“Old Hickory Lake is a 22,500 acre reservoir created by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam on the Cumberland River,” in the Corps’ own description on Recreation.gov. The lock sits at Cumberland River Mile 216.2, about 11.5 miles northeast of Nashville, and the Corps counts “approximately 6.4 million visitors annually”. The Nashville District gives its normal pool as approximately 445 feet and is running a drawdown of one to two feet through November 2026. TWRA regulates the fishery with its own Old Hickory entry: a 14-inch largemouth minimum, an 18-inch smallmouth minimum, 30 crappie at 10 inches, and walleye, sauger and paddlefish lines of their own. The live level is the Corps’ record: we found no USGS gauge on the lake.
The lake in one paragraph
Old Hickory Lock and Dam is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, project on the Cumberland River mainstem; the Corps’ records name the lake gauge “Old Hickory Lock and Dam Headwater” and the one below it “Old Hickory Dam Tailwater”, with Hendersonville as the nearest city. Recreation.gov: “Old Hickory Lake is managed by Us Army Corps of Engineers and is located near Hendersonville, Tennessee.” The Corps Lakes Gateway says the lake “ranks third in Corps-wide visitation” (the page is undated), and a 2024 Corps release calls it “one of the most visited USACE lakes in the nation”. The Corps’ record gives storage of 420,000 acre-feet at Top of Power, 545,000 at Top of Flood and 695,000 at Top of Dam. The fishery is the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s, in its Region 2 reservoir rules. The addresses we read for the Corps’ areas are in Hendersonville, Gallatin, Old Hickory, Mount Juliet and Lebanon.
The pool, in the Corps’ words
The Corps’ water-data record for the lake, location ohht1, carries no label called “summer pool” or “winter pool”, and no Corps document we read uses either term for Old Hickory. Its wording for the ordinary level, in the September 2026 release, is a “normal pool elevation of approximately 445 MSL”. The record’s labelled levels, as it gave them on 7 November 2026, in feet on its own datum, NGVD29:
| Corps label on record ohht1 | Feet, NGVD29 |
|---|---|
| Top of Dam | 455 |
| Top of Flood | 450 |
| Top of Induced Surcharge | 450 |
| Bottom of Flood | 445 |
| Top of Power | 445 |
| Bottom of Power | 442 |
| Top of Inactive | 442 |
| Spillway Crest | 406 |
| Streambed | 372.01 |
Read the table plainly: between Bottom of Power at 442 and Top of Power at 445 there are three feet. That is our reading of the Corps’ labels, not a sentence the Corps prints, and it makes this a different lake from J. Percy Priest, which the Corps runs to a 490-foot summer elevation and a 483-foot winter target.
The November 2026 drawdown. The Nashville District’s release of 15 September 2026, “Old Hickory Lake drawdown to assess shoreline conditions in November”, sets a target in the “443 to 443.5 mean sea level (MSL) range”, one to two feet below normal pool. The lowering starts on 2 November, reaches 443 by 6 November and holds through 20 November, with the lake to be back at normal pool by 28 November 2026. The purpose is to assess the shoreline next to the Corps’ recreation areas and do maintenance there; rainfall and other conditions may change the levels, and the contact is (615) 822-4846. The release gives no advice about ramps or docks. The previous drawdown was in November 2023, to the same 443 to 443.5 range, and the Corps described those as periodic, at the resource manager’s request, so that the Corps, lakefront owners and marinas can work on docks, retaining walls and other structures. No regular annual schedule was published in anything we read: status pending.
The record read 442.91 feet at 12:00 UTC on 7 November 2026, with 9,830.87 cubic feet per second coming in and 0 percent of flood control in use. At the same hour the tailwater record, ohit1, showed 0 cfs going out and no generation, down 20,400 cfs and 75 megawatt-hours from 24 hours earlier, with the tail at 385.16 feet. Those are dated readings, printed as readings; the record states the changes, not their cause.
