With a guide
Guides and charters near Ruff Miller
Captains who run Norris Lake, 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 Ruff Miller
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 Ruff Miller
Ruff Miller is a public access point on Norris Lake in Union County, Tennessee, run by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
HWY 33 to Sharps Chapel Rd, Turn Left on Ruff Miller Cemetery
Ruff Miller is 19 miles east of LaFollette, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Lakeview Dock, a few hundred yards to the north-east on the same water. For bait, Beach Island Resort & Marina in Maynardville is about 6 miles away.
Coordinates 36.33600, -83.78490
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Ruff Miller
Norris Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Union County owns the lake’s broad middle, including the “Loyston Sea,” one of the widest sections of Norris; TWRA is specific that the smallmouth fishing is a November-through-April proposition, and the lake draws down as much as 45 ft a year.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Ruff Miller
What you can keep from Norris Lake at Ruff Miller. TWRA sets 8 rules just for Norris 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 combined with smallmouth | 14 in minimum | Reservoir rules run to the Hwy 25E bridge (Clinch arm) and Gap Creek (Powell arm) |
| Smallmouth bass | 1 (Jun 1–Oct 15); 5 (Oct 16–May 31) | 18 in minimum Jun 1–Oct 15; 15 in minimum Oct 16–May 31 | Norris Lake rule |
| Spotted bass | No limit | No length limit | Includes Alabama bass |
| Crappie | 10 | 10 in minimum | Norris Lake rule |
| Striped bass | 2 (Apr 1–Oct 31); 1 (Nov 1–Mar 31) | 15 in minimum Apr–Oct; 36 in minimum Nov–Mar | Norris Lake rule |
| Walleye | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Upstream to Grissom Island on the Clinch |
| Sauger | 5 walleye/sauger combined | 15 in minimum | Norris Lake rule |
| Bluegill | 30 bluegill/warmouth/other sunfish | No length limit | Norris Lake rule |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 36 in minimum | Statewide |
| Channel catfish | No limit under 34 in | Only one over 34 in | Statewide |
Other rules on Norris Lake
- Jan 1–Apr 30: no trotlines, limblines, jugs, gigging or snagging above River Mile 32 (Powell arm) and River Mile 137 (Clinch arm) to the Hwy 25E bridges. Doakes Pond closed to fishing.
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.
7 public boat launches in Union County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Norris Lake around Ruff Miller
What the water at Ruff Miller actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
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More Norris Lake access near Ruff Miller
The closest other public access points on Norris Lake, measured straight line from Ruff Miller. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Ruff Miller water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Ruff Miller
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Ruff Miller, including Holston River, Powell River and Clinch River. Handy when the wind is wrong on Norris Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Ruff Miller
The closest shops to Ruff Miller that this site has checked. Beach Island Resort & Marina in Maynardville is nearest, about 6 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Ruff Miller
Ruff Miller is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.