Fishing – All You Need to Know!

It probably shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that Douglas Lake in Jefferson County is a dream for anyone who loves fishing. Whether you’re young or old or somewhere in-between, an amateur, a professional, have your own boat and gear or don’t, fishing at Douglas Lake fulfills a type of Appalachian “feeling” that is hard to describe if you’ve never fished in the South or at the foothills of the Smokies and you will absolutely enjoy it! The lake is more than 30,000 acres of water body filled with a handful of different types of fish, interested persons can fish year-round (as their tolerance to winter allows) and fishing tournaments are regularly held several times a year on the lake.

According to thesmokies.com, Douglas Lake has 14 types of fish:

* Bass
* Bluegill
* Bullhead
* Carp
* Catfish
* Crappie
* Minnow
* Sauger
* Shad
* Shiner
* Sunfish
* Trout
* Walleye
* Warmouth

And fishing for them offers better success going out onto the water rather than staying on the docks and shorelines. With such an epic body of water that creates a series of industries for the nearby cities of Sevierville, Dandridge and Kodak offer means for fishermen and fisherwomen to be able to rent or buy boats, fishing rods, tackle boxes, life vests, and everything needed to enjoy a day, night, weekend or maybe more out on the lake.

Listings for fishing providers in the area include:

Smokies Angling Adventures – Guide Service, Boat Rental
3520 Dockery Drive
Mascot, Tennessee 37806-1108
(865) 661-5107
https://smokiesangling.com/

East Tennessee Guide Service – Guide Service, Fishing Equipment
544 Whispering Horse Trail
Rockford, Tennessee 37853
(865) 310-5521
https://tnfishingguide.com/

Douglas Lake Market
501 US-25 E #32,
White Pine, TN 37890
(865) 761-0032
https://www.facebook.com/DouglasLakeMarketandDeli/

Rimmer Sporting Goods – Fishing Equipment
1060 Highway 92 S
Dandridge, Tennessee 37725-4736
(865) 397-9303
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057208250045

Bucks-N-Bass – Fishing Equipment
664 East Meeting Street
Dandridge, Tennessee 37725-5001
(865) 397-6455
https://www.facebook.com/BucksNBass/

Scalf Wholesale Bait – Fishing Equipment
624 Spring Creek Road
Dandridge, Tennessee 37725-4136
(865) 397-2851
https://www.yelp.com/biz/scalf-wholesale-bait-dandridge

Bass Pro Shop – Fishing Equipment, Boating Equipment
3629 Outdoor Sportsmans Place
Kodak, Tennessee 37764
(865) 932-5600
https://stores.basspro.com/us/tn/kodak/3629-outdoor-sportsmans-place.html

Finishing out our post here, we’d like to share the fishing license requirement information for fishing in Douglas Lake (and Tennessee at large). From the TWRA website at tn.gov:

* Resident Fishing License Qualifications:

Persons who possess a valid Tennessee driver’s license. Tennessee state law requires drivers to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license within 30 days of residency.

Out-of-state drivers license only accepted for Military Personnel and Students meeting the criteria below:
* Military personnel on active duty in this state and dependents under age 16, who reside with them, regardless of resident status.
* Students who are enrolled in a Tennessee school, college, or university for at least six months (must present a student ID card or other proof of enrollment
* Persons who do not drive or do not possess a valid driver’s license from another state, but who have lived in Tennessee for 90 consecutive days with the genuine intent of making Tennessee their permanent home, may prove residency by presenting to a TWRA license agent any two of the following documents: Current Tennessee voter registration card, Current Tennessee vehicle registration or title, Form I-94 issued by the US Citizenship & Immigration Service, Current rental/mortgage contract or receipt including deed of sale for property or receipt for payment of Tennessee real estate taxes within last year.
* A Social Security Number is required to purchase a Tennessee hunting or fishing license.

No Fishing License Needed If:
* You are under 13 years of age (resident or nonresident).
* Landowners, their spouses, and children, who fish on their farmland which is owned by an individual or a family. Landowners, their spouses, and children must be residents of Tennessee but need not reside on the land.
* Tenants, their spouses, and dependent children fish on farmland owned by an individual or a family. Tenants, their spouses, and dependent children must be residents of Tennessee and must actually reside on the land and have the permission of the landowner to fish. A tenant is a person who, for money or free rent, or other consideration, cares for farmland. The tenancy must be agricultural in nature.
* Resident grandchildren (under 16) and resident great-grandchildren (under 16) who fish on farmland which is owned by their resident grandparents or great-grandparents.
* First cousins who own farmland jointly or in common may fish on the farmland. Their children may fish as well.
* You are on military leave, carrying a copy of your leave orders. A pass does not meet this requirement.
* You are a resident who was born before March 1, 1926. (To qualify for this exemption, you must carry proof of your age and residency to show to a wildlife officer, if requested.)
* It’s Free Fishing Day!
* It’s Free Fishing Week! Children all ages 15 and younger can fish free during the free fishing week.

See more information on Tennessee fishing licenses at https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/twra/license-sales.html.