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Hiwassee River is a public river in Polk County, Bradley County, McMinn County and Meigs 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.
A scenic Cherokee-forest tailwater — heavily stocked rainbow and brown trout in the upper river, strong smallmouth downstream. Generation from Apalachia powerhouse drives the flow.
It runs roughly 71 miles through the East region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, redeye bass; rock bass, bluegill are also on record. Neighbouring public land — South Cherokee National Forest & Wildlife Management Area, Hiwassee Refuge — opens up bank access away from the main entry points. Live flow and gauge height come from the Oostanaula Creek Near Sanford, Tn USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are McCamy Lake and Greasy Creek.
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: 12 mapped — Hiwassee Ocoee State Park Boat Ramp, Boat ramp, Apalachia Powerhouse Boat Launch, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.
Camping: 5 sites mapped nearby — Campsite, Campsite, Gee Creek Group Campground, Gee Creek Campground, Quinn Springs Pavilion.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 03565500 — Oostanaula Creek Near Sanford, 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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