use the coordinates below, which come straight from the state’s access record and drop you on the access point itself rather than on the nearest town.
Boone Dam is 10 miles north-west of Johnson City, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Lakeview Marina, 0.9 miles to the north-east on the same water. For bait, Fly Shop of Tennessee in Johnson City is about 5 miles away.
Coordinates 36.44746, -82.42803
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Boone Dam
Boone Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Split between Washington and Sullivan counties, with one arm running about 16 mi up the South Fork Holston and the other about 15 mi up the Watauga; TWRA’s caution is that the shoreline is heavily developed by private landowners and little public land is available, so the public ramps matter more here than on most lakes.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Boone Dam
What you can keep from Boone Lake at Boone Dam. TWRA sets 5 rules just for Boone 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 combined with smallmouth | 15 in minimum | Boone Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 combined with largemouth | 15 in minimum | Boone Lake rule |
| Spotted bass | 15 | No length limit | Separate from the largemouth/smallmouth limit |
| Striped bass | 1 (2 striped/hybrid combined) | 36 in minimum | Boone Lake rule |
| Trout | 7 | 16–22 in protected slot, one over 22 in | All trout. Applies upstream to the Hwy 11E (DeVault/Bristol Hwy) bridge on the Watauga arm |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Blue 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.
14 public boat launches in Sullivan County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Boone Lake around Boone Dam
What the water at Boone Dam actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Boone LakeOpen the Boone Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain
South Fork Holston RiverOpen the South Fork Holston River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
South Holston LakeOpen the South Holston Lake page →Ryan Rice at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
Boone LakeOpen the Boone Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain
South Fork Holston RiverOpen the South Fork Holston River page →Dacoshi / CC BY-SA 3.0
South Holston LakeOpen the South Holston Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domainNext one along
More Boone Lake access near Boone Dam
The closest other public access points on Boone Lake, measured straight line from Boone Dam. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Boone Dam water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Boone Dam
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Boone Dam, including South Fork Holston River, Ft Patrick Henry Reservoir and Patrick Henry Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on Boone Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Boone Dam
The closest shops to Boone Dam that this site has checked. Fly Shop of Tennessee in Johnson City is nearest, about 5 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Boone Dam
Boone Dam is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.