See every public fishing venue in Tennessee on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Cherokee Lake is a public reservoir in Grainger County, Hawkins County, Hamblen County and Jefferson County, Tennessee, managed by Tennessee Valley Authority. The shoreline and water are open to the public. Public access confirmed via marquee operator.
A deep highland reservoir with a stocked striped-bass fishery on top of the resident black bass, crappie and walleye.
Cherokee Lake covers about 22,155 acres in the East region. Anglers here mostly fish for striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass; walleye, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish are also on record. Neighbouring public land — Centennial Park, Panther Creek, Panther Creek State Park — opens up bank access away from the main entry points. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Panther Creek and Holston River.
Species from TWRA and Tennessee fishery data.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Tennessee; a few individual waters have local rules — check the current TWRA regulations for this water.
Boats: Boats allowed. On the large TVA/USACE reservoirs there is no horsepower limit; TWRA agency lakes are usually electric-motor or 10 hp only.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camping is at Corps, TVA, TWRA and state-park campgrounds. Dispersed bankside camping on public shoreline is generally not allowed — use a designated site.
Tackle: Statewide creel and size limits apply; several reservoirs carry a black-bass protected slot — check the current TWRA regs for this water.
Rules verified 2026-09-01 against TWRA regulations. Always confirm the current rules before you fish.
Source: USGS PAD-US (Protected Areas Database).
Boat ramps: 20 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.
Camping: 8 sites mapped nearby — Campsite, Pleasant Ridge Campground, Wa-Ni Village, Cherokee Lake Campground, Gilmore Campground, Cardinal Cove and others.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
A Tennessee fishing licence covers all public water in the state. Non-resident annual is around $50; 3-day and 10-day non-resident permits are also sold. TWRA agency lakes need an extra TWRA Lake permit.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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