Cherokee lake or Douglas lake

[Take the bait]

I will be staying in the pigeon forge area and will be renting a boat. I want to know if Douglas lake produces a better fishing habitat than Cherokee lake. I have heard Douglas lake is a clear water lake and Cherokee is polluted. This may come in to play with the fishing quality. Any suggestions on which lake is better ?

[38 Super Fan]

Cherokee isn't really polluted (no more than other lakes in the area anyway), the water just has more color to it, especially up the lake.

 

They're very different lakes, Cherokee has more of a mix of things, bluffs, channel swings, transitions, long points, and tons of humps and islands. Douglas just seems like miles of gravel and clay banks that all look the same. Both have quality fish, I don't think there's really an answer to which one is better, they're just different.

 

One thing for sure, they can both be very tough lakes to learn, especially this time of year.

[Al Wolbach]

14 hours ago, 38 Super Fan said:

Cherokee isn't really polluted (no more than other lakes in the area anyway), the water just has more color to it, especially up the lake.

 

They're very different lakes, Cherokee has more of a mix of things, bluffs, channel swings, transitions, long points, and tons of humps and islands. Douglas just seems like miles of gravel and clay banks that all look the same. Both have quality fish, I don't think there's really an answer to which one is better, they're just different.

 

One thing for sure, they can both be very tough lakes to learn, especially this time of year.

 

All true. My experience is Douglas seems to have more fish and Cherokee has better fish. That may just be me and my abilities however. Both lakes can be very difficult when it gets hot and the fish move deep. Both lakes have smallmouth, if that matters to you, and Cherokee probably has gets the nod here, both in numbers and size.

 

btw Neither of these lakes are clear water lakes. Both are stained with visibility of 2-3 feet this time of year depending on weather.

 

one tip for both lakes, if you see a mud line created by wind or waves, fish it thoroughly.

[Take the bait]

Thank you for the response. I have a question regarding the mudlines. How exactly do I find one as well as what is a mudline? It may be hard to get a 20ft pontoon close to the bank

[Choporoz]

I never considered this a great answer, but....'you'll know it when you see one'....they are typically very well defined and quite obvious, even with a bit of chop on the surface.

[Al Wolbach]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

I never considered this a great answer, but....'you'll know it when you see one'....they are typically very well defined and quite obvious, even with a bit of chop on the surface.

This picture says a thousand words. The mud lines on these lakes typically run a muddy water streak for 5 to 15 yards, often on points, and will hold feeding fish on a regular basis. Anything from spinnerbaits to soft plastics are effective. I have found spinnerbaits with colored blades(chartreuse) very effective. 

[Al Wolbach]

I should have added, the mud lines often run out from a point into deep water, not along the bank like in the picture.