2026 regulation year
Cherokee Lake (Holston River) 2026 — Tennessee Fishing Regulations
Tennessee statewide rules apply unless overridden below.
Last updated
Cherokee Lake (Holston River) carries 5 special-regulation overlays on top of Tennessee's 2026 fishing rules — covering Crappie (white + black), Walleye / sauger, Striped bass / hybrid, Channel catfish. Verify the agency booklet before launching: in-season changes are not yet wired to this page.
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State-level special regulation
Striped bass (2 / day, 15 in min) + walleye (16 in min, 5 / day) + crappie; major TVA reservoir East TN
Source: Tennessee special-water list
Per-species rules on Cherokee Lake (Holston River)
Crappie (white + black) regulations →
No size minimum, 30 / day; East TN flagship crappie reservoir
Walleye / sauger regulations →
16 in min, 5 / day; East TN crappie + walleye + striped bass reservoir
Striped bass / hybrid regulations →
2 / day combined striped + hybrid, 15 in min; premier East TN striped bass reservoir
No creel limit, only 1 over 34 in per day; East TN reservoir channel + blue catfish
Official source
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency publishes the authoritative 2026 Tennessee fishing regulations. Special-regulation lakes and rivers are listed in the agency booklet — always verify before fishing.
Visit official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's emergency-order feed — check it before any Tennessee trip during the active season.
Other special-regulation waters in Tennessee
- Bald River (Monroe County)
- Beaverdam Creek (Johnson County)
- Big Soddy Creek (Hamilton County)
- Buffalo Creek (Grainger County)
- Caney Fork tailwater (below Center Hill Dam)
- Center Hill Lake (Caney Fork)
- Cherokee National Forest streams
- Chickamauga Lake (Tennessee River)
- Citico Creek (Monroe County)
- Clinch River tailwater (below Norris Dam)
- Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary)
- Doe River (Carter County)
Frequently asked questions
- What special fishing regulations apply at Cherokee Lake (Holston River)?
- Cherokee Lake (Holston River) carries 5 special-regulation overlays that override Tennessee's statewide 2026 rules, covering Crappie (white + black), Walleye / sauger, Striped bass / hybrid, and Channel catfish. One of them reads: "Striped bass (2 / day, 15 in min) + walleye (16 in min, 5 / day) + crappie; major TVA reservoir East TN." Every overlay on this water body is listed in full above.
- Do I need a fishing license to fish Cherokee Lake (Holston River)?
- Yes. Cherokee Lake (Holston River) is in Tennessee, so a valid Tennessee fishing license is required just as it is anywhere else in the state, issued by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The special regulations on this page change the bag, size, slot, or gear rules for Cherokee Lake; they do not waive the license requirement. Free-fishing days and youth exemptions follow the statewide Tennessee rules.
- Do Cherokee Lake (Holston River)'s special rules replace Tennessee's statewide limits?
- Only where they conflict. Tennessee's statewide 2026 regulations apply on Cherokee Lake by default; the overlays above replace the matching statewide rules for the species or gear they name, while everything not specifically overridden still follows the statewide rule. When a water-body rule and the statewide rule disagree, the water-body rule wins.
- Which species have special rules on Cherokee Lake?
- Crappie (white + black), Walleye / sauger, Striped bass / hybrid, and Channel catfish have a water-body-specific rule on Cherokee Lake (Holston River), each linking to its full Tennessee regulations above. Species not listed here follow the statewide Tennessee limits.