Two groups of addresses
The Corps Lakes Gateway lists 29 USACE-managed areas on this lake and a longer list run by others. Its marks for which areas have a ramp did not survive when we read the page, so this guide confirms a launch only where an agency page says so in words: eight Corps areas on Recreation.gov. Rockland, whose ramp the Corps reopened in 2024, makes nine with its status pending, and Cedar Creek, with no ramp on its record, is listed so nobody drives there to launch on our word. We sort them by the town on the agency’s address, not by a road we verified: no source we read describes how the roads connect, and two addresses on the same road name sit in different towns.
| Group | Address towns | Launch on the record | Day-use fee read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Hendersonville and Gallatin | Hendersonville; Gallatin | Avondale, Cages Bend; Rockland (status pending); Nat Caldwell Park, paddle craft from the bank | Cages Bend ramp and pier free; others not published |
| 2 · Old Hickory, Mount Juliet and Lebanon | Old Hickory; Mount Juliet; Lebanon | Old Hickory Beach, Shutes Branch, Lone Branch, Laguardo; Cedar Creek (no ramp text) | $5 per vehicle at Old Hickory Beach, Laguardo and Cedar Creek |
Fees are printed only where an agency page states one. The Gateway marks nine fee areas: Avondale, Cages Bend, Cedar Creek, Laguardo, Lone Branch, Nat Caldwell Park, Old Hickory Beach, Rockland and Shutes Branch. Whether the $5 day-use fee covers launching is not stated on any record we read, and nor is a launch fee anywhere except at Cages Bend, which the Avondale record says is free: status pending. The directions the Gateway gives for the lake as a whole are “From Nashville, north on I-65 to Madison exit, east on TN 45 to the lake.”
Group 1 — Hendersonville and Gallatin: the dam end and the Gallatin side
The Corps’ Resource Manager’s Office is at No. 5 Power Plant Rd., Hendersonville, and Rockland Recreation Area is next to it at 5 Power Plant Rd. Rockland is the area to call about before you tow: the Corps closed it and Power Plant Road after the December 2023 tornado, reopened the ramp in 2024 while saying “Rockland Park will remain closed”, and closed the ramp and its parking from 16 to 21 August and 23 to 24 August 2026 for repaving, sending boaters to “nearby public boat ramps at Walton Ferry Access Area, Mallard Point, Sanders Ferry Park, Saundersville Access Area, and Stark Knob Access Area”. Its Recreation.gov page still reads “These areas will remain closed to the public due to the damage and devastation caused by the tornado”.
| Area | Getting there | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Rockland Recreation Area | 5 Power Plant Rd, Hendersonville 37075; 615-822-4846 | Ramp reopened in 2024; ramp and lot closed for repaving in August 2026; Recreation.gov: the areas “will remain closed” and “All Rockland picnic shelters will not be available for reservation in 2026.” The Corps: “excellent fishing for several species including bass, crappie, walleye, sauger and catfish”, and bank fishing is popular there. Ramp status today: status pending; call (615) 822-4846. |
| Avondale | 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; shelters reservable weekdays May to Labor Day. Fees not listed. |
| Cages Bend | 1125 Benders Ferry Rd, Gallatin 37066; 615-824-4989 | “a boat ramp for easy lake access”; “Two docks are also available for fishing only”, one in the campground and one beside the ramp. The Avondale record: “At Cages Bend Boat Ramp, you can utilize both the launching ramp and fishing pier free of charge.” Campground $35 interior and $40 waterfront for 2027, card only from 1 April 2027. |
| Nat Caldwell Park | Gallatin 37066, no street address on the record; (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, across Nashville Pike off Douglas Bend Road. “Parking is limited.” |
Group 2 — Old Hickory, Mount Juliet and Lebanon
Five Corps areas, from Old Hickory Beach beside the dam to Laguardo off Hwy 109. Old Hickory Beach takes payment at machines captioned “Credit Card Payment ONLY”, so bring a card. Lone Branch and Cages Bend share a road name on their addresses, Benders Ferry Road, but one is in Mount Juliet and the other in Gallatin; nothing we read says the road is continuous, so plan them as separate drives.
