# Lake Cherokee TN



## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Leaving early Thursday for a long weekend on lake Cherokee to chase stripers & Hybrids. Anybody been down recently? We have fished it quite a few times but has been a couple years, I can't wait to feel one of those footballs pulling on my line!! Close enough to trailer to Norris if the bite is better. 

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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Day one, travel day got settled in our cabin and decided to go look around on the lake, found what looked to be decent Mark's on a couple deep points, started setting some rods got rod #3 out and rods 1 and 2 bam double! We work the area from 6-7:30 pulled our 4 and had a number of other quick hook ups and gone. Fish we're 40-60' down. Back at it in the morning before it's too hot!!
















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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Day 2 a little slower and fish didn't hook up as solid but we were still off the lake before it got crazy hot out! Same general area and depth. So much fun chasing something different!









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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

One more quick pic! When you see this hold on!









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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Great looking stripers! Surely some line strippers! Congrats on your catches!


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## mwaleye (Jul 15, 2012)

Wow we have been thinking about trying striper fishing on that same lake. What are you using for bait


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## cutter2813 (Sep 7, 2015)

miked913 said:


> Leaving early Thursday for a long weekend on lake Cherokee to chase stripers & Hybrids. Anybody been down recently? We have fished it quite a few times but has been a couple years, I can't wait to feel one of those footballs pulling on my line!! Close enough to trailer to Norris if the bite is better.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


Well done!


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

mwaleye said:


> Wow we have been thinking about trying striper fishing on that same lake. What are you using for bait


We're using live gizzard shad

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## mwaleye (Jul 15, 2012)

Catching the bait yourself or can you buy them .Last question lol promise


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

You can catch it yourself I brought our lake Erie boat this trip and cannot get it shallow enough to throw my cast net so I have been buying them, they're $1 each if u get more than a dozen.


mwaleye said:


> Catching the bait yourself or can you buy them .Last question lol promise


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Day 3 got a nice early start struggled to find them right off but after 2 spots and about an hour and a half of nothing we made a 3rd move and landed on the motherlode pulled a nice limit before 9:30 and played catch and release with the last of our bait, off the lake at 11:00
















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## mwaleye (Jul 15, 2012)

Man nice fish thanks for the reply


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## MarknFish (Jan 11, 2013)

Great work! We fished mid May at Cherokee and did okay with the smallies but could never get on the Striper this year. Fished out of Gilmore Dock. What end of the lake are you on this time of year if you don't mind me asking, the west end near the Dam?


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

MarknFish said:


> Great work! We fished mid May at Cherokee and did okay with the smallies but could never get on the Striper this year. Fished out of Gilmore Dock. What end of the lake are you on this time of year if you don't mind me asking, the west end near the Dam?


Yes near the dam end, this time of year you need cold deep water, most fish have been coming out of 60-100+' feet of water 40-60' down

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## privateer (Apr 26, 2012)

watch the water temps on southern lakes as once you pull those fish from the cold depths, they will not go back and live.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Roger that, we have a weight with a clip that can return the fish to depth and release them, we're close friends with a local guide who has been instrumental in pretty much every aspect of how these fish got here and the limits and seasons on them and why.


privateer said:


> watch the water temps on southern lakes as once you pull those fish from the cold depths, they will not go back and live.


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## privateer (Apr 26, 2012)

If you like striper fishing tennessee, you should join Tennessee Striped Bass Association (TSBA) for info only provided members on facebook and for representation with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Its only $20 per year. They usually video speakers at meetings and make those available to members too.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Day 4 last day,. Started this morning where we finished up yesterday, pulled 1 real nice striper right away but not a lot of marks,. Left after about an hour and moved to another spot, located a bunch of hybrids kept 1 that wasn't going to make it and called it a morning with 2 in the box went swimming for a while and got some lunch/dinner and went back out for the evening bite,. Cruised around looking for a while and ended up on some way points from Thursday where there we're still some nice stripers hanging out,. Finished up our trip with 2 more beautiful stripers in the box. It was our 1st trip taking our own boat there, we have done numerous trips to Cherokee, Norris and Watts Barr over the years and have always used the same guide but this trip we got a couple pointers and off we went on our own and pulled limits 4 days in a row. It was a wonderful trip!












































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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Looks awesome!


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

I've always wanted to try chasing stripers in fresh water but never done it. Caught plenty of their salt water brethren in the Chesapeake and up and down the east coast. Nice work!


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Thanks, I have caught them around the Chesapeake Bay area and I can say these fight just as hard!!


MDBuckeye said:


> I've always wanted to try chasing stripers in fresh water but never done it. Caught plenty of their salt water brethren in the Chesapeake and up and down the east coast. Nice work!


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## MarknFish (Jan 11, 2013)

Great stuff guys and gals, thanks for the reports and the great pics!


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