TWRA is now publishing fishing forecast for area lakes: The TWRA wants to build a comprehensive report each week of the state’s lakes. If you do not see a report for your favorite lake and you are someone who can provide a report please contact us at Ask.TWRA@tn.gov and provide us with your contact information
Cherokee Lake Fishing Report: 14 Oct 2022
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
NEW
Cherokee Lake is currently seeing water temperatures in the high 60’s and the level has been falling steadily since August and will continue to fall 1/4 to 1/2 of a foot each day until it reaches winter pool. This falling water has positioned bass on points and ditches that become ambush points. In addition, bass can be found in small wolf-pack groups rubbing baitfish in shallow, flat pockets. The top water bite has been excellent with quality largemouth, and smallmouth being weighed in on a spook, and this will only continue to get better in the coming month. Try spooling your bait caster with 40 lb. Seaguar Smackdown braid for your spook. A buzz bait or whopper plopper is another option to target these bass while covering water.
The full moon, falling water levels and temperature, and the fall turnover all contribute to a fickle fall pattern. Fishing is still really good right now, but the fish are moving a lot each day. The best bet to run into these bass is to keep the trolling motor on high and cover water until you find an area active with bait and bass!
The area above 25e bridge continues to be the strongest for largemouth, but smallmouth are becoming active on the lower end.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
12 Aug 2022
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
NEW
Cherokee Lake has been fishing great! Check out this week’s report before you hit the water. Make sure you subscribe to stay up-to-date on fishing reports in Visit Jefferson County, Tennessee!
Check out Hunter’s report on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLMY8tiqTiY
22 July 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Brad Burkhart – Follow on Facebook
NEW
We’ll the dog days are definitely here now, mercy it’s hot!!!! Believe it or not the fishing is pretty good though. My go-to for these hot summer days have been topwater till about 10am then I start looking in the 18-25’ range directly off the main channel.
The topwater bite has been best on shady bluffs with overhangs. Cast a spook, a Lucky Craft Gunfish, and a Pay Check baits repo man (good luck finding one of those). The offshore deal has actually been very consistent since we have had current most days. A 10xd, and Carolina rig Zoom speed craw for largemouth and a drop shot robo worm for the smallmouth.
Now it no secret, if you want to catch largemouth more consistently go upriver and for the smallies go down river.
Good luck!! And GOD BLESS!!
**All the tackle I mentioned can be found at Bass Pro Shops in Kodak, Tn (except the repo)
And give me a shout if you would like to book a guide trip
*USCG certified, fully Insured
Brad Burkhart @bradburkhartprofishing
01 July 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
NEW
Cherokee Lake has been fishing great! Check out this week’s report before you hit the water. Make sure you subscribe to stay up-to-date on fishing reports in Visit Jefferson County, Tennessee!
Watch video report here – https://youtu.be/9mOqPLh8oPo
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
17 June 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Post-spawn smallmouth fishing can be some of the best fishing Cherokee Lake has to offer. Baits such as a small swimbait and a drop-shot are the primary techniques. Fishing both of these baits on the bottom around steep drop-offs and points can be very successful. In addition, there is a good shallow bite to be had for the next few weeks. Top-water baits such as a popper and spook will excel fished around areas where the shad will spawn such as riprap, natural rock, or wood cover. The area around 25e has still proven to be the most productive this year.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
13 May 202
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
NEW
The fishing on Cherokee Lake has been very good over the past week. The water temperature has crept over 70 degrees and the fish are mostly post spawn.
Post-spawn smallmouth fishing can be some of the best fishing Cherokee Lake has to offer. Baits such as a small swimbait and a drop-shot are the primary techniques. Fishing both of these baits on the bottom around steep drop-offs and points can be very successful. In addition, there is a good shallow bite to be had for the next few weeks. Top-water baits such as a popper and spook will excel fished around areas where the shad will spawn such as riprap, natural rock, or wood cover. The area around 25e has still proven to be the most productive this year.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
Chickamauga
22 April 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The fishing on Cherokee Lake has been very good over the past two weeks. The water temperature has crept over 60 degrees and the fish are in full spawn mode! A few fish have already spawned leading to an improving topwater bite! Spawning fish can be targeted on chunk rock banks in protected bays utilizing slow techniques such as a ned rig and wacky worm. Making precise casts to the cracks of these boulders is important here and using a high-vis braided line such as Seaguar Smackdown will help you notice subtle bites.
As the smallmouth finish spawning, look for a small swimbait and a drop-shot to become the primary techniques. The area around 25e has been the hottest section of the lake over the last month, but as these fish finish spawning, the lower end should be improving!
