Boating and fishing on Norris Lake

Bringing your own boat to Paradise Point

Yes, you can bring your own boat to Paradise Point. Launch at the private launch on Zen Island Way, then keep the boat at your home's covered slip. Boats and trailers can't come to the houses, so leave the trailer at the mailbox by Island Rd. and Paradise Pt. There is no turnaround at Lakefront Paradise.

Lakefront Paradise has a private 25-foot, two-slip covered dock with a swim platform. Blue Haven has a covered single-slip dock with a 32 by 20 foot swim deck. Each home also comes with two kayaks.

A boat registered in another state can be used on Tennessee waters for 60 consecutive days before Tennessee registration is required.

A few ramp habits keep the launch moving and the lake clean:

• Get the boat ready away from the ramp.
• Launch with two people: one drives the tow vehicle, one runs the boat. Move the boat clear right away.
• Never leave a vehicle or boat unattended in the launch lane. Chock the wheels if you launch alone.
• Before you leave, remove plants and animals, and drain the motor, livewell and bilge on land.
• Never dump live bait into the lake.

Renting a pontoon at Norris Landing Marina

Norris Landing Marina, across the cove from Paradise Point, rents pontoons and a jon boat. It does not rent jet skis. Its online booking site lists Trifecta and Sylvan Mirage pontoons and a Berkshire double-decker, with bookings from 1 to 12 hours.

The marina is at 1015 Marina Landing Road, Tazewell, TN 37879, (423) 626-1818. Its contact page lists the marina as open year-round, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The ship store sells fuel, tow ropes, water skis, tubes, ski vests, life jackets, marine batteries, cold drinks and snacks.

Jimmy's Place Lakeside Bar & Restaurant, at the marina, lets boaters from anywhere on Norris Lake dock and come in to eat. It is seasonal. As of October 16, 2026, its website said it was closed for the season and gave no reopening date. One group staying at Lakefront Paradise wrote that they paddled kayaks over to the marina's restaurant.

Read the rental terms before you book:

• Renters must be 21 or older and have a valid driver's license.
• Renters born after January 1, 1989 must show the TWRA Boating Safety Education Certificate. Out-of-state NASBLA-approved certificates are accepted.
• Rentals are paid in full when you reserve. Fuel and the 9.25% Tennessee sales tax are not included in the rate.
• Cancellations must be requested within 48 hours of purchase.
• Emergency life vests come with every rental.

Jet ski rentals and other Norris Lake marinas

For jet ski rentals, look to other marinas. A Norris Lake marina directory lists jet ski (PWC) rentals at Straight Creek and Cedar Grove in the New Tazewell area, Flat Hollow in Speedwell, Springs Dock and Sugar Hollow in LaFollette, and Twin Cove in Caryville. Call to confirm before you go.

Jet skis have their own Tennessee rules. No one under 16 may rent one. Everyone aboard must wear a USCG-approved wearable life jacket, and inflatables are not allowed. The engine cut-off lanyard must be attached to the driver's wrist or life jacket. Jet skis may only run between sunrise and sunset, and jumping a wake within 100 feet of another vessel is illegal.

The Norris Lake Marina Association lists 23 marinas on the lake. Besides Norris Landing, the ones in the New Tazewell and Tazewell area are:

• Straight Creek Marina, 775 Straight Creek Dock Road, New Tazewell, 423-626-5826. Rents pontoons, party barges and fishing boats, plus wave runners, kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, water skis and tubes. Boat ramp and convenience store.
• Cedar Grove Marina & Campground, 255 Dock Lane, New Tazewell, (865) 278-3131, right off Highway 33. Rents pontoons, ski boats and houseboats. A third-party guide lists waverunners there, but the marina's own site does not, so ask.
• Lone Mountain Marina, 325 Lone Mountain Boat Dock Lane, Tazewell, (423) 626-9437. Pontoon rentals, a concrete launch ramp, gas, and a store with bait and licenses. Its website still shows a 2024 season banner, so call first.

Do you need a boating license in Tennessee?

Yes, if you were born after January 1, 1989 and will drive a motorboat or jet ski with more than 8.5 horsepower. What people call a Tennessee boating license is the TWRA boating safety education certificate, and you must carry it while you drive.

Tennessee residents must pass the TWRA Boating Safety Exam and carry the TWRA-issued certificate. Visitors can use proof of a NASBLA-approved boating safety course, such as their home-state card. The TWRA certificate does not expire.

You don't need a certificate for a boat with an engine of 8.5 hp or less, or a sailboat under sail alone. You are also exempt when an adult 18 or older, born on or before January 1, 1989, is aboard and can take control. Rentals can be stricter: Norris Landing Marina requires renters born after January 1, 1989 to show the certificate.

Children under 12 may drive a boat over 8.5 hp only with a supervisor on board who is at least 18 and able to take control right away. A supervisor born after January 1, 1989 also needs the certificate.

