With a guide
Guides and charters near Lock 3 Access
Captains who run Old Hickory 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 Lock 3 Access
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 Lock 3 Access
Lock 3 Access is a public boat launch on Old Hickory Lake in Sumner County, Tennessee, run by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
TWRA holds no written directions for Lock 3 Access. 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.
Lock 3 Access is 2.0 miles south of Hendersonville, the nearest town with its own page here. The county seat, Gallatin, is 13 miles to the north-east. The closest other public access is Walton’s Ferry Boat Ramp, 1.3 miles to the south on the same water. For bait, Academy Sports + Outdoors in Mount Juliet is about 8 miles away.
Coordinates 36.27680, -86.63160
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Lock 3 Access
Old Hickory Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
The Cumberland forms Wilson County’s northern border with Trousdale and Sumner and that reach is Old Hickory; the Wilson side is the Cedar Creek and Hunters Point country, and TWRA rates the lake a world-class trophy striped bass fishery with regular catches over 50 lb.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Lock 3 Access
What you can keep from Old Hickory Lake at Lock 3 Access. TWRA sets 3 rules just for Old Hickory 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 | Old Hickory Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 18 in minimum | Old Hickory Lake rule |
| Crappie | 30 | 10 in minimum | Old Hickory Lake rule |
| Striped bass | 2 striped and hybrid combined | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| 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 |
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.
20 public boat launches in Sumner County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Old Hickory Lake around Lock 3 Access
What the water at Lock 3 Access actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Next one along
More Old Hickory Lake access near Lock 3 Access
The closest other public access points on Old Hickory Lake, measured straight line from Lock 3 Access. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Lock 3 Access water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Lock 3 Access
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Lock 3 Access, including Cheatham Lake, Cedar Hill Park Pond and Stones River. Handy when the wind is wrong on Old Hickory Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Lock 3 Access
The closest shops to Lock 3 Access that this site has checked. Academy Sports + Outdoors in Mount Juliet is nearest, about 8 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Lock 3 Access
Lock 3 Access is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.