With a guide
Guides and charters near Cheatham Dam Campground
Captains who run Cheatham 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 Cheatham Dam Campground
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 Cheatham Dam Campground
Cheatham Dam Campground is a public boat launch on Cheatham Lake in Cheatham County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
TWRA holds no written directions for Cheatham Dam Campground. 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.
Cheatham Dam Campground is 18 miles south-east of Clarksville, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Cheatham Dam Ramp, 0.8 miles to the west on the same water. For bait, Cumberland Transit in Nashville is about 24 miles away.
Coordinates 36.31500, -87.18670
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Cheatham Dam Campground
Cheatham Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
This is the Cumberland River as it runs through downtown Nashville and on to Ashland City, 16 free ramps, two marinas, and the winter sauger bite below Old Hickory and Percy Priest dams is the standout.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Cheatham Dam Campground
What you can keep from Cheatham Lake at Cheatham Dam Campground. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Cheatham 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 | Includes the Stones River up to J. Percy Priest Dam |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | Cheatham Lake rule |
| Crappie | 30 | 10 in minimum | Cheatham Lake rule |
| 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 |
| Rainbow trout | 7 trout combined | No minimum | 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.
5 public boat launches in Cheatham County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
Next one along
More Cheatham Lake access near Cheatham Dam Campground
The closest other public access points on Cheatham Lake, measured straight line from Cheatham Dam Campground. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Cheatham Dam Campground
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Cheatham Dam Campground, including Cumberland river, Harpeth River and Sycamore Creek. Handy when the wind is wrong on Cheatham Lake or the ramp is busy.
Cheatham Dam Campground water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Cheatham Dam Campground
The closest shops to Cheatham Dam Campground that this site has checked. Cumberland Transit in Nashville is nearest, about 24 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Cheatham Dam Campground
Cheatham Dam Campground is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.