Every Boat Ramp on Old Hickory Lake

About Old Hickory Lake

Old Hickory Lake is Nashville's premier fishing lake, a 22,500-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Cumberland River that stretches across five counties through the rapidly growing suburbs east and north of Tennessee's capital city. With 440 miles of shoreline and depths reaching 60 feet, this productive warm-water fishery winds through rolling Middle Tennessee countryside and provides convenient fishing access for the Nashville metropolitan area's two million residents. The communities of Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, and Gallatin line the lake's shores and offer full services for visiting anglers.

Largemouth Bass fishing on Old Hickory Lake is consistently productive, with the lake's abundant dock systems, riprap shorelines, and creek arm structure providing excellent habitat throughout the seasons. Crappie fishing is a beloved spring tradition, with anglers pulling slabs from brush piles, bridge pilings, and dock structures across the lake. Catfish of all three major species grow to impressive sizes in the Cumberland River channel, and Sauger provide reliable cool-weather action near the dam and in the deeper channel areas. Striped Bass add big-fish excitement, with schools of these hard-fighting predators chasing shad across the main lake during fall.

Old Hickory Lake offers numerous public boat ramps operated by the Corps of Engineers, TWRA, and local municipalities, with major facilities at Rockland Recreation Area, Old Hickory Beach, and Bledsoe Creek State Park in Gallatin. The lake's proximity to downtown Nashville via Interstate 65 and State Route 386 makes it an easy day trip from the city. Whether you are casting around docks for Largemouth Bass in a suburban creek arm, trolling for Striped Bass on the open lake, or spending a quiet morning pulling Crappie from brush piles near Gallatin, Old Hickory Lake puts quality fishing within easy reach of Music City.

Nearest towns: Nashville, Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Gallatin