Cherokee Lake (German Creek)
What to throw right now
Per-species breakdown & tactics
Pick a fish, then Fly, Spin, or Colors. Your last pick is remembered.
Best window: first light
5 wt rod with floating line, 9 ft 5X tippet to a #8 Crappie Candy or 1/32 oz marabou jig. Spring spawn (55-68°F water): dap or short-cast under dock corners + into brush; let the fly fall 2-4 ft then twitch once. The fall does the work. Summer + winter: switch to a sink-tip or full intermediate line, count down to the brush depth (8-12 ft), then microscopic 2" strips. Crappie eat lightly, set on any line stop, no rod sweep.
Flies: Crappie Candy #8, Marabou Jig 1/32 oz
Chartreuse marabou jig or small Clouser under an indicator. Count down to the school depth.
In a few hours
Ultralight 6'6" rod, 4-6 lb mono OR 8 lb braid + 6 lb fluoro leader. Spring: 'shoot' a 1/32 oz curly-tail grub far under docks by bow-and-arrow casting the rod tip + flicking the lure. Let it fall on slack line; strike on the drop. Summer: vertical-jig a 1/16 oz hair jig directly above marked brush piles; 6" lifts, 3-second pauses. Minnow on a slip-bobber set 6" above the brush is the bail-out when the bite is light.
Lures: 1/32 oz curly grub (white/chartreuse), 1/16 oz hair jig, Minnow under slip-bobber
Chartreuse jig tipped with minnow, vertical over brush. Slow fall triggers the eat.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: chartreuse, white, pink/white
Good colors for clear water (fall): smoke shad, natural minnow, pearl white
Crappie hunt by flash and vertical profile. Chartreuse and white outproduce naturals in every stain level except gin-clear.
Full color matrix for clear water
- Crappie bite shuts down hard during post-frontal high-pressure days; commit to spring + fall windows where you can.
- + water temp in target range+20
- + barometric trend+8
- + wind speed+7
- + cloud cover+6
- + preferred time of day+6
- + solunar major window+5
- + in season+4
- + cloud preference+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: last light
Flies: Black Wooly Bugger #10, Hare's Ear Nymph #14
Heavy jig-style streamer bounced on bottom in current seams.
In a few hours
Lures: 1/16 oz jig, small spinnerbait
Bright contrast jig vertical in tailrace seams. Chartreuse or orange head.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: black, natural
Good colors for clear water (fall): smoke, natural minnow, silver
Light-sensitive like walleye but turn ON in stain while everything else slows. Feed all day in murk that shuts down bass.
Full color matrix for clear water
- + water temp in target range+20
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+8
- + wind speed+7
- + cloud cover+6
- + solunar major window+5
- + in season+4
- + cloud preference+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: first light
Flies: Game Changer 6", Clouser Minnow #1/0 (chartreuse/white)
Olive wooly bugger or black game changer. Dark silhouette first, drop to rust nymph if refusals.
In a few hours
Lures: 3/4 oz bucktail (white), 5" Sassy Shad on 1/2 oz head, Topwater pencil popper (fall schooling), Live skipjack on planer board (trophy water)
Black and blue jig or chartreuse spinnerbait tight to cover. Stained fish hold on wood and rock edges.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: chartreuse/white, shad, bone
Good colors for clear water (fall): watermelon red, natural shad, green pumpkin
Bass see red and green well and chase high-contrast silhouettes in stain. Black and blue reads as a shad or bluegill profile when detail drops out.
Full color matrix for clear water
- Stripers stress hard above 78°F surface temp. If you're trophy-hunting in July-August, fish dawn-only on Cherokee or Norris and bring an aerated bait tank.
- TWRA stocks Cherokee, Norris, Watts Bar, Tims Ford, Cumberland tailrace, the trophy water is Cherokee + Norris.
- + water temp in target range+20
- + barometric trend+8
- + wind speed+7
- + cloud cover+6
- + preferred time of day+6
- + in season+5
- + solunar major window+5
- + cloud preference+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 69.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 93% |
| Dew point (°C) | 4.4°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 35% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 2% |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,026.4 mb |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | E (90°) |
| Wind (mph) | 5.0 mph |
Reading freshness
Source update lag| Barometric pressure (mb) | 6 min ago openmeteo |
|---|---|
| Wind (mph) | 6 min ago nws |
| Cloud cover (%) | 6 min ago nws |
| Air temp (°F) | 6 min ago nws |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 3864.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 5.1 h ago nws |
Hatch matcher · this month
Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.
Year-round on TVA tailwaters (Clinch, Holston, Watauga, S Holston)
Weeks 36-46 (Sep-early Nov); cool overcast afternoons. Shop consensus.
Next few hours · best species
Prime windows for active feeding over the next 12 hours (EDT).
7-day forecast
Composite spot scores over the coming week.
