I have been fishing Cherokee lake for 37 years and there has never been a very good population of walleye on it. I would catch on or two a year by accident while bass fishing but that about it. But lately we have been catching one or two every time we go out. Caught them all fall on crankbaits and now that we a fishing small wintertime hair jigs we are still catching them every trip out. They are all about 19-22 inches long and very healthy.

Before this year it has not been like this. I could see if we were catching small fish like they had been stocked last year or the year before but these fish are solid keepers. I don't understand where they come from out of the blue like this. The Largemouth numbers are down, even electro shocking is showing LM bass numbers below normal and it has shown in the fishing also. But the smallmouth are coming on strong. A tournament 2 weeks ago showed how good the smallmouths are doing, 20 pounds with 5 fish didn't even get in the money, ALL SMALLMOUTH!

Walleyes out of no where. Crazy! Any thoughts?

I dont think theyve come from nowhere. I think without realizing
it youve become better at catching them. Could you now target a
spot you might go catch a walleye?

Your lake may be getting colder, both small mouth and walleye do better in colder water, and large mouth do better in warmer water. Any chance the lake is being spring fed now?

The sm have been there all the time. You have to use grubs instead of worms, jerkbaits and move them fast, and jigs but hop them in crawdad colors. powdr

I am fishing seasonal patterns and places I have fished for years and I am not targeting walleyes. Idk if I could target a spot or not, it just seems we pick one up here or there, no pattern or place sticks out.

The lake isnt spring feed, it's actually not even a lake in the true sense of the word. It's a reservoir feed by a river that has been dammed. I haven't seen any drop in water temp over the years. Summer temp are in the mid to high 80s like they always have been. I can say however that the water temp in August and september was unusually low in the upper end of the lake. Idk what that was about.

I know the smallmouths have always been there, I catch them regularly, but it has shifted this year a lot. Usually the smallmouth make up little of the bag limits. This year especially in the last month they are almost 100% of the bag. It's weird, I have never seen a year like we are having.

But the walleye have me baffled the most. Believe me when I say I am clueless as to why they are showing up now but I'm glad they are. Good eating and good sport.

Just so you know, I'm not retarded but this flippin phone and this gosh damn auto correct is so flipped up it would drive Jesus crazy. I know my posts read like crap. I will try to proof read more often. Sorry

High springtime water 3 to 4 years ago leading to better than average natural reproduction of walleyes?

If you eat your catch, count your blessings!....I'll take walleyes and smallmouth over largemouth every time!

Walt, that might be.

I eat walleye, crappie, sunfish and stripers but I wont eat a smallmouth. They are my favorite sport fish.

I guess your saying you catch and release the small mouth?

Indeed I do release ALL the smallmouth. It took the lake years to become a good smallmouth lake.

Yes.


Release into a hot pan of grease.




They are very good eating, and you'll be making room for more gamefish in the lake.

They could have been seeded by raptors or herons.

That's the saddest thing I ever read.

I don't know how you sleep at night.

(cause I'd be out fishin)

I have been both fishing, for smallie and releasing walleyes to the grease. Both caught on hand tied craft hair jigs poured and tied by myself. Life ain't bad.

I don't think Cherokee has near the nutrients coming into it that it had a couple of decades ago, so it may not be as eutrophic. That would favor smallmouth.

Are zebra mussels in Cherokee? That would further clear the water and change things to favor smallmouth.

The great lakes went through a similar change. Remember when Lake Erie was "dead" or supposed to be?

They did find zebra mussels in the lake this year but it still isn't really clear. Also I don't think the steam plant is releasing hot water in the river anymore. I just found out about the warm water discharge yesterday. I noticed in August and september the upper end of the lake was WAY cooler than usual. That may have a lot to do with it.

Lakes morph. My favorite Maine bass lake had no northern pike 20-25 years ago. The lake was loaded with white perch,an important forage species. It was normal to see huge schools dimpling the surface each morning. Also schools of golden shiners.

The northern's took hold somehow. The schools of white perch disappeared. No vast schools of golden shiners. We started catching big pike in places previously known for big largemouth,and then lots of little ones ,too.Obviously the pike were reproducing and the forage base took the hit.

About 5 years ago, F&G began to "encouraged" pike harvest. I caught them to 14 pounds but lots of 10-12 pounders, too. At tournaments we were told pike were to be killed immediately upon catching them. Apparently this had a positive effect.

Last year, for the first time in maybe a decade, the schools of white perch were back in force,and I had the best LM/SM fishing I had seen in a long time.

BTW this is a very good bass lake. Before the pike really took hold, I have seen eight 7 pound+ largemouth weighed in at one spring tournament.And have seen it take 40 pounds to win with an 8 fish limit. Looks like it is on the way back.

The pike are still there, and big ones, but I think the harvest of many big pike have pulled things back into some kind of balance.

The steam plant was converted to natural gas a while back, so won't be discharging hot water any more. It's going to be interesting to see how that may affect future fish populations.

If zebra mussels have a foothold in Cherokee, look for shellcrackers to explode both in numbers and size in coming years.

HELL YEAH! I LOVE fishing for redears! It's actually the only fish I fish seriously for anymore. I take shell cracker fishing very seriously! Smallmouth are one of my favorites too. And I had rather eat a walleye that a steak.

I always enjoyed fishing on Cherokee far more than Norris, even though Norris was closer.

Hate hearing the LM numbers are down, but it's hard to frown if the SM and Walleye are doing well.

How are you doing CT? The Largemouth will rebound. I hope the walleye come on strong, they are tastey for sure. I didn't know you fished down here. Next time you come shoot me a pm and I'll buy you supper, and maybe put you on some fish.

A couple good years of walleye reproduction could blow their numbers up. It's very funny that a lake local to me is in the same pattern, smallies blowing. Walleye stocking finally showing progress and the lmb numbers falling off. The good part of it is that the lmb are much bigger on average than in recent years. I'll take a single 5lb lmb over a dozen runts any day. Add in increased smallies and walleye for the pan and it's good times.

My good man! Eat those walleyes but for heavens sakes let them beautiful smallies go! If one 5 pound LM is worth a dozen runts then one 5 pound smallie is worth that five fold.

You should be forced to listen to country music as a suitable punishment. Lol

I'm well, friend. Maybe we can get together this spring some time and fish a bit. I'd enjoy that.

Has the lake been lowered during the previous few years around may or early June when Largemouths would be spawning and there for limiting large mouth reproduction and allowing earlier spawning walleyes and smallies to get a foot hold?????
I would take a good smally and walleye lake over a GREAT largemouth lake every day of the week......

Winter pool is 53 vertical feet lower than summer pool. When the water temp hits 70 degrees they hold that level so fish can spawn and wait a few weeks before raising water level toward summer pool. We get spawners in April - july. Also fish in the upper part of the lake spawn before the fish in the mid section and the dam section has fish spawning the latest.

Don't threaten me with a good time!