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
01 April 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The fishing on Cherokee Lake has tougher over the past week with the cold front and the fishing pressure. The water has stabilized and started rising slowly, preparing the fish for a spawn in the next couple of weeks. Look for pre-spawn smallmouth to dominate the Bassmaster Open this week with the winning weight being around 16 pounds per day! Over the next few weeks, expect more fish to begin flooding the bank as the water temperature approaches 60.
Fish are still scattered and can be caught with a variety of techniques. Techniques such as umbrella rigs, jerk baits, and crankbaits are the most promising. These baits should be fished on points, areas with bait, or banks where the sun is shining. The fish are in full prespawn mode and feeding heavily in preparation! Intersect these fish on their way to spawning grounds for a fun day of fishing! The area between German Creek and Fall creek have been the most productive areas!
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
25 March 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The fishing on Cherokee Lake has tougher over the past week. The water has been dropping consistently, putting the fish in a bit of a pre-spawn funk. In advance of the Bassmaster Open next week, look for pre-spawn smallmouth to dominate with the winning weight being around 16 pounds per day! There will be plenty of solid bags between 12-14 pounds to go around!
Fish are still scattered and can be caught with a variety of techniques. Techniques such as umbrella rigs, jerk baits, and crankbaits are the most promising. These baits should be fished on points, areas with bait, or banks where the sun is shining. The fish are in full prespawn mode and feeding heavily in preparation! Intersect these fish on their way to spawning grounds for a fun day of fishing! The area between German Creek and Fall creek have been the most productive areas!
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
Chickamauga
11 March 2022
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The fishing on Cherokee Lake has been phenomenal over the past two weeks! Weights from 17-19 pounds have been winning tournaments, with plenty of solid bags to go around!
Fish are scattered and can be caught with a variety of techniques. The deep-water smallmouth bite is getting tougher each day, as fish begin staging to spawn. Techniques such as umbrella rigs, jerkbaits, and crank-baits are the most promising. These baits should be fished on points, areas with bait, or banks where the sun is shining. The fish are in full prespawn mode and feeding heavily in preparation! Intersect these fish on their way to spawning grounds for a fun day of fishing!
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
18 Feb 2022
Forecast Contributor – Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The water level on Cherokee has stabilized after the rising water from last week, but heavy rain in the near future should keep the water level rising and the watercolor stained from 25e and up.
The deep-water smallmouth bite is still winning tournaments. Finding these fish requires dedicating a lot of time looking at your electronics in the 15–35-foot range! Clear water is very important also. If you can find bait, isolated rock, or a sharp drop; fish should be nearby! Using ned rigs, Keitech swimbaits, football heads, or winter-time baits such as the Damiki rig and silver buddies are all good options! 18+ pounds is a tournament winning bag at the moment, but there is plenty of fish to be caught fishing this way!
In stained water areas with current or wind, a shallow crankbait such as a DT6, little john, or Spro Rock crawler has been producing both quality largemouth and smallmouth. The stained water and rock will hold heat, attracting fish towards banks with sun shining on them. You’ll want to throw this bait on a medium-action rod with 12 lb. fluorocarbon (I prefer Seaguar InvizX).
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – C-N Eagle Anglers
28 Jan 2022
Forecast Contributor Members of the Carson Newman College Fishing Team.
“Cold, low water, and smallmouth bass are the three things that come to mind when thinking about Cherokee Lake in late January and early February. The cold weather we are experiencing in Eastern Tennessee keeps many people at home, but this time of the year holds some of the best fishing. Bites are hard to come by, but when you get a bite, it could very easily be the fish of a lifetime. The largemouth and a few good smallmouth can be caught throughout the day especially as the sun heats up the rocks. Look for transitions which may include boulders to chunk rock or chunk rock to pea gravel.
A good crankbait to throw this time of year is the new DT8 from Rapala which can be found on www.dugoutfishing.com. When targeting big smallmouth, you can never go wrong dragging a 2.8 Keitech on a ¼ ounce jig head or a 5/16 jig head when fishing deeper. A few fish are being caught offshore. My favorite way to catch them when targeting rock piles and brush piles in 25 to 30 foot of water with a Ned rig (TRD) from Zman or a drop shot with a Zman Trick ShotZ and an Angler Tungsten ¼ ounce dropshot weight. Both of these I throw on 6lb Seaguar gold label leader connected to 15lb Seaguar flashgreen braid. Fishing should continue to get better as some warming fronts move through in the coming weeks. Do not be afraid to face the cold and maybe you will have a day on the water you will never forget.” – Carson Palmer.
03 Dec 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Cherokee Lake is fishing very good across the entire lake! The water temperature is in the low 50’s and dropping consistently. The fish are feeding in preparation for the next few months of winter.
The deep-water smallmouth bite is getting better every day. Finding these fish requires dedicating a lot of time looking at your electronics in the 15–35-foot range! If you can find bait, isolated rock, or a sharp drop; fish should be nearby! Using ned rigs, keitech swimbaits, football heads, or winter-time baits such as the damiki rig and silver buddies are all good options!
