Lake level
444.9 ft
−0.1 ft vs yesterday
Normal pool
No spill in the last 24 hours
Past 7 days
Sat 445.2Today 444.9
Old Hickory Lake
Dashboard
Friday, October 23, 2026
1:35:44 AM CDT
Old Hickory Lake People Are Great People!
Created & maintained by Bryan Hill · Admin · Old Hickory Lake People Are Great People!
Admin · Old Hickory Lake People Are Great People!
On the lake now
Calm
The channel stays easy.
Light north wind
The dam runs one generator this morning
Wind, last hour
White: sustained wind · Gold: gusts up to 2 mph
Current starts at 4:00 AM, in 2 hours 25 minutes.
5 hours 26 minutes until sunrise
Best window today
1 to 7 AM
Light wind
Dry
About 50°
Daylight through 6:00 PM
The most pleasant stretch left
Not a promise
Generation
1 to 2 units
25–50 MW
Ramp 7 to 9 PM only
No generators are running
Water temp
68°F
The Cumberland about 20 miles below the dam.
The lake surface usually runs a few degrees warmer.
Past 7 days
Sat 71.0°FToday 68.0°F
Tailwater
385.4 ft
River below the dam
Reported by people on the lake. Not the marina's official listing, unless otherwise noted. Marina fuel prices are listed from least expensive to most expensive. A price stays until a new one is reported, or two people say it's wrong.
An official marina price can't be overwritten.
Anchor High
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Blue Turtle Bay
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Cedar Creek
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Cherokee
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Creekwood
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Drakes Creek
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Gallatin
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Shady Cove
Ethanol-free
…
Diesel
…
Marina owners can email for a one-time code. A price posted with that code is marked Official. [email protected]
Put it on OHLook.
Spot floating debris, a problem at a ramp or dock, or another hazard on the lake? Put it on OHLook so everyone using the dashboard can see it.
Loading reports
Choose a named spot, drop a pin, or use your current location
Others can confirm whether it's still there
Old reports disappear automatically
Unverified. Not a Corps, TWRA, or weather notice. For emergencies, call 911. OHLook isn't monitored.
Old Hickory Lake map
An interactive map of the lake. Coves, marinas, ramps, creeks, and other spots are already pinned.
Tap a pin, or pick a name.
A cove or creek is one point, not the whole shoreline. Not for navigation.
9 names don’t have a pin yet
Shady Cove Marina, Misty Cove, Barton's Creek, East Station Camp Creek, Jennings Fork Creek, Little Cedar Creek, Second Creek, Spencer Creek, Old Union.
Fishing
Right now
Fair
Pressure is steady
Wind is light
The lake is holding steady
Current is low. It picks up at 4:00 AM
Best bet
Bass · Crappie
Bass
A crankbait as the shad move
Best early and late
More lures
Spinnerbait
Jerkbait
Underspin
Crappie
A small jig on brush and docks through the day
More lures
Live minnow
1/16 oz in chartreuse or shad
Catfish
Cut shad below the dam while generation is running · Best 7 to 9 PM
More lures
Live shad
Punch bait if the current is light
White bass
A small chrome spoon where the current pushes shad
More lures
Curly-tail grub
Little swimbait
Why this outlook
Barometer 30.20 → Steady
+0.01 in 1 hr · +0.01 in 3 hr · +0.02 in 6 hr
Pressure, last 6 hours
30.20 inHg · ↑ 0.02 in 6 hr · Rising
Current is low. It picks up at 4:00 AM
The channel stays easy.
Rain today: none
Rain yesterday: none
Tempest at the lake.
Sunrise 7:01 AM · Sunset 6:00 PM
Majors 9:48 PM to 11:48 PM and 10:12 AM to 12:12 PM. Minors 3:58 PM to 4:58 PM and 3:42 AM to 4:42 AM.
Solunar is one indicator, not a promise.
Fish attractors
31 habitat sites TWRA posted with a latitude and longitude. The Corps page does not publish coordinates for the older buoyed cedar sites, so those are not pinned.
Tap a pin, or pick a site.
A pin is the posted point, not the whole pile. TWRA says the structure may be spread around that point. Not for navigation. Rock Hump 6 is left off because TWRA says that site was not used.
Weather
55°F
Clear, 68% humidity
Wind light
UV 0, low
Dew point 44°, dry
Pressure 30.20 in, steady
Tempest at the lake · 1:35 AM CDT
Forecast
Mostly sunny, high near 76.
