Rules & Regulations
Cast net laws in Tennessee
Legal with restrictionsInformational only — this is not legal advice
Fishing regulations change, sometimes with little notice, and can vary further by county, water body, or season within a state. This page is a starting point for research, not a substitute for the law. Always verify current rules directly with your state's fish & wildlife agency or TakeMeFishing.org before you fish. BasicGear is not responsible for citations, fines, or gear seizures resulting from reliance on this page.
Last verified: 2026-07-08 — regulations are re-checked periodically; see the date above before assuming this is current.
Summary
Defined as a bait-harvesting device, not general game-fishing gear.
Size, mesh & licensing
- Max size
- 10 ft radius
- Mesh
- Minimum 1/4 in, maximum 1 in, bar/square mesh
- Water type
- Not water-type specific (functionally freshwater/inland)
- License
- Yes — valid Tennessee fishing license
Recommended BasicGear net
Cast Net — Basic Series — Choose a size up to 10 ft radius — every Basic Series mesh option (1/4"–1/2") falls inside Tennessee's 1/4"–1" range.
Official source
TN Wildlife Resources Agency — Live Bait Regulations↗
Medium confidenceDirect fetch of the agency page timed out; text was confirmed via consistent, independently corroborated search-engine quotations of the same page.
Last verified: 2026-07-08
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