JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Anytime an angler hears a lake is 10 feet low, it’s usually cause for alarm. And no doubt, it will certainly change the plans for some competitors at Saturday’s Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Volunteer Division event on Cherokee Lake.
Ask local Tim Smiley, though, and he believes it may actually help pros who keep the right mindset.
What to expect
When you’ve fished a lake for more than 50 years like Smiley has Cherokee, you learn a thing or two about it.
For instance, he knows that the fish love the be shallow this time of year, regardless of the water level.
“You might think the water being down would mean no cover, but we still have boat docks, and there’s so much brush that’s usually in that 15-foot range that’s now in 5 feet,” he said. “Someone could run brush all day long and never worry about running out.”
That shallow brush pattern will definitely be one to watch in this event, according to Smiley. However, if anyone is going to blow the tournament away, it may come out deep.
“If a pro can find some largemouth grouped up offshore, it’s going to be game on,” Smiley said. “Those fish will be grouped up big time because the water is so low.”
Something to note is Smiley mentioned “largemouth” specifically, because now that the tournament is in June, anglers can only weigh in one smallmouth, and they have to be longer than 18 inches. Even for those who catch one (and there are plenty that size in the fishery), the fish will likely be on the skinny side, as they’re still recovering from the spawn.
“A 4-pound smallmouth might only weigh 2.75 pounds right now,” Smiley said. “Normally, pros fish up the river for them in May. But now in June, anyone going up the river to flip will have to focus on largemouth.”
Baits to bring
Smiley figures he’s fished well over 1,000 tournaments on Cherokee in his life, and one lure he’s won a lot of money with is a topwater. He hopes to add to the tab this event using it over those now-shallow brush piles.
He also said spinnerbaits and shaky heads up shallow should produce, as well as Coikes, which have of course become newfound players on the fishery. Offshore, deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina rigs will be big, along with jighead minnows for anyone seeking to take advantage of their three hours with forward-facing sonar.
What will it take?
Smiley has won a pair of BFL events this time of year on Cherokee. Both times, he bagged around 17 pounds. He sees no reason for the winning weight to be any different this year.
“It’s fishing normal, which means 16 to 18 pounds will win,” Smiley said. “It’s almost always somewhere in that range.”