A few more Tennessee rules for the water:

• Go no faster than slow, no-wake speed in marked No Wake areas, and stay at idle speed within 300 feet of a commercial vessel dock.
• Slow down when passing within 100 feet of a law enforcement boat showing a flashing blue light.
• Anyone towed on skis or a tube must wear a life jacket. The boat needs an observer at least 12 years old besides the driver, or wide-angle rearview mirrors.
• An operator with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher is presumed to be under the influence.

Life jackets on Norris Lake

Every boat on Norris Lake must carry one USCG-approved wearable life jacket for each person aboard. Children 12 and younger must wear theirs on the open deck whenever the boat is not anchored, moored or aground. Boats 16 feet or longer also need a throwable Type IV device, though canoes and kayaks are exempt from that part.

Life jackets must be in good condition and easy to reach. Inflatable life jackets are not approved for anyone under 16 or for jet skis.

The two kayaks at each home don't come with life jackets, so bring one for every paddler. The kayak notes ask that each paddler's life jacket be on the kayak with them, and they warn that the paddles don't float. If you rent at Norris Landing Marina, emergency life vests come with the boat, and the ship store sells life jackets and ski vests.

Fishing Norris Lake: what bites, when, and the license you need

Norris Lake is best known for striped bass. It is managed for quality bass, striped bass, walleye and crappie, and stripers, walleye and crappie are stocked on an ongoing basis. A Norris species list from Premier Angler also includes largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and other sunfish.

The lake covers about 34,000 acres and reaches 210 feet at its deepest. A local guide quoted in 2020 said stripers typically run 10 to 30 pounds, with many around 35. Smallmouth can reach 3 to 5 pounds.

Timing matters. Norris is noted for winter smallmouth fishing, best from November to April. Walleye fishing pressure peaks during the early-spring spawning runs. In summer, anglers troll for stripers just above the thermocline, around 30 to 43 feet deep in late summer, using live shad, alewives or artificials on downriggers. In fall, as the water cools, stripers often chase shad to the surface. At night, topwaters and jerkbaits near shore work.

Major League Fishing's Bass Pro Tour comes to Norris Lake for Stage 3, March 11 to 14, 2027, with 50 top pro anglers launching from Lonas Young Memorial Park in Campbell County. It is the tour's first visit to Norris.

You don't need a boat to start. At Lakefront Paradise, the listing's advice is to bring your gear and head to the dock. One guest review says their group enjoyed a week of fishing and having a boat dock at the house.

Anglers 13 and older need a Tennessee fishing license. Children under 13 don't, whether or not they live in Tennessee. Buy one any time at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com, TWRA's official licensing site, or in the TWRA On The Go app. Sporting goods and tackle shops, county clerk offices and TWRA regional offices sell them too, and near the lake the Norris Lake Marina Association lists Cedar Grove Marina and Lone Mountain Dock among marinas that do. Visitors can buy 3-day or 10-day non-resident licenses as well as annual ones.

Norris limits for the main game fish are below. Check TWRA's current fishing guide before you go.

• Striped bass, April 1 to October 31: 2 per day, 15-inch minimum.
• Striped bass, November 1 to March 31: 1 per day, 36-inch minimum.
• Walleye and sauger combined: 5 per day, 15-inch minimum (upstream to Grissom Island on the Clinch River).
• Crappie: 10 per day, 10-inch minimum.

Seasons, lake levels and launch-day waits

Norris Lake is fullest in summer and lowest in winter. TVA controls the level and aims to have its lakes at summer level by June 1. Full summer pool on Norris is 1,020 feet above sea level. Around Labor Day TVA starts lowering it, reaching flood-control levels by January 1. In a year with normal rainfall, the level varies about 29 feet between summer and winter.

2026 has been a low-water year. In May, TVA said Norris was about 7 to 8 feet below summer pool because of the worst drought in almost 20 years, though still within its normal operating range and open for boating. The Norris Lake Marina Association says the lake never reached full pool this year. On October 15, 2026, it read 1,006.55 feet, about 13 feet below full pool and about 9 feet below the seasonal guide curve for mid-October. Levels change daily, so check a current reading before your trip.

Low water brings more hazards. TVA has warned that when Norris is low, sandbars, exposed banks and submerged stumps become navigation hazards, and it asks boaters who don't know the lake to take extra care.

Lake.com puts peak season at Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, with Saturday-morning launch waits of 30 to 45 minutes, and says some marinas close certain facilities after Labor Day. At Paradise Point you skip the public ramp: the two homes share a private launch on Zen Island Way.

Water temperatures follow the seasons. The Norris Lake Marina Association's monthly averages put the water at about 70°F in May, 80°F in June, 86°F in August and 72°F in October, then 51°F in November.