Northeast wind 5 mph.
Low around 45 tonight.
Saturday: mostly sunny, high near 77, then 46 Saturday night.
Centered on the lake.
Next few hours
1 AM
53°
NE 5
2 AM
52°
NE 5
3 AM
51°
NE 5
4 AM
48°
NE 5
5 AM
47°
NE 5
6 AM
46°
NE 5
Next 5 days
Today
High 76°
Low 46°
Mostly sunny
NE 5
Sat
High 77°
Low 46°
Mostly sunny
SSE 0–5
Sun
High 77°
Low 47°
Mostly sunny
SSE 0–5
Mon
High 76°
Low 48°
Mostly sunny
0
Tue
High 76°
Low 50°
Partly cloudy
0
Sun and moon
Sun
Rise
7:01 AM
Set
6:00 PM
Golden hour 5:20 PM to 6:00 PM
15 hours 45 minutes away
Moon
Waxing Gibbous
92% lit
Rises 4:28 PM
Sets 4:12 AM
Majors 9:48 PM to 11:48 PM and 10:12 AM to 12:12 PM.
Minors 3:58 PM to 4:58 PM and 3:42 AM to 4:42 AM.
Generation today
12a6a12p6p12a
1 unit through much of the day
Then 2 units from 7 to 9 PM
50 MW
Strongest push below the dam and along the channel
Saturday
1 unit
25 MW
Steady through the day
Water below the dam can rise fast when the units kick on.
Drawdown
Slow drop starts Nov 2
Toward 443 ft by Nov 6
Holds 443 to 443.5 through Nov 20
Back toward 445 by Nov 28
On the water emergency
Life-threatening emergency
Call 911The lake spans Davidson, Sumner, Wilson, Trousdale, and Smith counties, so dispatch routes you to the right agency.
VHF 16Distress and hailing
- TWRA Region 2Boating enforcement. 7 AM to midnight, every day.615-781-6622
- TWRA toll-freeSame dispatch. Not a substitute for 911.1-800-624-7406
- Old Hickory LockAt the lock. Hail 16, then work 13 or 14.615-240-4037
- Coast Guard, NashvilleMarine safety office, not the rescue line.615-736-5421
- Corps, Old HickoryRangers, weekdays. Not a 24-hour rescue line.615-822-4846
County non-emergency
The numbers below. Can reach TWRA after midnight. Not a substitute for 911.
- Sumner615-451-3838
- Wilson615-444-1412
- DavidsonMetro Police615-862-8600
- Trousdale615-374-3994
- Smith615-735-2626
Old Hickory Lock
6 AM to 2 AMPublished hours, not a live gate.
Tows nearby
A tow on the lake may never lock at Cheatham or Cordell Hull. Positions are only boats an AIS receiver heard. The queue is who checked in at a lock. Neither one is the whole river.
Heard on the lake
No tow position was heard on the lake. A tow can be out there with its AIS off, or with no receiver in range.
Positions from Open Waters AIS
At Old Hickory
None waiting.
At Cordell Hull
None reported downbound.
Queue checked 1:30 AM CDT
- LockmasterHail 16, then work 13 or 14. You can also call.615-240-4037
How to lock through
First time at Old Hickory Lock.
The lockmaster runs the chamber. If they say something different, do that.
- 1Gear upLife jackets on everyone. Two lines, bow and stern. Fenders on the lock side. Nobody on the bow or the roof.
- 2Call the lockHail on 16, then switch to 13 or 14 when they tell you. You can also call 615-240-4037, or pull the small-craft cord at the end of the approach wall.
- 3Tell themPleasure boat, which way you are headed, and about when you will arrive. Commercial traffic locks first, so you may wait.
- 4Watch the lightsNo wake in the channel. Red means stand clear. Amber means approach the wall, but do not enter. Green means enter slowly.
- 5Tie offOnly the floating mooring bit they point to. Never a ladder or anything fixed. The chamber lifts about 60 feet.
- 6LeaveStay in the boat. Leave the chamber only when they signal you out, still at no wake.
- Locking guideA general guide. Not a substitute for the operator on duty.Website
Downtown
The Cumberland below the dam. Nashville is on the Cheatham pool, not the lake level above Old Hickory.
