River · Blount

Fishing Little River, Tennessee

Q: Is Little River free to fish?

The water is. Some of the ramps are not — Corps of Engineers sites, state park ramps and marinas often charge to launch or park. Each listing below shows the owner, which is the best guide to whether you will be asked for money.

4 public access points across 1 county, with directions to every one.

Jump to the access list Licence and limits

Every access point

Public access on Little River, county by county

All 4 public access points TWRA records on Little River. Each card opens its own page with written directions, coordinates and a link straight to Google Maps.

Tap a pin for the spot page and directions. Open the full Tennessee fishing map.

Little River access in Blount County

Free2 out of 5facilitiesFishing Site · CountyBill Bennett (Coulters) BridgeUS 321 to Tuckaleechee Pikecanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.76634, -83.85593 Free1.5 out of 5facilitiesBoat Launch · TVAPeery’s Mill4501 E Lamar Alexander Hwy, Walland, TNcanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.74860, -83.83713 Free2 out of 5facilitiesFishing Site · CityRoadside Picnic Areacanoe / kayak landingaccessible parkingDirections and detail →35.67980, -83.78341 Free2 out of 5facilitiesFishing Site · CountyWalland Roadside Picnic AreaOn US 321 near Wallandcanoe / kayak landingDirections and detail →35.70226, -83.81478

What to bring

Tackle for Little River

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.

RodSt. Croix Bass X 7 ft medium spinning rodLight enough for a Ned rig, with enough backbone for a 5 lb fish in current.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list

ReelPflueger President 30 spinning reelSmooth drag at a fair price. Fill it with braid and a leader.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list

FinesseZ-Man Finesse TRD and Ned rig jigheadsThe single most reliable smallmouth bait on Tennessee rock. Drag it slowly.Shop on Amazon →Why it is on the list

Full smallmouth bass checklist (10 items)All gear checklists

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

Fish Finders compared Trolling Motors compared Lithium Marine Batteries compared Shallow Water Anchors compared

The water

Little River boat ramps and fishing access

Little River has 4 public access points: 0 boat ramps and 4 kayak launches, in Blount County.

4public access points

0boat ramps

4kayak and canoe launches

1county

River levels

Little River level and flow today

The latest USGS gauge readings on the Little River, the seven-day trend and the forecast.

Little River level

What Little River is actually like

Little River, county by county

Little River does not fish the same at both ends. This is what the research for each county on it turned up.

Blount County

From the Blount County page

The upper river through Townsend is a stocked trout stream and one of East Tennessee’s best-known wade fisheries; below Perry’s Mill Dam it turns into a smallmouth float.

What it looks like

Little River in photographs

What Little River looks like through the year. Every picture opens that water’s own page.

Little RiverOpen the Little River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 2.5

Fort Loudoun LakeOpen the Fort Loudoun Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain

Little RiverOpen the Little River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 2.5

Fort Loudoun LakeOpen the Fort Loudoun Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

Little RiverOpen the Little River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

What you can catch

Fish in Little River

What Little River actually holds, from the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes. A licence is required for all of it.

smallmouth bass

Guides who fish Little River

What you can keep

Fishing limits on Little River

TWRA sets 1 rule just for Little 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 black bass combined	13–17 in protected slot, one over 17 in	Rockford Dam upstream to the Great Smoky Mountains NP boundary

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

Eating what you catch

Little River fish consumption advisory

TDEC’s fish consumption advisory for Little River, from its August 2026 list of posted waters.

From Tennessee River (Ft Loudoun Reservoir) to “The Sinks” (River mile 41.5)

Mercury PCBs

Do not consume largemouth bass in Little River embayment of Fort Loudoun Lake (to confluence with Roddy Branch in Rockwood, River mile 5.5) due to PCBs. Precautionary advisory* for black bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) from Hwy 129 (river mile 2.6) to “The Sinks” (River Mile 41.5) due to Mercury.Precautionary means: Children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should not consume the fish species named. All other persons should limit consumption of the named species to one meal per month.

Every Tennessee fish advisory

By county

Counties on Little River

Little River touches 1 Tennessee county. The county page has the bait shops, the bank access and the local limits.

MaryvilleBlount County4 access points on Little River, plus the rest of the county’s water.See the spots →

4 public access points on Little River, every one with directions.

By town

Towns on Little River

These pages measure from the middle of town rather than the county line, which is usually the number that matters when you are deciding where to drive.

Blount CountyFishing near MaryvillePublic water within about 30 miles of Maryville, closest first.See the spots →

Common questions

Questions about fishing Little River

How many public boat ramps are there on Little River?

TWRA lists 0 public boat launches on Little River, across 1 Tennessee county. Every one of them is listed on this page with directions.

What fish can you catch in Little River?

Little River holds smallmouth bass. Which of those is actually worth chasing depends on the season, and TWRA sets size and creel limits that change, so check before you keep anything.

Which counties does Little River run through?

Blount county. Each has its own page on this site with the local bait shops, ramps and bank access.

Can you fish Little River from the bank?

Yes, though no public fishing pier is recorded on Little River. Bank fishing here means the shoreline and parking areas at the public ramps, plus road and bridge crossings where there is public right of way.

Do you need a licence to fish Little River?

Yes. Anyone 13 or older needs a Tennessee fishing licence, and a trout supplemental on top if you plan to keep trout. Non-residents can buy a three-day or ten-day licence rather than a full year.

Is Little River free to fish?

The water is. Some of the ramps are not, Corps of Engineers sites, state park ramps and marinas often charge to launch or park. Each listing below shows the owner, which is the best guide to whether you will be asked for money.

Keep going

More Little River water, and who fishes it

Every guide and charter on this site is listed by the water they run, so you can call the captain direct. Licences, limits and the state record list are one click away too.

Guides by water Licence and limits