Cherokee Lake
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Cherokee Lake Fishing Reports
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Reports from all past years within a 60-day time frame
Species
Smallmouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Finesse Jigs
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Shad
Species
Striped Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Topwater Walking
Structure
Shad
Forage
Shad
Cherokee is loaded with huge Stripers and Hybrids and fall is a great time of year to catch them using conventional bass tackle. Focus on looking at main lake points and islands around creek mouths. I have had the best luck riding and looking for schooling fish gorging on shad around the dam area. Mornings and evenings are best, some anglers even sit still on the main lake looking for schoolers, kind of like hunting. Grab you a topwater and go find them. Once you found them, keep you bait wet and have fun!
Shaun Potter
Bronze Ambassador
10/16/22
Species
Smallmouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Minnows
Chasing bait balls of shad and throwing a keitech up into boulders while those smallmouth is laying there ambushing shad! Great way to land some of those smallmouth.
Species
Smallmouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Shad
Smallmouth are starting to get active as the water temperature goes down. Early fall, main lake points, and boulders, rock veins are all key areas to concentrate on. Fluke style baits in white, chartreuse and bubblegum have all been hot tickets. Work them 6”-12” under the water with short pauses between twitches. It is an absolute train wreck of a bite when you can see those smallies crush it.
Species
Smallmouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Shad
Fishing has been slow during the early fall on Lake Cherokee, however quality 3+ pound bites are still fairly common. Try targeting tapering rock points with small swimbaits and jerkbaits in order to call up smallmouth from the rocks. Bluff walls during the heat of the day can also generate quality bites this time of year. As the water cools, follow the baitfish to the backs of pockets and use rattletraps, swimbaits, and jerkbaits to target the feeding fish chasing the abundant amount of shad that Lake Cherokee supports this time of year. Topwaters such as whopper ploppers and spooks can also be huge producers this time of year when fish are feeding up for the winter months.
Species
Smallmouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Topwater Walking
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Shad
Neil
Bronze Ambassador
9/22/21
Species
Largemouth Bass
Season
Summer
Technique
Neko Rigs
Structure
Humps
Forage
Crawfish
Species
Largemouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Boulders
Water Temperature
80°
Shallow bays rotating between bladed jig and crank bait
Species
Largemouth Bass
Season
Summer
Technique
Frogs/Toads
Structure
Flooded Brush
Forage
Bluegill
Morning bite was fun flippin' and froggin'. Big fish came on frog but the bite died about 10 am.