With a guide
Guides and charters near Gallaher
Captains who run Clinch River, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Mel’s Striper Guide Service
Striped bassCall 865-661-7806melsstriperguideservice.com
StriperFun Guide Service
Charters on 13 TN waters: Norris, Cherokee, Dale Hollow, Percy Priest, Tims Ford, Center Hill and Normandy lakes; the Cumberland, Clinch, Powell, Holston, Obey and Caney Fork riversCall 931-403-2501striperfun.com
East Tennessee Guide Service
Norris LakeCall 865-310-5521tnfishingguide.com
What to bring
Tackle for Gallaher
Three picks from the smallmouth 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 Gallaher
Gallaher is a public boat launch on Clinch River in Roane County, Tennessee, run by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Take Exit 356 of I-40. Go north on Hwy 58, right on Cultom Rd. Ramp at end
Gallaher is 6.7 miles east of Kingston, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Melton Hill Dam (Downstream) on Watts Bar Lake, 4.2 miles to the east. For bait, Lane’s Landing Bait & Tackle in Lenoir City is about 11 miles away.
Coordinates 35.90720, -84.39420

What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Gallaher
Clinch River holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Enters the county from the north and joins the Tennessee just downstream of Kingston; the Roane reach is reservoir-influenced rather than the cold trophy-brown tailwater, which is upstream in Anderson County below Norris Dam.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Gallaher
What you can keep from Clinch River at Gallaher. TWRA sets 5 rules just for Clinch River. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trout | 7 | 14–20 in protected slot, one over 20 in | Tailwater: Norris Dam downstream to Hwy 61 bridge (Clinton), including tributaries |
| Striped bass | 2 striped/hybrid combined | 32–42 in protected slot, one over 42 in | Melton Hill rule, applies on the Clinch upstream to the Hwy 61 bridge in Clinton. Hybrids 15 in minimum |
| Walleye | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Norris Reservoir upstream to Grissom Island |
| Sauger | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Norris Reservoir upstream to Grissom Island |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in | Hwy 25E bridge upstream to the Virginia line |
| Bluegill | No limit | 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.
31 public boat launches in Roane County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Clinch River around Gallaher
What the water at Gallaher actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Clinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Watts Bar LakeOpen the Watts Bar Lake page →ChristopherM / CC BY 2.5
Emory RiverOpen the Emory River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Clinch RiverOpen the Clinch River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Watts Bar LakeOpen the Watts Bar Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0
Emory RiverOpen the Emory River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Next one along
More Clinch River access near Gallaher
The closest other public access points on Clinch River, measured straight line from Gallaher. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Gallaher water holds smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, rock bass.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Gallaher
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Gallaher, including Watts Bar Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on Clinch River or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Gallaher
The closest shops to Gallaher that this site has checked. Lane’s Landing Bait & Tackle in Lenoir City is nearest, about 11 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Gallaher
Gallaher is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.