| Area | Getting there | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Old Hickory Beach | 876 Burnett Rd, Old Hickory 37138; 615-847-8091 | “Boat ramps” among the facilities; “There is a $5 fee per vehicle for day-use facilities”; card only at the fee machines. In February 2025 the Corps said the Old Hickory Beach Peninsula boat ramps “will remain open”. |
| Shutes Branch | Old Hickory 37138, no street address on the record; 615-754-4847 | “a boat launch and fishing platform”; “Restroom facilities at Shutes Branch are closed due to fire damage.” “Parking is limited.” Fees not listed. |
| Lone Branch | 3791 Benders Ferry Rd, Mt. Juliet 37122; (615) 822-4846 | “A boat ramp is also available for use.” “Parking is limited.” Fees not listed. |
| Cedar Creek | 9264 Saundersville Rd, Mount Juliet 37122; 615-754-4947 | Corps campground, “60 campsites” in the overview (the site list on the same page has 59 entries, one of them a group shelter); “$5.00/vehicle or $2.00/walk-in for day-use facilities”. No ramp text on the record: status pending. |
| Laguardo | 7680 Hwy 109 N, Lebanon 37087 (mailing address); 615-449-6544 | “a convenient boat ramp located within the facility”; “There is a $5 fee per vehicle for day-use facilities; parking is limited”. Launch fee not listed. |
The rest of the Corps’ list
The Gateway’s 29 USACE-managed areas are Avondale Access, Barton’s Creek Access, Bull Creek Access/Flippers, Cages Bend, Cairo Access, Carthage Access, Cedar Creek, Coles Ferry Access, Davis Corner Access, Environmental Study Area, Hunter’s Point Access, Laguardo Day Use, Lock 3 Day Use, Lone Branch Day Use, Martha Gallatin Day Use, Nat Caldwell Park, Old Hickory Beach Day Use, Old Union Access, Rockland Recreation Area, Rome Ferry Access, Sandy Chapel Access, Saundersville Access, Shutes Branch Day Use Area, Stark Knob Access, Station Camp Creek Access, Tailwater Left Bank Day Use, Tailwater Right Bank Day Use, Taylor’s Landing/Hartsville Access and Walton Ferry Day Use. Its areas “managed by others” include Anchor High Marina, Bentley’s Landing Access, Bledsoe Creek State Park, Blue Turtle Bay Marina, Bluegrass Country Club, Camp Boxwell Reservation, Cedar Creek Club, Cedar Creek Marina, Cedar Grove Access, Cherokee Resort, Creekwood Marina, Dickerson Chapel Access, Drakes Creek Marina, Drakes Creek Park, F.O.P. Camp, Gallatin Access, Gallatin Marina, Gallatin Soccer Fields, Goose Creek Access, Harbor Island Yacht Club, Lock 4 Park, Mallard Point Park, Memorial Park, Riverview Access, Sanders Ferry Park, Second Creek Access, Shady Cove Resort, Smith County Park and Tyree Access.
Five ramps are named in the Corps’ August 2026 Rockland notice — Walton Ferry, Mallard Point, Sanders Ferry Park, Saundersville and Stark Knob — and that is all we read about them: no coordinate, fee or facility record, so they are off the map and their details are status pending. So is Station Camp Creek, where the Nat Caldwell record sends larger boats. The marinas Recreation.gov names (Anchor High, Blackjack Cove, Cedar Creek, Creekwood, Drakes Creek, Gallatin) and the two resorts (Cherokee, Shady Cove) are named only. Bledsoe Creek State Park is Tennessee State Parks’, at 400 Zieglers Fort Road, Gallatin 37066, 1-888-867-2757, office 8:00am to 4:30pm on the state’s reservation site; the Corps’ Recreation.gov text names a fishing pier there (“Nearby fishing piers attract anglers at Rockland, Sanders Ferry, Shutes Branch and Bledsoe Creek State Park”). The park’s own page refused us: its ramp, acreage and rules are status pending.