Additionally, throwing a shallow crankbait such as a DT6, little john, or Spro Rockcrawler has been producing both quality largemouth and smallmouth. The key to this technique is finding the right type of rock. My personal favorite is scattered, chunk-style rock in the 6–10-foot range. Wind and sunshine help this bite tremendously. You’ll want to throw this bait on a medium-action rod with 12 lb. fluorocarbon (I prefer Seaguar InvizX).
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – Carson Newman Eagle Anglers
Mid Nov 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Cherokee Lake fishing has been relatively stable over the last week. Tournaments are still taking between 14 and 16 pounds to win. Largemouth have moved towards the backs of creeks and pockets. The best areas to intercept these fish are flats near deep water. Finding shad on these flats is a sure-fire sign that bass are nearby. To catch these fish, covering water is key. Put a moving bait such as a rattle trap, Z-Man Chatter bait, Zara spook, or a whopper plopper in your hand and keep the trolling motor moving! The trap bite is getting better each day. Try mixing retrieves between a steady wind and a “yo-yo” retrieve.
Deep-water smallmouth feeding on alewives and are also beginning to show up in better numbers. These fish are still scattered and can be targeted anywhere from 15-35 feet on points and isolated rocks. In addition to the normal ned rigs, Keitech swimbaits, and football heads, winter-time baits such as the Damiki rig and silver buddies are starting to produce!
The area from Cherokee Dam all the way to the 25E bridge has been productive for smallmouth. Largemouth fishing has been strongest on either side of 25E within a few miles!
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – Carson Newman Eagle Anglers
22 Oct 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Cherokee Lake level is continuing to fall as expected. Although the techniques and concepts are much the same as past weeks, the fishing is getting much better with 16.5 pounds winning a High School tournament over the weekend! On the lower end, the current generated from the consistent drawdown is positioning bass and baitfish on points. Fish are able to be targeted consistently in 15-20 feet of water off of these points, but also continue to push bait up on top of the points when the opportunity presents itself. The deep fish can be targeted using a Carolina-rigged baby brush hog, football jigs, or deep-diving crankbaits. My favorite way to fish this time of year is to target the more active fish on these points using a top water bait. A Zara spook in a simple bone color is the best way to target bass on these points. Try spooling your bait caster with 40 lb. Seaguar Smackdown braid for your topwater setups to get maximum casting distance!
Further up the river, the bite is good, but cover is becoming scarce. This is one of my favorite times to cover as much water as possible with a buzz bait around isolated cover to target bigger bites! Fishing steeper banks with wood is a good bet to catch quality largemouth above the 25E bridge. The falling water doesn’t affect the fish on these steeper banks as much and largemouth can be caught flipping a jig or Texas rig into the cover. This isn’t a numbers pattern but can yield solid tournament catches. The water is leaving most shallow cover, so what is left will be productive!
The area above 25e bridge continues to be the strongest overall.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Hunter Sales
Head Coach – Carson Newman Eagle Anglers
17 Sept 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The Cherokee Lake level has been falling in a consistent September fashion although still significantly higher than normal for September. The baitfish are abundant, but seemingly unrelated to structure. As the water continues to fall, bass will begin pushing these baitfish across points into pockets. The top water bite has been improving with quality largemouth and smallmouth being weighed in on a spook, and this will only continue to get better in the coming month. Try spooling your bait caster with 40 lb. Seaguar Smackdown braid for your spook.
The other major pattern that has emerged in recent days is fishing steeper banks with wood. The falling water doesn’t affect the fish on these steeper banks as much and quality largemouth can be caught flipping a jig or Texas rig into the cover. This isn’t a numbers pattern but can yield solid tournament catches. If you’re seeking numbers of bass, try targeting smallmouth around the islands with a ZMAN Ned rig in 20 feet of water.
The area above 25E bridge continues to be the strongest.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Feel free to email me for more information jsales@cn.edu
03 Sept 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
With recent heavy rains from Hurricane Ida, the lake has been steadily rising over the last week. This has changed the fishing drastically. Many of the fish have followed the rising water up into the shallows chasing little baitfish. There are still plenty of fish out deep, but they seem to be suspended and tougher to target. Water temperatures are beginning to cool off into the lower 80’s and this should help the fishing to improve over the next month.