17.4 ft
River stage
1,670 cfs
Flow
USGS at Nashville · 12:30 AM CDT · 384.8 ft elevation
Old Hickory is not releasing right now. The river here still moves with Cheatham and the rest of the Cumberland.
Loading the stop map…
Tap a pin, or pick a stop.
- Mile 175, 525 Basswood Avenue. Gas and diesel around the clock. Blue Moon Grille is on the barge.615-356-1111Website
- Downtown tie-up, 1505 Lock Road. East bank transient takes reservations. Which docks are open changes for events.615-669-0541Website
- Mile 172, 6002 River Road. Gas and diesel to the public, plus a ramp and pump-out.615-356-4110Website
- Mile 158. The fuel dock if you keep going toward Cheatham.Website
- Mile 149. Call before you enter the channel. Hail 16.615-792-4349Website
Not for navigation. The pins are those stops, not the channel. A Titans night or a fireworks show can close the riverfront. Check before you go.
Lake marinas
- Anchor High MarinaHendersonvilleThe Rudder615-826-2628WebsiteThe Rudder
- Blue Turtle Bay MarinaOld HickorySam's Sports Grill615-847-4022WebsiteHoursSam's hours
- Cedar Creek MarinaMt. Juliet615-758-5174Website
- Cherokee MarinaLebanonCherokee Steakhouse615-444-2783WebsiteHours
- Creekwood MarinaHendersonville615-824-7963
- Drakes Creek MarinaHendersonville615-822-0547WebsiteHours
- Gallatin MarinaGallatinAwedaddy's Bar & Grill615-452-9876WebsiteHoursGrill hours
- Shady Cove MarinaCastalian SpringsOn-site restaurant and tiki bar615-452-8010
Archery season · thru Oct 30
Much of the public land is reachable only by boat.
- Old Hickory WMAAll wildlife seasons.Website
Hunting areas
Gold is land TWRA marks hunting allowed, 5,181 acres. Red is the safety zone on the same map.
Tap a pin for a place you can drive to.
- Unit IHighway 109 upstream to river mile 267, except Lock 5 Refuge. Small game closes after 3 p.m. during the November through February duck season.
- Unit IIHighway 109 downstream to the dam. Centerfire rifles are prohibited.
- Unit IIIRiver mile 267 upstream to the old Lock 6 site at river mile 281. Waterfowl from temporary blinds. Pick the decoys up each day.
Shapes are from TWRA’s Lands Open for Hunting map, simplified slightly so this page can draw them. They are not a survey, and they are not split into Unit I, II, and III. Not for navigation. Check the season and the signs on the ground.
Water and rules
- Corps headwaterSource behind the lake-level card.Website
- Corps tailwaterRiver below the dam.Website
- TWRA Old Hickory ReservoirPool facts, public ramps, fishing piers, and attractors.Website
- TWRA boating and fishing map44 public ramps, no fee. Sanders Ferry is the busy Hendersonville launch.Website
- Navigation chartCorps chart. Not for navigation.Website
- Boating regulations and safetyTWRA boating rules and safety.Website
- Boating educationFree TWRA course for new boaters.Website
- Harmful algal bloomsState advisories, and how to report a bloom. Not a swim-safe badge.Website
- Zebra musselsClean, drain, and dry before the next lake.Website
Parks and camping
Did you know?
🎣 Fishing
Channel, blue and flathead catfish all inhabit Old Hickory.
Keep Old Hickory Lake one tap away
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Add to Home Screen
- 1Open the dashboard in Safari. If it opened inside Facebook or another app, use that app’s menu to open it in Safari.
- 2In Safari, tap Share. Depending on the Safari layout, Share may be visible directly or under More.
- 3Tap “Add to Home Screen.” If it isn’t visible, scroll down in the Share menu.
- 4Name it “OHL” and tap “Add.” If Safari offers “Open as Web App,” leave it on.
Lake Partners
Local businesses helping keep the Old Hickory Lake Dashboard free.
Founding PartnerBenfield MarineBoat repair and dockside serviceVisit websiteBecome a Lake Partner
Connect your business with the people who live, work, and play on Old Hickory Lake.
Put your business in front of a growing audience of boaters, anglers, and lake enthusiasts who rely on the dashboard for lake conditions, forecasts, and local information. Lake Partners receive featured logo placement, a direct link to their website, and ongoing visibility within a resource built for the Old Hickory Lake community.
Founding Partnerships Available
Join the businesses helping build something special for our lake community.
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