East Tennessee's Reservoir Striper Circuit
The Tennessee Valley Authority built its dams to control floods and generate power. In doing so, it also created one of the most remarkable landlocked striper fisheries in the country. The series of impoundments stretching from the Georgia line north into Kentucky represents more than 600,000 acres of water — and almost all of it holds striped bass.
For a fly angler based in East Tennessee, this is an embarrassment of riches. Here's a working guide to the major reservoirs.
Cherokee Lake (Jefferson City / Morristown)
Cherokee is the Holston River impounded, and it's one of the most underrated striper lakes in the state. The lake runs long and narrow — true river morphology — which concentrates fish and makes them easier to locate than on sprawling flatwater reservoirs.
TWRA stocks Cherokee aggressively, and the fish grow well on an abundant threadfin and gizzard shad forage base. Fall fishing here can be spectacular, with stripers trapping baitfish in the upper lake's tributary arms.
Best access: Jarvis Marina on the upper lake, Cherokee Park boat ramp.
Peak season: October through November for surface action; April–May for spawning run aggregations near the Holston River confluence.
Fly approach: Cherokee's clarity varies — after rains, the upper lake goes turbid. In clear conditions, downsized flies (2/0 Clousers, 3-inch Deceivers) outperform. In dirty water, go big and loud.
Norris Lake (Norris Dam)
TVA's first dam created Norris Lake — and the clearest, deepest water in the system. The lake sits in a forested valley north of Knoxville, with 800 miles of shoreline and visibility up to 20 feet in some coves.
Norris presents the fly angler's greatest challenge: clear, deep water with spooky fish. But the upside is that you can sight-fish stripers in a way that's impossible on other Tennessee impoundments. When fish are in shallow water chasing shad against main lake points in early morning, you can literally see them — and making a perfect presentation to a visible 30-inch striper is one of the great experiences in freshwater fly fishing.
Best access: Big Creek boat ramp, Norris Dam State Park ramps on both sides of the dam.
Peak season: Fall blitz in October is legendary. Stripers push shad onto the surface in the main lake's lower basin with nowhere to go.
Fly approach: The clear water demands longer leaders (8–10 feet of fluorocarbon) and precise presentations. Sight-fishing with a full intermediate line is the move when fish are visible. Don't false-cast over fish — one backcast, one forward cast, shoot.
Watts Bar Lake (Watts Bar Dam)
Watts Bar is the middle child of the Tennessee River system — sitting between Chickamauga downstream and Melton Hill upstream. It's a big, productive lake with excellent striper populations maintained by TWRA stocking.
The lake has more agricultural influence than Norris, which means nutrient-rich water and robust baitfish populations. Stripers here grow fast and fat. A five-year-old Watts Bar striper will outweigh a same-age Norris fish by several pounds.
Best access: Renegade Marina, Thief Neck Island launch, Spring City boat ramp.
Peak season: Spring is exceptional — March through May, when warming water activates surface feeding behavior. The Clinch River arm is productive for pre-spawn fish.
Fly approach: This is big-fly, big-water fishing. Wind is a constant factor on the main lake. Bring your 10-weight and don't leave streamers smaller than 4 inches.
Dale Hollow Lake (Celina)
Dale Hollow is the crown jewel. Straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky border, it's famous for world-record smallmouth bass — but its striper fishery is equally impressive and far less pressured.
The lake is extremely clear and deep, with ledges dropping to 80 feet. Stripers here live a vertical life, rising to feed on surface bait pods at dawn and dusk, then sliding back down to cool depths. The trophy potential is real: 40-pound-plus fish are caught here every year.
Best access: Obey River Park, Dale Hollow State Park marina.
Peak season: Late September through October is prime time. The fall feeding frenzy on this lake, when stripers work shad against the clear cliff walls of the lower lake, is a bucket-list experience.
Fly approach: This is technical fishing. Use fluorocarbon leaders, size down your flies (though not dramatically), and pay attention to the thermocline depth before you fish. In summer, the zone between the too-warm surface and too-cold depths is only a few feet thick — and all the fish are in it.
Building a Circuit
The beauty of East Tennessee's reservoir system is its diversity. No two lakes fish the same way, and moving between them through the season keeps the fishing fresh. A rough circuit that works:
- April–May: Cherokee and Watts Bar for spring surface action
- June–August: Target tailwaters (below dams) to avoid summer stratification
- September–October: Norris and Dale Hollow for the fall blitz
- November–March: Chickamauga and Tennessee River tailwaters for winter giants
All of these fisheries are within a two-hour drive of Chattanooga. East Tennessee's striper circuit is the kind of resource most anglers spend a lifetime looking for — and it's right here.