It is owned and operated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency,[5] and is named after Herb Parsons, a famed exhibition shooter from the county.

[8] After Herb Parsons, a renowned local exhibition shooter, died in 1959, the Commission moved to rename the lake in his honor.

[6][8] The array of fish of Herb Parsons Lake includes largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and redear sunfish, as well as blue, channel and bullhead catfish.

[2] A bike trail of hard-packed silt and clay stretches through the woods for 9.7 miles.

[11] A shorter walking trail of seven miles features signs that denote the species of trees around the lake.