10-day weather & pressure outlook
NWS forecast where it reaches, Open-Meteo beyond it. Days run midnight to midnight, spot time.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Oct 31 | 75°F | 49°F | 5 mph ENE | 74% | 5% | 1,026.6 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 1 | 67°F | 53°F | 6 mph E | 95% | 16% | 1,028.8 mb | nws |
| Mon Nov 2 | 73°F | 53°F | 6 mph E | 69% | 12% | 1,025.8 mb | nws |
| Tue Nov 3 | 78°F | 49°F | 8 mph ESE | 46% | 1% | 1,021.2 mb | nws |
| Wed Nov 4 | 75°F | 59°F | 10 mph ESE | 75% | 57% | 1,014.8 mb | nws |
| Thu Nov 5 | 71°F | 59°F | 3 mph NE | 96% | 67% | 1,012.0 mb | nws |
| Fri Nov 6 | 70°F | 54°F | 3 mph NW | 87% | 40% | 1,006.4 mb | nws |
| Sat Nov 7 | 67°F | 52°F | Calm | 62% | 15% | 1,010.1 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 8 | 61°F | 48°F | 6 mph S | 53% | 12% | 1,009.6 mb | openmeteo |
| Mon Nov 9 | 52°F | 42°F | 9 mph W | 67% | 16% | 1,009.5 mb | openmeteo |
Trends · 7 days
Hover chart points for telemetry details. Gold dot represents latest reading.
Barometric pressure (mb)
Water temperature (°F)
Fishing regulations (TWRA)
Statewide creel and length limits. Confirm the current rule on TWRA before you keep a fish.
These are statewide defaults only. Many waters have their own creel, size, or season rules that override this list. Check the water you are fishing on TWRA before you go.
TWRA fishing regulations · Water-specific exceptions
Statewide defaults (19 rules)
| Species | Rule |
|---|---|
| Alligator Gar | No harvest allowed. Must be returned to water immediately. |
| Black Bass (includes Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Alabama And Coosa) | No more than 5 black bass per day in any combination may be taken. | None |
| Catfish | Only one (1) catfish over 34 inches may be harvested per day. No harvest limit on catfish less than 34 inches. |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 inches |
| Lake Trout | Only 2 of your 7 total trout may be lake trout. | None |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 36 inches |
| Paddlefish | Paddlefish may be harvested from April 24 through May 31. Daily creel limit is 2 fish per day with no size limit. Culling is prohibited. Exceptions on Center Hill, Cherokee, and Watts Bar reservoirs. |
| Redear Sunfish (shellcracker) | 20 | None |
| Redear Sunfish Or Shellcracker | 20 | None |
| Region 1 Crappie Exception: Unless Otherwise Noted For Specific Waters. | 30 | None |
| Rock Bass Or Redeye And Shadow Bass | 20 | None |
| Sauger Or Sauger/walleye Hybrids | 10 | 15 inches |
| Shovelnose Sturgeon | No harvest allowed. Must be returned to the water immediately. |
| Skipjack Herring | 100 | None |
| Striped Bass Or Hybrid Striped Bass (any Combination) | 2 | 15 inches |
| Trout (all Trout Species Combined) | 7 | None |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 inches |
| White Bass | 15 | None |
| Yellow Bass, Bluegill, Warmouth, Bream, Bullheads, Pickerel, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, And Nongame Species | no limit | None |
Access points & navigation
- BEECH CREEK NORTHEAST 36.3978, -82.9294 phone map Google OSM
- BEECH CREEK SOUTHWEST 36.3980, -82.9286 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 36.2930, -83.2377 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 36.2796, -83.2333 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 36.2900, -83.2268 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 36.3099, -83.1703 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 36.3614, -83.1632 phone map Google OSM
- CANEY CREEK 36.3852, -83.0861 phone map Google OSM
- Cherokee Marina 36.3609, -83.1702 phone map Google OSM
- Cherokee Park 36.2708, -83.2735 phone map Google OSM
- Circle Park 36.2986, -83.2906 phone map Google OSM
- County Line Road Access Area 36.3187, -83.2774 phone map Google OSM
- German Creek Access Area 36.3078, -83.3470 phone map Google OSM
- German Creek Resort 36.3048, -83.3471 phone map Google OSM
- Hamblen Boat Dock 36.2685, -83.2742 phone map Google OSM
- John Sevier Steamplant 36.3713, -82.9822 phone map Google OSM
- KYLES FORD 36.5699, -83.0414 phone map Google OSM
- Lakeside Marina 36.2715, -83.2819 phone map Google OSM
- MELINDA FERRY 36.3688, -83.0809 phone map Google OSM
- Mulberry Creek Access 36.5561, -83.3800 phone map Google OSM
- Oak Grove Access Area 36.3019, -83.3232 phone map Google OSM
- Olen Marshall Access Area 36.2660, -83.2859 phone map Google OSM
- QUARRYVILLE 36.3609, -83.1652 phone map Google OSM
- QUARRYVILLE 36.3620, -83.1642 phone map Google OSM
- Rock Haven Creek 36.3287, -83.3756 phone map Google OSM
- SNEEDVILLE 36.5044, -83.2429 phone map Google OSM
- TATE SPRINGS 36.3353, -83.3489 phone map Google OSM