With a guide
Guides and charters near Buffalo Ramp
Captains who run Nashville lakes and the Cumberland, 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 Buffalo Ramp
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 Buffalo Ramp
Buffalo Ramp is a public boat launch on Cordell Hull Lake in Smith County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
TWRA holds no written directions for Buffalo Ramp. 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.
Buffalo Ramp is 5.9 miles north-east of Carthage, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Sullivans Bend Ramp 2, 0.8 miles to the south on the same water. For bait, Wildwood Resort and Marina in Granville is about 6 miles away.
Coordinates 36.31060, -85.87510
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Buffalo Ramp
Cordell Hull Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
One of the younger reservoirs in Tennessee and one of the few in the state with a self-sustaining, naturally reproducing sauger population. Winter drawdown is only about five feet, so the shoreline cover stays usable year-round, and spring electrofishing surveys consistently turn up largemouth over five pounds.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Buffalo Ramp
What you can keep from Cordell Hull Lake at Buffalo Ramp. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Cordell Hull 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 | Cordell Hull Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | Cordell Hull Lake rule |
| Striped bass | 2 striped/hybrid combined | 32–42 in protected slot, one over 42 in | Cordell Hull Lake rule |
| Spotted bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No 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.
12 public boat launches in Smith County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Cordell Hull Lake around Buffalo Ramp
What the water at Buffalo Ramp actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Cordell Hull LakeOpen the Cordell Hull Lake page →United States Army Corps of Engineers image / Public domain
Caney Fork RiverOpen the Caney Fork River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain
Caney Fork RiverOpen the Caney Fork River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Caney Fork RiverOpen the Caney Fork River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Next one along
More Cordell Hull Lake access near Buffalo Ramp
The closest other public access points on Cordell Hull Lake, measured straight line from Buffalo Ramp. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Buffalo Ramp water holds largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, striped bass.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Buffalo Ramp
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Buffalo Ramp, including Old Hickory Lake, Cumberland River and Caney Fork River. Handy when the wind is wrong on Cordell Hull Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Buffalo Ramp
The closest shops to Buffalo Ramp that this site has checked. Wildwood Resort and Marina in Granville is nearest, about 6 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Buffalo Ramp
Buffalo Ramp is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.