Fishing on Cherokee Lake

Walleye and Saugeye: What No Other East Tennessee TVA Lake Has

TWRA actively stocks both walleye and saugeye in Cherokee Lake — making it one of the only East Tennessee TVA reservoirs where either species is a legitimate fishing target. Walleye prefer deep, clear, cold water with reliable dissolved oxygen, and Cherokee's summer thermal stratification, despite the fish-distribution problems it creates in shallow and mid-depth water, produces deep cold sections that walleye inhabit. Vertical jigging with blade baits and lead jigs over the main Holston River channel in fall and winter produces the best walleye results, timed to when water temperatures drop below 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the fish become more active in cooler water. Saugeye — the walleye-sauger hybrid — occupy similar habitat and respond to similar presentations. For anglers relocating from northern lake markets where walleye is a primary target species, Cherokee Lake is the closest available equivalent in the East Tennessee TVA system.

Cherokee Bass: Named for This Lake

The Cherokee bass is a hybrid of white bass and striped bass developed in part through stocking programs associated with Cherokee Lake, which is where the name in Tennessee fishing culture originates. TWRA stocks Cherokee bass as part of the lake's forage control and fishery enhancement program. They fight hard and grow quickly, combining the aggressive surface activity of white bass with the size potential of striped bass. Fall and spring are peak seasons when schooling activity on shad pushed to the surface creates visible boils that are accessible on topwater lures and small swimbaits. Cherokee Lake also holds a significant pure striped bass population stocked through a separate program, with stripers in the deep, oxygenated sections of the main channel through summer months.

Bass: Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted

Largemouth and smallmouth bass are both very abundant at Cherokee, with TWRA describing them as making up the majority of the black bass fishery. Spotted bass are present but less numerous and carry no size restriction with a 15-fish creel limit. Largemouth and smallmouth combined carry the standard 5-fish per day limit — but smallmouth bass have a special regulation from June 1 through October 15 that applies specifically to Cherokee Lake: only two smallmouth per day may be kept, one may be under 16 inches and one may be over 21 inches, creating a protected slot for fish between 16 and 21 inches during that period. Fish in the slot must be released. This Cherokee-specific smallmouth regulation differs from standard Tennessee black bass rules and has been enforced on the water by TWRA officers. Know it before you launch.

Spring prespawn smallmouth from late February through April is one of Cherokee's peak fishing windows, with fish staging on rocky points and channel transitions as water temperatures rise toward the spawning range. The 40-foot drawdown concentrates largemouth and smallmouth into predictable main-lake structure each fall as their shallow habitat drains — late October through December fishing on the compressed structure near deep channel edges is consistently productive for both species and is Cherokee Lake's primary winter bass pattern.

The Fish Attractor Program

TWRA has invested substantially in habitat infrastructure at Cherokee Lake. The fish attractor program includes brush piles, stake beds, smallmouth spawning benches, and reef balls specifically constructed to create holding structure in a reservoir where natural substrate can be limited in productive depth ranges. TWRA publishes attractor maps for Cherokee Lake showing the locations of permitted attractors — available through the TWRA Region 4 office (423-587-7037) or the TWRA website. Anglers who fish the attractor locations have a structural advantage over those who do not know the map. The smallmouth spawning benches are a particularly uncommon management tool — intentionally constructed flat gravel substrate in the appropriate depth range to improve spawning success for a species that prefers specific bottom conditions.

Crappie, Catfish, and Paddlefish

Crappie at Cherokee Lake are targeted around the brush pile and stake bed attractors, particularly in spring spawn through April when fish move shallow. TWRA also lists paddlefish — the large filter-feeding species that migrates up the Holston River system — as a targeted species at Cherokee, unusual among East Tennessee TVA reservoirs. Snagging for paddlefish during the designated season draws anglers specifically for this target. Channel and blue catfish are abundant throughout the lake and active in the warmer months on cut bait in the deeper sections and tributary coves. White bass round out the species list as a prolific schooling fish that pushes shad to the surface through summer and fall.

The No-Boat Zone and Summer Fishing Logistics

The TWRA restricted zone near Cherokee Dam — closed to boat fishing July 1 through September 15 — affects summer fishing access to the deep main-lake section nearest the dam. Bank fishing within this zone is open and can be productive for catfish and spotted bass. Boat fishing is diverted to sections outside the zone boundary. Obtain TWRA's current Cherokee Lake regulations at tn.gov/twra before the season — regulations are reviewed annually and specific restrictions can change. Contact TWRA Region 4 at 423-587-7037 for questions specific to Cherokee Lake. A valid Tennessee fishing license is required for all anglers 16 and older.