2026 regulation year
Tennessee Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits
Last updated
Tennessee licences run March 1 through the last day of February and are sold by TWRA through GoOutdoorsTennessee.com. The base fishing licence covers freshwater statewide; a Trout Licence ($22 add-on) is required to take or possess trout. Two interstate compacts shape Tennessee fishing: the Kentucky Lake / Lake Barkley reciprocity with Kentucky lets either licence fish both impoundments, and Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary) — home of the world-record 11 lb 15 oz smallmouth bass set in 1955 — is fished reciprocally on the open water. Chickamauga Lake on the Tennessee River is consistently ranked the #1 trophy largemouth bass fishery in the United States by Bassmaster Magazine, managed under a 15–18 in protected slot. The South Holston tailwater below Boone Dam is Tennessee's premier wild brown trout fishery.
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License fees
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident annual fishing (all-species) | $34.00 | |
| Resident annual sportsmen (hunt + fish + WMA) | $169.00 | |
| Resident 1-day fishing | $6.50 | |
| Resident senior (65+) annual sportsman | $5.00 | Reduced senior sportsman licence |
| Resident lifetime sportsman | $674.50 | Age-tiered — verify TWRA fee schedule |
| Resident youth (under 13) annual | Free | Not required under age 13 |
| Trout licence (add-on) | $22.00 | Required to take or possess trout |
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident annual all-species | $99.00 | |
| Non-resident annual fish only | $50.00 | |
| Non-resident 10-day all-species | $50.50 | |
| Non-resident 3-day all-species | $40.50 | |
| Non-resident 1-day fishing | $11.50 | |
| Non-resident trout licence (add-on) | $22.00 | |
| Non-resident youth (under 13) | Free | Not required under age 13 |
Buy directly from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Fees may include processing surcharges at point of sale.
Top species — season, bag, size
| Species | Season | Daily bag | Size / slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bassCompare across states → | Year-round most waters; per-lake slot regs apply | 5 / day combined black bass (most waters); Chickamauga 15–18 in protected slot | 15 in minimum most reservoirs; protected slot 15–18 in on Chickamauga |
| Smallmouth bassCompare across states → | Year-round most waters | 5 / day combined black bass | 18 in min Dale Hollow + Center Hill + Norris + Old Hickory; 15 in min Tennessee River |
| Crappie (white + black)Compare across states → | Year-round | 15–30 / day depending on water (Kentucky Lake / Lake Barkley 20 / day; Reelfoot 30 / day) | 10 in min Kentucky Lake + Lake Barkley + Reelfoot; no statewide minimum elsewhere |
| Walleye / saugerCompare across states → | Year-round | 5 / day walleye (combined with sauger 10 / day combined on most waters) | 16 in min walleye on Tennessee River + Cumberland River reservoirs; 14 in min sauger |
| Trout (rainbow / brown / brook)Compare across states → | Year-round; tailwater special-regulation reaches apply | 7 / day combined trout (most waters); 1 brown / day, 24 in min South Holston tailwater | No statewide rainbow minimum; 24 in min brown South Holston; 18 in min brown Clinch tailwater trophy section |
| Striped bass / hybridCompare across states → | Year-round; Cherokee / Norris / Cumberland reservoirs + tailwaters | 2 / day combined striped + hybrid striped bass; Mississippi River 6 / day | 15 in min striped + hybrid; no length limit on the Mississippi River |
| Blue catfishCompare across states → | Year-round; trophy blue cats in the Mississippi River + Tennessee / Cumberland reservoirs | No creel limit on catfish under 34 in; only 1 catfish over 34 in per day (blue + channel + flathead combined) | No length limit under 34 in; only 1 fish over 34 in per day |
| Channel catfishCompare across states → | Year-round | No creel limit on catfish under 34 in; only 1 catfish over 34 in per day (blue + channel + flathead combined) | No length limit under 34 in; only 1 fish over 34 in per day |
Notable water-body special regulations
Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River impoundment)
Reciprocal with Kentucky under interstate compact — either TN or KY licence honoured on the impoundment; 10 in min crappie / 20 fish / day; 5 / day black bass, 15 in min
Lake Barkley (Cumberland River impoundment)
