With a guide
Guides and charters near Cruze Landing
Captains who run Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Tennessee River Valley Fishing Guide Service
Catfish, striper, smallmouth, drumCall 865-690-5144tnrvg.com
Fish On! Guided Tours
Striper, catfish, bass, trout, musky, sauger, crappieCall 865-455-0412fishontours.com
Tennessee River Monsters
Stripers, catfish, largemouthCall 865-207-8741tennesseerivermonsters.com
What to bring
Tackle for Cruze Landing
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 Cruze Landing
Cruze Landing is a public boat launch on French Broad River in Knox County, Tennessee, run by the county.
TWRA holds no written directions for Cruze Landing. 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.
Cruze Landing is 10 miles east of Knoxville, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Seven Islands, 2.9 miles to the east on the same water. For bait, Smitty’s Bait and Tackle in Knoxville is about 10 miles away.
Coordinates 35.96103, -83.73734
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Cruze Landing
French Broad River holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Crosses the northern part of the county and receives the Little Pigeon north of Sevierville; below Douglas Dam it is a stocked trout tailwater, and further down it becomes one of the state’s better smallmouth rivers.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Cruze Landing
What you can keep from French Broad River at Cruze Landing. TWRA sets 4 rules just for French Broad River. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | 5 | 18 in minimum | Hwy 168 to Douglas Dam |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| Walleye | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line |
| Sauger | 5 walleye/sauger combined | No minimum, only one over 16 in | Hwy 321 bridge upstream to NC line; includes sauger/walleye hybrids |
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Rock bass | 20 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 36 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.
11 public boat launches in Knox County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
French Broad River around Cruze Landing
What the water at Cruze Landing actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →Pollinator at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
Fort Loudoun LakeOpen the Fort Loudoun Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain
Holston RiverOpen the Holston River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
French Broad RiverOpen the French Broad River page →U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region / Public domain
Fort Loudoun LakeOpen the Fort Loudoun Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Holston RiverOpen the Holston River page →Dacoshi / CC BY-SA 3.0Next one along
More French Broad River access near Cruze Landing
The closest other public access points on French Broad River, measured straight line from Cruze Landing. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Cruze Landing water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Cruze Landing
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Cruze Landing, including Holston River, Fort Loudoun Lake and Douglas Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on French Broad River or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Cruze Landing
The closest shops to Cruze Landing that this site has checked. Smitty’s Bait and Tackle in Knoxville is nearest, about 10 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Cruze Landing
Cruze Landing is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.