Paddling
The only launch text on any record that names paddle craft is Nat Caldwell Park’s shoreline launch; Avondale, Shutes Branch and Laguardo list kayaking among their activities. Nothing we read describes paddling conditions. This is a navigation lake with a lock at the dam, and the Corps’ cautions below are written for boaters near releases and at low water. Our judgment, not the Corps’: kayak fit is fair at best, and a paddler belongs in the coves near the named launches, not out in the main lake.
Camping and day-use fees the Corps prints
“Camping fees will increase $5.00 per night for the 2027 season”, and Cedar Creek and Cages Bend take cards only from 1 April 2027. Cages Bend’s 2027 rates are $35 a night for interior sites and $40 for waterfront. Several of the Recreation.gov “campground” listings for this lake are day-use shelters, and the gateway does not say which prices are which, so we print no other nightly rate: the gateway is the authority. The day-use fee a launching angler meets is the $5 per vehicle on the Old Hickory Beach, Laguardo and Cedar Creek records (Cedar Creek: $2.00 walk-in). Several records ask you to buy firewood locally and burn it on site.
What the regulations tell you about the lake
TWRA’s 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide, as published on eRegulations, heads the entry “Old Hickory” in the Region 2 reservoir section (page last updated 11 September 2026, read 7 November 2026). Every line, verbatim:
| Species | TWRA Old Hickory entry, verbatim |
|---|---|
| Black bass | “Five (5) per day in combination.” |
| Largemouth bass | “14 inch minimum length limit.” |
| Smallmouth bass | “18 inch minimum length limit.” |
| Spotted bass | “No length limit.” |
| Crappie (all species) | “30 per day in combination, 10 inch minimum length limit.” |
| Catfish (all species) | “No creel limit for fish 34 inches and less in length; only one (1) fish over 34 inches in length may be harvested per day.” |
| Striped bass or hybrid striped bass | “2 per day in combination, 15 inch minimum length limit.” |
| White bass | “15 per day, no length limit.” |
| Yellow bass | “No creel or length limit.” |
| Walleye | “Five (5) per day, 16 inch minimum length limit.” |
| Sauger | “10 per day, 15 inch minimum length limit.” |
| Paddlefish | “Two (2) per day; season is open from April 24 through May 31. Culling is prohibited.” |
| Rock bass | “20 per day, no length limit.” |
| Redear sunfish | “20 per day, no length limit.” |
| Bluegill/Warmouth and other sunfishes | “No creel or length limit.” |
Two general lines on the same page govern the rest: “Statewide regulations apply for any species not mentioned under each listed reservoir section” and “Reservoir full pool elevation is the boundary between reservoir and tributary streams or rivers for harvest restrictions.” The guide does not give that full-pool elevation in feet, and we do not supply the Corps’ 445 in TWRA’s name. The line most people will get wrong is the largemouth: 14 inches here, where the Percy Priest entry on the same page says 15. A regulation line is not a population statement: that TWRA writes a paddlefish season or a smallmouth minimum for Old Hickory says the agency manages for those fish, not how many there are.
Licences, and the Kentucky question
This is Tennessee water, and no source we read says so in a sentence: every agency address for the lake is in Tennessee, and that is the inference. Tennessee’s reciprocal agreements page (last updated 15 September 2026) says “Tennessee has several reciprocal agreements with adjacent states.”, and the Kentucky waters it lists are the Big South Fork from Leatherwood Ford Bridge to the KY 92 bridge at Yamacraw, the Wolf River arm of Dale Hollow including the Illwill Creek embayment, and Kentucky Lake between the McWherter and Eggner’s Ferry bridges excluding the Blood River embayment. KDFWR’s own reciprocal page lists the same three waters in its own wording. Neither mentions Old Hickory or the Cumberland above Nashville. So a Kentucky licence alone does not cover Old Hickory, and a Kentucky resident fishes it on a Tennessee non-resident licence — our reading of the two lists, not a sentence either agency prints. Compare the arm of Dale Hollow where the agreement does carry a Kentucky licence into Tennessee.
| Non-resident licence, 16 and over (TWRA, 10 Sep 2026) | Fee |
|---|---|
| 3-Day Fishing, No Trout | $20 |
| 3-Day Fishing, All Species | $40 |
| 10-Day Fishing, No Trout | $30 |
| 10-Day Fishing, All Species | $61 |
| Annual Fishing, No Trout | $49 |
| Annual Fishing, All Species | $98 |
No non-resident one-day fishing licence is listed. “Purchase your license 24/7/365 through the Go Outdoors Tennessee licensing system.”, or from a licence agent in Tennessee (licence information, last updated 10 September 2026). Who must hold a licence, by age, and the exemptions were not on the pages we read: status pending. These are TWRA’s published prices; nothing here is sold through this site.
