See every public fishing venue in Tennessee on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Elk River is a public river in Lincoln County, Franklin County, Giles County, Moore County, Coffee County and Grundy County, Tennessee, managed by State of Tennessee (public-trust water). It is a public-trust water — you can fish it with a Tennessee licence; bank access is at public river-access points and bridges. Public access confirmed via public-trust river.
Tims Ford Dam tailwater — cold-water trout in the upper reaches, quality smallmouth in the warmer water below.
It runs roughly 164 miles through the Middle region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, rock bass; bluegill, channel catfish are also on record. Neighbouring public land — Pisgah National Forest, North Cherokee National Forest & Wildlife Management Area, State-owned Submerged Lands — opens up bank access away from the main entry points. Live flow and gauge height come from the Elk River At Prospect, Tn USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Lincoln Lake and Timber Lake.
Species from TWRA and Tennessee fishery data.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Tennessee; a few individual waters have local rules — check the current TWRA regulations for this water.
Boats: Boats allowed. On the large TVA/USACE reservoirs there is no horsepower limit; TWRA agency lakes are usually electric-motor or 10 hp only.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camping is at Corps, TVA, TWRA and state-park campgrounds. Dispersed bankside camping on public shoreline is generally not allowed — use a designated site.
Tackle: Statewide creel and size limits apply; several reservoirs carry a black-bass protected slot — check the current TWRA regs for this water.
Rules verified 2026-09-01 against TWRA regulations. Always confirm the current rules before you fish.
Source: USGS PAD-US (Protected Areas Database).
Boat ramps: 17 mapped — Boat ramp, Veto Access Boat Ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.
Camping: 11 sites mapped nearby — Leatherwood Island Backcountry Campground #2, Fairview Devil Step Campground, Campsite, Lost Creek Campsite, Leatherwood Island Backcountry Camp #1, Campsite and others.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 03584600 — Elk River At Prospect, Tn. Full gauge data →
A Tennessee fishing licence covers all public water in the state. Non-resident annual is around $50; 3-day and 10-day non-resident permits are also sold. TWRA agency lakes need an extra TWRA Lake permit.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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