Tennessee Fishing Regulations
What's New for 2024
(PLR) Protected Length Range
PLR is a Protected Length Range. Fish in this length range may not be harvested. To promote growth of bigger bass in these lakes, anglers are encouraged to harvest their daily limit of bass shorter than the listed PLR.
Region 1 (West TN)
Carroll Lake
• Largemouth Bass: No creel or length limit and only one fish greater than 18 inches in length may be harvested per day.
Garrett Lake
• Largemouth Bass: No creel or length limit and only one fish greater than 18 inches in length may be harvested per day.
• Crappie (all species): No creel or length limit
Glenn Springs Lake
• Crappie (all species): No creel or length limit
Lake Graham
• Crappie (all species): No creel or length limit
Region 3 (Cumberland Plateau)
Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness WMA Ponds
• Removed youth designation from all ponds
• Removed fishing pole/rod restriction
• Largemouth Bass: 5 per day, only one fish 16 inches or longer may be harvested.
• Crappie (all species): No creel or length limit.
• Catfish: 5 per day.
• Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (in combination): 10 per day, no length limit.
Indian Coundary Lake (Cherokee NF)
• Largemouth Bass: 5 per day, only one fish 16 inches or longer may be harvested.
• Crappie (all species): No creel or length limit.
• Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (in combination): 10 per day, no length limit.
Lake Kefauver (Madisonville, Monroe County)
• Largemouth Bass: 5 per day, only one fish 16 inches or longer may be harvested.
• Crappie (all species): No creel or length limit.
• Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (in combination): 10 per day, no length limit.
Watts Bar Reservoir
• Emory River (Watts Bar Reservoir tributary) – Closed to snagging, taking, or possession of paddlefish or any parts thereof from the mouth of the Emory River upstream to Highway299 Bridge at Oakdale.
SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS:
During January 1 through April 30, on Emory River beginning from the Highway 27 Bridge at Harriman upstream to Highway 299 Bridge at Oakdale, anglers are restricted to the use of one hook having a single point or one lure having no more than one hook with a single point (artificial or bait), and no more than 3 rods and reels or poles may be used by each angler.
Region 4 (East TN)
Boone Reservoir
• Striped Bass/Hybrid Striped Bass: 2 per day in combination, only one may be a Striped Bass (year round).
• Striped Bass: 1 per day, 36 inch minimum length limit (year round).
Norris Reservoir
• Smallmouth Bass:
» June 1–Oct. 15: 1 per day, 18 inch minimum length limit.
» Oct. 16–May 31: 5 per day, 15 inch minimum length limit.
Trout
South Fork Holston River and Boone Reservoir
• South Holston Dam to Boone Dam, including Boone Reservoir upstream to the Highway 11E Bridge (DeVault/Bristol Hwy. Bridge) on the Watauga arm.
• 16-22 inch PLR; 7 trout creel limit, only one trout may be greater than 22 inches. Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir
Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir
• Boone Dam downstream to Louis Milhorn Bridge on Beulah Church Drive; 16-22 inch PLR for rainbow and brown trout. 7 trout creel limit (all species in combination), only one trout may be greater than 22 inches.
Clear Creek
• From Highway 441 upstream to the second dam (adjacent to the City of Norris Water Tower)—closed from November 1 through March 31 to all fishing; harvest of bait and possession of bait harvesting gear is prohibited.
Buffalo Creek and tributaries within the WMA boundary (Grainger County)
• From the mill dam upstream — closed year-round to all fishing; harvest of bait and possession of bait harvesting gear is prohibited.
• From the mill dam downstream—open to fishing year-round by rod and reel method only; closed year-round to all harvest of bait and possession of seines, cast nets and minnow/ crayfish traps is prohibited.
Basic Laws
• Under no circumstance shall live fish, crayfish or salamanders be intentionally released or stocked into Tennessee waters away from the waters from which they were harvested.
• Explosives, chemicals and electrical shocking devices are strictly forbidden, and their use carries heavy penalties.
• Shooting with any type of firearm or air gun to injure or take fish or turtles is prohibited.
• All boaters and passengers must wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket within the area designated and appropriately marked as a hazardous area below any dam and/or lock.
• It is illegal to take any fish, crayfish, salamander, or turtle that is listed as endangered, threatened or in-need-of-management.
• It is illegal to sell or offer to sell fish or turtles without a commercial fishing license.
Definitions
Bait: Any living or dead organism, or prepared substance designed to attract fish by taste or odor. For the purpose of this proclamation bait includes, but is not limited to, fish, fish eggs, crayfish, worms, grubs, crickets, corn, cheese, bread, pork rinds, putty or paste-type products, and flavors or scents applied to or inserted into artificial lures.
Culling: The removal of a fish from the creel limit and replacing it with another fish of the same species. The released fish must be a live, healthy specimen which should be expected to survive once it is returned to its natural environment.
Gigging: The taking of fish by means of a handheld pole or spear with a tip consisting of a single, sharpened point or one (1) or more sharpened barbed points. This includes, but is not limited to gear known as the Hawaiian sling.
Single hook: A hook with only one (1) point.
Snagging: The taking of fish using one (1) or more single, double, or treble hooks which are manipulated or jerked through the water in such a manner as to impale or hook fish.
Spear gun: Any device designed to propel a spear through water and is drawn or held by a mechanical device.