What TWRA says about the fishery
Nothing we could read, because the agency’s site reset the connection on every attempt. TWRA’s lake page for Old Hickory, its stocking reports, and any survey or creel report for the lake are status pending, every item, and the first thing to re-fetch. What is sourced is the list of species TWRA writes an Old Hickory rule for — largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, crappie, catfish, striped and hybrid striped bass, white and yellow bass, walleye, sauger, paddlefish, rock bass, redear, bluegill and warmouth — and that is a list of rules, not of abundance. The Corps’ own recreation pages say more, in the Corps’ voice: the Gateway calls largemouth bass “the premier game fish on Old Hickory” and says “The 25 pound world record walleye was caught here in 1960.” We print that as the Corps’ sentence; whether the fish stands as a current record was not checked against any record-keeping body, so that is status pending too. Cages Bend’s record names “catfish, crappie and bass.” No seasonal pattern is printed because no agency statement of one was readable, and we do not print our own in its place. There is no trout angle on this page, and no spots on it or its cards.
The lock, the dam, and the hazards the agencies name
The lock: “Regular lock hours are 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, except during necessary closures for maintenance.” Boaters “contact the lock operator on duty via marine radio channels 13 or 16” or “call the lock master at Old Hickory Lock at 615-240-4037” (Corps, 22 August 2025, announcing a closure “to all navigation traffic, including recreational vessels” on 27 and 28 August 2025). A February 2025 Corps notice gave channels 13, 14 or 16 and a different number, 615-847-3281; we print the newer one, and you should confirm on approach.
Releases: on 19 February 2025, with “Old Hickory - Spillway releases are being reduced today to around 55,000 cfs”, the Nashville District wrote: “Boaters and the public are urged to exercise caution near dam releases and to heed all posted warnings.” “High flows and rapid water level changes can be dangerous, particularly near spillways and turbines.” Low water, from the District’s April 2026 release for all its lakes (Old Hickory is not named in it): it “advises swimmers and boaters to be especially cautious when recreating at USACE reservoirs”; at low water “rocks or snags sit closer to the surface”; boaters unfamiliar with a lake should stay within the designated channel and “pay special attention to any buoys or regulatory markers”; and “wearing a life jacket is the best way to stay safe when visiting a Corps of Engineers lake.” With the lake held near 443 through 20 November 2026, that last release is the one to read.
What we did not find: any description of commercial tow traffic on the lake, tow wakes, lock-approach rules, restricted zones above or below the dam, sirens or release warnings, or a generation schedule. Status pending, and this page does not describe any of them — obey the posted signs and buoys. Cold water: no agency statement specific to this lake was read.
Who manages what
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, owns and operates the lock, the dam, the lake and the USACE areas; the Old Hickory Lake Resource Manager’s Office is at No. 5 Power Plant Rd., Hendersonville, TN 37075-3467, (615) 822-4846. The Corps posts its releases through DVIDS and names facebook.com/nashvillecorps and facebook.com/oldhickorylake as its channels. The fishery is the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s, Region II, 5105 Edmondson Pike, Nashville 37211, 615-781-6622 (toll free 1-800-624-7406); violations 1-800-255-8972; License Division 615-781-5270. Bledsoe Creek State Park is Tennessee State Parks’, 400 Zieglers Fort Road, Gallatin 37066, 1-888-867-2757.
What we have not verified
- Current pool. Live. Read the Corps record ohht1, Elev-Pool, not any number printed on a website, including the dated reading on this one. Whether the November 2026 drawdown ran to schedule after 7 November is status pending.
