Spring Creek Fishing Guides
A middle Tennessee limestone creek below Lebanon, draining the cedar glades of the Central Basin on a gauge that reports discharge, stage and precipitation together.
Guides on the Spring Creek
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About the Spring Creek
Spring Creek rises in the cedar glade country east of Nashville and runs below the town of Lebanon toward the Cumberland River system. It sits in the Central Basin of middle Tennessee, a landscape floored with flat lying Ordovician limestone where thin soils, exposed bedrock and the distinctive red cedar and glade plant communities define the ground the creek drains. That limestone is what makes the water chemistry here fertile, hard and well buffered, and it is why a creek of this modest size supports the smallmouth population it does.
The hydrology is flashier than the name suggests. Thin soil over limestone means rainfall reaches the channel quickly rather than soaking in, so the creek rises fast, runs off fast and settles into a low clear baseflow that is fed by springs and seeps along the valley floor. The gauge here is set up to show exactly that, reporting discharge and stage alongside precipitation at the same site, which is an unusually direct way to watch a storm move through a small basin. Anyone planning a trip should read the precipitation trace and the discharge trace together rather than either alone.
Smallmouth bass are the fish worth coming for, holding in the bedrock ledges and the deeper pools where the creek has cut down into the limestone, with rock bass alongside them in the same water. Longear, green and redbreast sunfish fill the slower margins, and channel catfish work the deeper holes. Largemouth bass appear in the slack water lower down. Lebanon sits half an hour east of Nashville on the interstate, so this is accessible water, though most visiting anglers drive past it toward the Caney Fork and the Cumberland tailwaters without ever stopping.
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Access
Lebanon - the county seat immediately upstream, with full services, lodging and the gauge reference point.
Cedars of Lebanon State Park - state land in the cedar glades south of town, with camping and trails.
Cumberland River - the receiving system north, with the main stem fishery and boat access.
Old Hickory Lake - the Cumberland impoundment downstream, with ramps and a developed fishery.
Caney Fork River - the noted tailwater east toward Carthage, and the main draw for visiting anglers.
Nashville - half an hour west, with the nearest major airport, fly shops and guide services.
Mount Juliet - between Lebanon and Nashville, with further lodging and services near the creek.
Seasons
Spring: high and often coloured as glade runoff peaks, with the smallmouth fishing turning on quickly once the discharge trace flattens.
Summer: low, clear and spring fed, the best sight fishing of the year for smallmouth in the bedrock pools.
Fall: settled and cool, with strong smallmouth and rock bass fishing and easy wading on exposed limestone.
Winter: cold and low, with slow but genuine fishing in the deeper holes on the milder days.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Spring Creek?
Anglers target Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Creek Chub, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Longear Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Spring Creek in Tennessee.
Where can you access the Spring Creek?
Lebanon - the county seat immediately upstream, with full services, lodging and the gauge reference point. Cedars of Lebanon State Park - state land in the cedar glades south of town, with camping and trails. Cumberland River - the receiving system north, with the main stem fishery and boat access. Old Hickory Lake - the Cumberland impoundment downstream, with ramps and a developed fishery. Caney Fork River - the noted tailwater east toward Carthage, and the main draw for visiting anglers. Nashville - half an hour west, with the nearest major airport, fly shops and guide services. Mount Juliet...
When is the best time to fish the Spring Creek?
Spring: high and often coloured as glade runoff peaks, with the smallmouth fishing turning on quickly once the discharge trace flattens. Summer: low, clear and spring fed, the best sight fishing of the year for smallmouth in the bedrock pools. Fall: settled and cool, with strong smallmouth and rock bass fishing and easy wading on exposed limestone. Winter: cold and low, with slow but genuine fishing in the deeper holes on the milder days.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Spring Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Tennessee agency site: https://www.tn.gov/twra/fishing/fishing-regulations.html