The rising water has both caused fish to suspend and to push the banks. In either scenario, a top water bait is beginning to produce quality fish. A small walking bait such as a super spook jr. is best in open water, while a buzz-bait has produced around wood and brush. A frog has also proven to put some quality fish in the boat around some of the thicker cover. On bright, bluebird days, fish can be caught by slowing down and probing deeper wood cover with a jig or Texas-rig. Finding water that has a little bit of color to it has been key to targeting largemouth this week. The best bet is the area between 25E and Fall Creek.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Feel free to email me for more information jsales@cn.edu
27 Aug 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
The lake has been steadily dropping for a few weeks now, concentrating fish on both main lake and secondary points. The rain event earlier this week caused a rapid rise in water levels, scattering and suspending many of the fish,
Football head jigs, drop-shots, and finesse worms have been major players on points. The rising water has both caused fish to suspend and to push the banks. In either scenario, a top water bait is beginning to produce quality fish. A walking bait such as a Zara Spook is best in open water, while a buzz-bait (or flipping bait) has produced around wood. The area within a few miles of 25E bridge has been hot this week.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Feel free to email me for more information jsales@cn.edu
20 Aug 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Water fluctuation is the story this week on Cherokee Lake! The lake has been steadily dropping for a few weeks now, concentrating fish on both main lake and secondary points. The rain event earlier this week caused a rapid rise in water levels, scattering and suspending many of the fish,
Football head jigs, drop-shots, and finesse worms have been major players on points. The rising water has both caused fish to suspend and to push the banks. In either scenario, a top water bait is beginning to produce quality fish. A walking bait such as a Zara Spook is best in open water, while a buzz-bait (or flipping bait) has produced around wood. The area within a few miles of 25E bridge has been hot this week.
All of the equipment needed for a great day on the water can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Feel free to email me for more information jsales@cn.edu
13 Aug 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Cherokee Lake is starting to see a transition to late-summer type patterns. Drop shots and finesse worms fished 20-25 feet deep on scattered rock or brush are still producing some fish, but not as many as in previous weeks. This late summer period can see fish deep on points, suspended on baitfish, or pushing as shallow as possible in the creeks. It is a time where fish of all kinds are seeking the highest oxygen content in the water column. The mid-lake section from German creek to Fall Creek is still producing best.
A topwater plug can be very effective in the early morning and late evening when fish are busting bait. Otherwise, deep fish can be triggered on a ¾ oz jigging spoon under the bait balls. A 1/10 oz Z-Man Finesse TRD in green pumpkin and various drop shots are still working on the lower end of the lake for smallmouth. Fish these on light line. My preferred set up follows – 15 lb. Seaguar Smackdown flash-green braid tied to an 8 lb. Gold Label leader. Both now and in the days to come, there will be more fish pushing extremely shallow. These fish can be targeted by flipping a jig around structure, or even with a frog. Keep an open mind in these days as fish are in the beginning of their fall transitions.
Night fishing is still going to be very productive. Black and blue jigs, Texas rigs, and night-time spinnerbaits are all producing. The 15 foot and shallower range seems to be most productive at night.
All of the equipment needed can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Feel free to email me for more information jsales@cn.edu.
06 Aug 2021
Cherokee Lake
Forecast Contributor Hunter Sales https://www.facebook.com/HunterSalesFishing/
Cherokee Lake is starting to see a transition to late-summer type patterns. Drop shots and finesse worms fished 20-25 feet deep on scattered rock or brush are still producing some fish, but not as many as in previous weeks. This late summer period can see fish deep on points, suspended on baitfish, or pushing as shallow as possible in the creeks. It is a time where fish of all kinds are seeking the highest oxygen content in the water column. The mid-lake section from German creek to Fall Creek is still producing best.
A topwater plug can be very effective in the early morning and late evening when fish are busting bait. Otherwise, deep fish can be triggered on a ¾ oz jigging spoon under the bait balls. A 1/10 oz Z-Man Finesse TRD in green pumpkin and various drop shots are still working on the lower end of the lake for smallmouth. Fish these on light line. My preferred set up follows – 15 lb Seaguar Smackdown flash-green braid tied to an 8 lb Gold Label leader. Both now and in the days to come, there will be more fish pushing extremely shallow. These fish can be targeted by flipping a jig around structure, or even with a frog. Keep an open mind in these days as fish are in the beginning of their fall transitions.
Night fishing is still going to be very productive. Black and blue jigs, Texas rigs, and night-time spinnerbaits are all producing. The 15 foot and shallower range seems to be most productive at night.
All of the equipment needed can be picked up at our local Bass Pro Shops in Kodak!
Feel free to email me for more information jsales@cn.edu.
30 July 2021
23 July 2021
18 June 2021
11 June 2021
21 May 2021
Cherokee Lake – Scott Bunch reports that Cherokee is hit or miss lots of small fish starting to pull back on brush, but keepers are very limited water temperature still in the upper 60s.
30 April 2021
Cherokee –
reports fishing Cherokee is tough and very few fish are being caught. He did catch 10 or 12 post-spawn fish that were 12 to 15 feet deep. A few pre-spawn females were caught 25 feet deep early in the week. Bunch went back a few days ago and those fish were gone.