- A regular drawdown schedule. Two Novembers (2023 and 2026) are documented; no annual schedule was published.
- TWRA’s lake page, stocking reports, surveys and creel. tn.gov reset the connection. Status pending.
- Counties, length, shoreline miles, dam and lock dimensions, construction dates and generating capacity. No readable source. Status pending.
- Which Gateway areas have ramps, and whether Cedar Creek has one. The Gateway’s amenity marks did not survive our read. Status pending.
- Rockland’s ramp today. Reopened in 2024, repaved in August 2026, and Recreation.gov still says closed. Call (615) 822-4846.
- The tailwater ramp and fishing platform, closed from 12 February 2025: whether they reopened.
- Walton Ferry, Mallard Point, Sanders Ferry, Saundersville, Stark Knob, Station Camp Creek and the Old Hickory Beach Peninsula ramps: coordinates and details.
- Bledsoe Creek State Park’s own page (ramp, acreage, rules): tnstateparks.com refused.
- Launch fees everywhere except Cages Bend, and whether the $5 day-use fee covers launching.
- Tow traffic, tow wakes, lock-approach rules, restricted zones, sirens and the generation schedule. Nothing read.
- TWRA’s licence-age statement and exemptions. Not on the pages read.
- Whether the Cheatham Reservoir entry runs up to Old Hickory Dam. Not stated in the text read.
- The 1960 walleye as a current record, and the tornado’s exact date and rating, on which Corps sources differ.
- The marinas and resorts: named by the Corps and Recreation.gov; nothing else read.
- The Corps Visitor Center’s opening status. Closed in a September 2024 release; nothing newer read.
Sources and how confident we are
Check it yourself
- USACE water data — Old Hickory Lock and Dam Headwater (ohht1): Elev-Pool, Inflow and the labelled levels; and the tailwater record (ohit1)
- Corps Lakes Gateway — Old Hickory Lake (office, directions, area lists, fee areas)
- Recreation.gov — Old Hickory Lake, and the facility records for Old Hickory Beach, Rockland, Shutes Branch, Avondale, Cages Bend, Nat Caldwell Park, Lone Branch, Cedar Creek and Laguardo
- Nashville District releases: November 2026 drawdown, 15 September 2026; Rockland ramp repaving, 6 August 2026; low lake levels, 21 April 2026; lock closure and hours, 22 August 2025; high releases, 19 February 2025; tailwater ramp closure, 4 February 2025; Rockland ramp reopening, 22 May 2024; November 2023 drawdown, 1 August 2023
- TWRA 2026–27 Fishing Guide — Region 2 (the Old Hickory and Cheatham entries), reciprocal agreements, licence fees, licence information and TWRA offices
- KDFWR — reciprocal agreements
- Tennessee State Parks — Bledsoe Creek (address, phone, office hours)
- USGS NWIS site service — 03426310, 03426490, 03425622 (the periods of record)
Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District — water-data records ohht1 and ohit1 (read 7 November 2026) for the labelled levels, storage, datum, coordinates and readings; releases of 1 August 2023 (November 2023 drawdown), 22 May 2024 and 20 September 2024 (Rockland, the tornado, visitation), 4 February 2025 (tailwater ramp, lock radio), 19 February 2025 (releases and cautions), 22 August 2025 (lock hours, river mile), 21 April 2026 (low-water cautions), 6 August 2026 (Rockland repaving, alternate ramps) and 15 September 2026 (November 2026 drawdown), on DVIDS and army.mil; Corps Lakes Gateway project H313280. Recreation.gov gateway 390 and facility records 232658, 234754, 232705, 232518, 232539, 232650, 232629, 232545 and 232616, including the facility coordinates. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — the 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide as published on eRegulations: Region 2 (11 September 2026), reciprocal agreements (15 September 2026), licence fees and information (10 September 2026) and TWRA offices (28 August 2026), all read 7 November 2026. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources reciprocal agreements page. Tennessee State Parks reservation site, Bledsoe Creek. USGS National Water Information System site service for 03426310, 03426490 and 03425622. Verify current conditions before travelling.