Reciprocal with Kentucky — paired with Kentucky Lake under the same compact; same 10 in / 20 fish crappie + 15 in / 5 bass rules
Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary)
World-record smallmouth fishery (11 lb 15 oz, 1955); 18 in min smallmouth, 5 / day combined black bass; reciprocal with Kentucky on open water
Chickamauga Lake (Tennessee River)
Bassmaster #1-ranked trophy largemouth fishery; 15–18 in protected slot — only 1 fish over 18 in + 4 under 15 in per 5-fish daily bag; landed multiple 13–14 lb state-record-class largemouth
Trophy smallmouth fishery (18 in min, 5 / day) + walleye (16 in min, 5 / day); Caney Fork tailwater below Center Hill Dam holds trophy brown trout
Norris Lake (Clinch + Powell Rivers)
Trophy striped bass (2 / day, 15 in min); trophy smallmouth (18 in min); walleye (16 in min, 5 / day); year-round deep-water cisco / lake trout potential
Striped bass (2 / day, 15 in min) + walleye (16 in min, 5 / day) + crappie; major TVA reservoir East TN
Smallmouth + walleye + lake trout (one of few TN lake trout fisheries); 18 in min smallmouth on listed reaches
Earthquake lake (New Madrid 1811–12); premier crappie + bluegill fishery; 30 / day crappie, 10 in min; statewide sportfish rules; commercial fishing licence required for non-sportfish harvest
Tennessee River impoundment; smallmouth bass flagship (15 in min, 5 / day combined); BASS Elite + MLF tournament venue; reciprocal with AL and MS on shared waters
Tellico Lake (Little Tennessee River)
Cold-water smallmouth + walleye + striped bass; 18 in min smallmouth on listed reaches
Old Hickory Lake (Cumberland River)
Trophy striped bass (2 / day, 15 in min); 18 in min smallmouth bass; largemouth + crappie + walleye reservoir near Nashville
J. Percy Priest Lake (Stones River)
Striped bass (2 / day, 15 in min); 15 in min largemouth bass, 5 / day combined; Nashville-area trophy reservoir
South Holston Tailwater (below Boone Dam)
Tennessee's premier wild brown trout fishery; 1 brown / day, 24 in min; rainbow trout catch-and-release only on listed reaches; artificial lures + flies only
Clinch River tailwater (below Norris Dam)
Trophy trout tailwater; 18 in min brown trout on the trophy section, 1 / day; artificial lures + flies only on listed reaches
Caney Fork tailwater (below Center Hill Dam)
Stocked rainbow + brown trout tailwater; standard 7 / day trout limit; cold-water tailwater fishery downstream of Center Hill Dam
Hiwassee River (TN/NC boundary section)
Stocked rainbow + brown trout + smallmouth bass; 7 / day trout; Trout Licence required
TWRA catch-and-release area from the mouth of North River up to the TN/NC state line — Oct 1 – Feb 28 artificial lures ONLY, no bait, all trout released; reverts to put-and-take (7 / day) outside that window; the Cherokee NF Tellico drainage's flagship trout river
TWRA Tellico–Citico permit water from the Little Citico confluence to the North/South Fork confluence — special Tellico–Citico permit required Mar 1 – Aug 15, closed Thursdays + Fridays in that window, one rod only, 7 trout / day
TWRA Wild Trout stream (North River + tributaries, Tellico drainage) — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day creel, no length limit; protects self-sustaining wild trout
TWRA Wild Trout stream (Bald River + tributaries, Tellico drainage above Bald River Falls) — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit
Sycamore Creek (Monroe County)
TWRA Wild Trout stream, a Tellico River tributary — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day creel, no length limit to protect wild trout
Rough Ridge Creek (Monroe County)
TWRA Wild Trout stream, a Tellico River tributary — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit
TWRA Quality Trout area from the Smallings bridge down to the CSX railroad bridges — 14 in minimum length, reduced 2 trout / day, artificial lures ONLY (no bait); trout under 14 in may not be possessed; a premier East-TN tailwater trout reach
TWRA catch-and-release area within Roan Mountain State Park — Oct 1 – Feb 28 artificial lures ONLY, no bait, all trout released; put-and-take outside that window
TWRA Wild Trout stream from the USFS campground up to the USFS boundary — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit (distinct from the lower stocked reach)
TWRA Wild Trout stream from the cable crossing ~0.5 mi above USFS Dennis Cove Recreation Area up to the USFS boundary — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit
Beaverdam Creek (Johnson County)
