95 Counties · 1,002 Public Access Points · 78 Lakes and RiversTennessee state record fish
Tennessee Fishing SpotsEvery County, Every Town
Spot SearchGear SearchLakes & RiversFishAll Fishing SpotsCountiesTownsGuides & ChartersTournamentsState RecordsLicence & LimitsEmail Updates

Marina · Hamilton County

Hales Bar Resort & Marina, Nickajack Lake

13 miles from Chattanooga.

Get driving directionsAll Hamilton County spots

With a guide

Guides and charters near Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Captains who run Nickajack Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.

Capt. Paul Johnson · Chattanooga

Paul Johnson Guide Service

Largemouth, spotted, smallmouthCall 423-598-9083pauljohnsonguideservice.com

Steve Kite and Chris Coleman · Chattanooga

Chattanooga Fishing Guides

BassCall 423-240-5389chattanoogafishingguides.com

Richard Simms and six guides · Chattanooga

Scenic City Fishing Charters

Trophy catfish, walleye, crappie, bass, striper, saugersceniccityfishing.com

All 4 guides on Chickamauga and Nickajack

What to bring

Tackle for Hales Bar Resort & Marina

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.

RodUgly Stik GX2 7 ft medium-heavy casting rodStiff enough to set a hook in grass, tough enough to live in a truck bed.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
ReelAbu Garcia Black Max baitcasting reelAn inexpensive baitcaster that casts cleanly once the brakes are set.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Soft plasticZoom Trick WormThe Tennessee standard on a Texas rig or weightless along docks and grass edges.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list
Full largemouth bass checklist (11 items)All gear checklists

Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:

Smallmouth Bass checklistCrappie checklistBluegill and Panfish checklistFish Finders comparedTrolling Motors comparedLithium Marine Batteries comparedShallow Water Anchors compared

How to get there

Getting to Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Hales Bar Resort & Marina is a public marina on Nickajack Lake in Hamilton County, Tennessee.

TWRA holds no written directions for Hales Bar Resort & Marina. 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.

Hales Bar Resort & Marina is 13 miles west of Chattanooga, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is TVA Seredino Ramp, 0.6 miles to the south on the same water. For bait, The Hatch Outfitters in Chattanooga is about 13 miles away.

Coordinates 35.04603, -85.53724

Open in Google MapsSee nearby spots on the mapFishing near Chattanooga
Aerial view of Hales Bar Resort & Marina
Hales Bar Resort & Marina from above. The pin marks the access point. USGS aerial imagery.

What is there

What you will find at Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Fee not listed, call ahead 1 out of 5 Facilities 1 of 5, scored from what TWRA records: ramp, docks, pier, restrooms, parking, lighting and hours.

Everything below comes from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s own public access record for Hales Bar Resort & Marina. It is the same data the state uses, not a guess from a photograph.

Bank and water access

TWRA lists Hales Bar Resort & Marina as public access without built facilities. No ramp, no pier, no restroom, park, walk in and fish.

Not recorded here: boat ramp, fishing pier, canoe and kayak, restrooms, camping. Worth knowing before a long drive with the family.

What you can catch

Fish you can catch at Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Nickajack Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.

largemouth basssmallmouth basscrappiebluegillredear sunfishstriped basswhite basschannel catfishfreshwater drum

Held at full pool 633.5 ft year-round with no meaningful winter drawdown, which is genuinely distinctive among TVA lakes; the upper two-thirds is riverine with riprap both banks, and the black bass and crappie fishing concentrates in the coves at the lower end through the Tennessee River Gorge.

Everything on Nickajack LakeFind a local fishing guide

What you can keep

Fishing limits at Hales Bar Resort & Marina

What you can keep from Nickajack Lake at Hales Bar Resort & Marina. TWRA sets 2 rules just for Nickajack Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.

FishDaily limitLengthWhere or when
Largemouth bass5 black bass combined15 in minimumNickajack Lake rule
Smallmouth bass5 black bass combinedNo minimum, only one over 16 inSame rule for spotted, Alabama and hybrid bass
Crappie1510 in minimumStatewide
BluegillNo limitNo minimumStatewide
Redear sunfish20No minimumStatewide
Striped bass2 striped and hybrid combined15 in minimumStatewide
White bass15No minimumStatewide
Channel catfishNo limit under 34 inOnly one over 34 inStatewide

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.

Statewide limits and licenses

24 public boat launches in Hamilton County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.

What it looks like

Nickajack Lake around Hales Bar Resort & Marina

What the water at Hales Bar Resort & Marina actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.

Nickajack Lake, TennesseeNickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →Bryce Edwards from San Jose, CA, USA / CC BY 2.0Chickamauga Lake, TennesseeChickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domainNickajack Lake, TennesseeNickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →RebelCowboySnB Marlon N Weldon / CC BY-SA 3.0Chickamauga Lake, TennesseeChickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domainNickajack Lake, TennesseeNickajack LakeOpen the Nickajack Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0Chickamauga Lake, TennesseeChickamauga LakeOpen the Chickamauga Lake page →Tennessee Valley Authority / Public domain

Next one along

More Nickajack Lake access near Hales Bar Resort & Marina

The closest other public access points on Nickajack Lake, measured straight line from Hales Bar Resort & Marina. Each one opens its own page with directions.

Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVATVA Seredino Ramp0.6 miles south1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.03774, -85.53691Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAAnchor Inn Bait & Tackle1.2 miles southI-24 to HWY 41 (Memorial Bridge)1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.02820, -85.53900Free5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CountyMarion County Park1.9 miles south-west2 ramps, 2 lanesfishing pierrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.02870, -85.56320Free4.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TWRABennett’s Lake2.3 miles north2 ramps, 2 lanesfishing piercanoe / kayak landingaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.07910, -85.53680Free4 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVASullivans Boat Ramp4.6 miles east3 ramps, 2 lanesaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.02060, -85.46050Free5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAShellmound4.7 miles south-west0.5 mile prior to Nickajack Dam on Nickajack access road1 ramp, 2 lanesfishing piercanoe / kayak landingrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.00760, -85.60600
All 18 access points on Nickajack Lake

Hales Bar Resort & Marina water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie.

Other water close by

Other fishing near Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Public access on other water within 20 miles of Hales Bar Resort & Marina, including Guntersville Lake, Chickamauga Lake and Grundy Lake #4. Handy when the wind is wrong on Nickajack Lake or the ramp is busy.

Free2.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVABlue Bridge RampGuntersville Lake · 8.9 miles west1 ramp, 1 laneDirections and detail →35.01603, -85.69135Free3.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · CityJC Ramp in South PittsburgGuntersville Lake · 9.1 miles westSouth Pittsburg, TN at Blue Bridge near HWY 72 and HWY 156 intersection1 ramp, 2 lanescanoe / kayak landingaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.01570, -85.69540Fee not listed1 out of 5facilitiesMarinaChickamauga MarinaChickamauga Lake · 18 miles eastDirections and detail →35.09439, -85.21877Free2 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TDECGrundy Lakes #4Grundy Lake #4 · 18 miles north-westHWY 41 south towards Jasper, left on Grundy Lakes Rd, 1st left past the same, parthing lot near bathroom1 ramp, 1 lanecanoe / kayak landingtrolling motors onlyDirections and detail →35.27084, -85.71312Fee not listed1.5 out of 5facilitiesPaddling · TWRANorth Chickamauga Creek Paddle LaunchNorth Chickamauga Creek · 18 miles eastcanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.14078, -85.22928Free3 out of 5facilitiesMarina · MarinaLakeshore MarinaChickamauga Lake · 18 miles eastrestroomsaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.10910, -85.21620

Bait on the way

Bait and tackle near Hales Bar Resort & Marina

The closest shops to Hales Bar Resort & Marina that this site has checked. The Hatch Outfitters in Chattanooga is nearest, about 13 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.

Chattanooga · about 13 milesThe Hatch OutfittersFly shop and outfitter. Flies, leader, licences and local water advice.Directions and phone →Chattanooga · about 13 milesLake Chickamauga Tackle & OutdoorsSporting goods. Rods, reels, line and a licence counter.Directions and phone →Chattanooga · about 18 milesJack’s Bait & Tackle ShopLive bait, so this is the stop for minnows, crickets and nightcrawlers.Directions and phone →
All bait and tackle in Hamilton County

Your turn

Rate and review Hales Bar Resort & Marina

1. Tap your stars

2. Add a few words if you like

What visitors say

Loading visitor ratings

Common questions

Questions about Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Can you launch a boat at Hales Bar Resort & Marina?

No trailered ramp is recorded at Hales Bar Resort & Marina. It is listed as bank or pier access rather than a launch.

Do you need a fishing licence at Hales Bar Resort & Marina?

Yes. Anyone 13 or older needs a Tennessee fishing licence to fish here, and a trout supplemental on top of it if you plan to keep trout. It is the same rule at every public access point in the state.

What fish are in the water at Hales Bar Resort & Marina?

Nickajack Lake holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, striped bass, white bass, channel catfish and freshwater drum. Seasons and creel limits are set by TWRA and change, so check them before you keep anything.

Where can I buy bait near Hales Bar Resort & Marina?

The Hatch Outfitters in Chattanooga is the closest bait and tackle shop this site lists, about 13 miles from Hales Bar Resort & Marina. Lake Chickamauga Tackle & Outdoors in Chattanooga is next, about 13 miles away.

Is there a restroom at Hales Bar Resort & Marina?

No restroom is recorded here. Most TWRA ramps have none, so plan for that on a long day.

What town is closest to Hales Bar Resort & Marina?

Chattanooga, about 13 miles away. Chattanooga has its own page on this site listing every access point within about 30 miles of the middle of town.

Where to next

Around Hales Bar Resort & Marina

Hales Bar Resort & Marina is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.

The whole waterFishing Nickajack Lake18 public access points across 2 counties.See the spots →County guideFishing in Hamilton CountyEvery public spot in Hamilton County, mapped out.See the spots →Full listHamilton County spot listAll 44 access points in the county.See the spots →GearBait and tackle near ChattanoogaShops, rentals and where to buy a licence locally.Find gear →Nearest townFishing near ChattanoogaEverything within about 30 miles of Chattanooga, closest first.See the spots →

Keep going

Fishing around Hales Bar Resort & Marina, and who knows it

Guides and charters on this site are listed by the water they run, so you can ring the captain who fishes Nickajack Lake rather than a booking desk. Licences and limits are one click away too.

Guides by waterLicence and limits