Old Hickory Lake

The dam end and the Gallatin addresses: Rockland beside the Corps office on Power Plant Road, Avondale, Cages Bend and Nat Caldwell Park. Every area is drawn at its Recreation.gov coordinate, which marks the area, not the ramp.

POWER PLANT RD · AVONDALE ACCESS RD · BENDERS FERRY RD Corps areas at Recreation.gov coordinates · schematic

Schematic map of the Hendersonville and Gallatin side of Old Hickory Lake: Old Hickory Lock and Dam at the Corps record position, Rockland, Avondale, Cages Bend and Nat Caldwell Park at their Recreation.gov coordinates, the lake drawn as a schematic sweep

Three things to get right

What you hear	What the primary sources actually say
"It's at summer pool."	The record has no summer pool. Its labels are Top of Power 445 and Bottom of Power 442 ft; the Corps calls the ordinary level a "normal pool elevation of approximately 445 MSL" (15 Sep 2026).
"Rockland's ramp is open."	Not confirmed. Reopened in 2024 after the December 2023 tornado, closed for repaving in Aug 2026, and Recreation.gov still says the areas "will remain closed". Call (615) 822-4846.
"Same bass rules as Percy Priest."	No: largemouth is 14 inches here. TWRA's Old Hickory entry is on the back (2026-27 guide, Region 2, 11 Sep 2026).

The pool, in the Corps' words

November 2026 drawdown: the Corps aims for the "443 to 443.5" ft range, lowering from 2 Nov, holding through 20 Nov, and back to normal pool by 28 Nov, to assess shoreline at its recreation areas (release of 15 Sep 2026). The record read 442.91 ft at 12:00 UTC on 7 Nov 2026. Live level: Corps record ohht1, Elev-Pool, NGVD29; no USGS lake gauge was found.

The dam and the lock. "Regular lock hours are 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, except during necessary closures for maintenance"; radio channels 13 or 16, lock master 615-240-4037 (Corps, 22 Aug 2025; confirm on approach). Near releases: "Boaters and the public are urged to exercise caution near dam releases and to heed all posted warnings" (Corps, 19 Feb 2025).

LIMESTONE DRIFT

OLD HICKORY LAKE · HENDERSONVILLE & GALLATIN Access and limits

Four areas on Hendersonville and Gallatin addresses

Area	Launch fee	The agency's record, read 7 Nov 2026
Rockland	Not published	5 Power Plant Rd, Hendersonville 37075; 615-822-4846. Ramp reopened 2024; ramp and lot closed 16-21 and 23-24 Aug 2026 for repaving; Recreation.gov: "will remain closed". Ramp status today: pending.
Avondale	Not published	133 Avondale Access Rd, Hendersonville 37075; (615) 822-4846. "The boat launch area at Avondale is open year-round." Day use only, no camping, unstaffed.
Cages Bend	Free	1125 Benders Ferry Rd, Gallatin 37066; 615-824-4989. Ramp and "fishing pier free of charge" (Avondale record); two docks "for fishing only". Campground $35-$40 a night in 2027, card only from 1 Apr 2027.
Nat Caldwell Park	Not published	Gallatin 37066, no street address; (615) 822-4846. No ramp: "a great place to launch kayaks and canoes from the shoreline"; for larger boats the record points to Station Camp Creek. "Parking is limited."

Limits — TWRA's Old Hickory entry

Species	Size	Daily creel
Black bass	Largemouth 14 in; smallmouth 18 in; spotted no length limit	5 in combination
Crappie (all species)	10 in minimum	30 in combination
Walleye	16 in minimum	5
Sauger	15 in minimum	10

The rest of the entry: striped or hybrid striped bass 2 at 15 in; white bass 15; catfish "only one (1) fish over 34 inches in length may be harvested per day"; paddlefish two a day, 24 Apr to 31 May, "Culling is prohibited"; rock bass 20, redear 20, bluegill and warmouth no limit. Species not listed: "Statewide regulations apply" (Region 2). Licence: Tennessee's. Old Hickory is on neither state's reciprocal list, so a Kentucky licence does not cover it — our reading of both lists. Non-resident 3-day no-trout $20, 10-day $30, annual $49 (TWRA, 10 Sep 2026).

Live level: water.usace.army.mil, Nashville District, location ohht1 (Elev-Pool); tailwater ohit1 · Corps office, No. 5 Power Plant Rd., Hendersonville 37075, (615) 822-4846 · TWRA Region II 615-781-6622.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District: water-data records ohht1 and ohit1; Corps Lakes Gateway H313280; releases of 19 Feb 2025, 22 Aug 2025, 6 Aug 2026 and 15 Sep 2026 (DVIDS), 22 May 2024 (army.mil); Recreation.gov facility records 234754, 232518, 232539 and 232650. TWRA 2026-27 Tennessee Fishing Guide on eRegulations: Region 2, reciprocal agreements, licence fees. KDFWR reciprocal page.
Conditions change. Verify pool, access and regulations before you travel. Revised November 2026.

limestonedrift.com

Water alerts. We email when something on this lake actually changes — a closure, a drawdown, a rule. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=old-hickory-lake