TWRA Wild Trout stream from the Birch Branch confluence down to Tank Hollow Road — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit
TWRA Wild Trout stream upstream of the Rocky Fork Road / State Park entrance-road junction (Greene/Unicoi Cos.) — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit
Little Stony Creek (Carter County)
TWRA Wild Trout stream on tributaries upstream of the Plot Branch confluence (~1.3 mi above the Hwy 321 crossing) — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait, reduced 5 trout / day, no length limit
Big Soddy Creek (Hamilton County)
TWRA delayed-harvest / catch-and-release area upstream of Back Valley Road — Oct 1 – Feb 28 artificial lures ONLY, no bait, all trout released; harvest resumes outside that window; a Cumberland-Plateau-edge trout stream near Chattanooga
Buffalo Creek (Grainger County)
TWRA delayed-harvest area from the mill dam down to the Buffalo Springs WMA boundary — Oct 1 – Jan 31 artificial lures ONLY, no bait, all trout released during the catch-and-release season
TWRA delayed-harvest / catch-and-release area from Cumberland Trail State Park down to the Hwy 27 bridge — Nov 1 – Feb 28 artificial lures ONLY, no bait, all trout released during the season
Slickrock Creek (Monroe County)
TWRA special-regulation water on the TN/NC boundary reach (Joyce Kilmer–Slickrock Wilderness) — single-hook artificial lures ONLY, no bait or multiple-hook lures, reduced 4 trout / day combined, 7 in minimum length
TWRA special-regulation reach from the USFS boundary up to the Squibb Creek junction — trout creel reduced from the statewide 7 to just 2 trout / day May 1 – Sep 30, a seasonal restriction protecting the wild + stocked fishery
Smallmouth bass river + downstream from Cherokee Dam holds tailwater rainbow + brown trout
Mississippi River (TN western boundary)
Boundary water with Arkansas + Missouri; TN licence covers TN side to navigation channel; trophy flathead + blue catfish regs apply
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a fishing license to fish in Tennessee?
- Yes. Tennessee requires residents and non-residents alike to hold a valid fishing license, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. Buy directly from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency; resident and non-resident fees are listed in the tables above.
- How much is a fishing license in Tennessee?
- Resident fees range from $5.00 (resident senior (65+) annual sportsman) to $674.50 (resident lifetime sportsman); Non-resident fees range from $11.50 (non-resident 1-day fishing) to $99.00 (non-resident annual all-species). The full breakdown — annual, multi-day, senior, and lifetime options — is in the license-fee tables above, and you can compare Tennessee against every other state on the license-fee comparator.
- What fish can you catch in Tennessee?
- Tennessee anglers most commonly target Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Crappie (white + black), Walleye / sauger, Trout (rainbow / brown / brook), Striped bass / hybrid, and others. Each species sets its own season, daily bag, and size or slot limit — compare them in the species table above, or open a species page for the full 2026 rule.
- When does fishing season open in Tennessee?
- It depends on the species — Tennessee sets a separate season for each. Warmwater fish like bass, catfish, and panfish are open year-round in most of the state, while trout, walleye, salmon, and other cold-water or migratory species have dated seasons. The season column in the table above shows each one, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency can shift dates by emergency order.
- Are there special fishing rules on specific Tennessee waters?
- Yes. 37 named Tennessee waters carry regulations that differ from the statewide rule, including Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River impoundment), Lake Barkley (Cumberland River impoundment), Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary), and 34 more. See the notable water-body special regulations above for the exact rule on each.
Official source
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is the authoritative source for Tennessee fishing regulations. Always verify rules before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override published booklets.
Visit official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's emergency-order feed — check it before any Tennessee trip during the active season.