Jefferson City, Tenn., will host the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation at Cherokee Lake presented by Lowrance April 10-12.
Photo by Shane Durrance/B.A.S.S.
April 3, 2026
Expect spawning bass to dominate Nation Qualifier at Cherokee Lake
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Spawning largemouth and smallmouth will play an important factor at Cherokee Lake in east Tennessee in the first Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier presented by Lowrance event of 2026 according to Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Sam Hanggi.
“It is a super-diverse time to fish Cherokee,” said Hanggi, who lives in nearby Knoxville. “You can do a lot of different things. You can go shallow and do the spawning largemouth and smallmouth deal; you can get a little farther offshore and target bait balls with forward-facing sonar; and you can go farther up the lake and target channel swings with dirtier water.”
Tournament days are scheduled for April 10-12, with daily takeoffs and weigh-ins set for the TVA Cherokee Dam Launch at 7:10 a.m. and 3:10 p.m., respectively. The Top 10% of boaters and nonboaters after the final-day weigh-in will advance to the 2026 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance, where boaters will compete for a spot on the 2027 Bassmaster Elite Series as well as one of three spots in the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Cherokee Lake has been a popular stop on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail for several years. Most recently, Lander University’s Andrew Blanton and Garrett Smith won the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops there in the middle of July.
Unlike last year’s summer event, where collegiate anglers could only keep one 18-inch smallmouth a day, Nation anglers will be able to target smallmouth with less restrictive limits. Boaters can keep five black bass of any species per day as long as they measure 15 inches, while nonboaters can keep three.
Comfortable spring air will likely be moving into the region, and generally it is the time of the year when most bass in the lake have spawning on their minds. Barring a significant rain event, water levels should still be below summer pool.
With the water low, several cover options — such as shallow laydowns, shoreline bushes and water willows — will be unfishable, leaving lots of rock structure to target, as well as docks. While anglers will be able to find quality fish on the northern end of the lake, there likely won’t be enough water to make it to the Sevier Dam tailrace.
For the bass moving up to or already spawning, several techniques will come into play. Shallow-diving crankbaits and swimbaits like a 6-inch Megabass Magdraft are proven bite-getters during the spring, while shaky heads and other traditional bed-fishing baits will also see plenty of use.
“I think you will see a lot of people have success targeting spawning smallmouth on boulders in 3 to 12 feet of water,” Hanggi said. “They usually spawn a little earlier than largemouth.”
Hanggi also anticipates anglers trying to unlock a forward-facing sonar bite on the main lake for prespawn and postspawn bass. Jighead minnows will be key to getting those bass to bite.
“You will have a population of smallmouth that are a little farther out chasing bait, so that is going to play,” he added.
While catching a limit shouldn’t be overly difficult, Hanggi said there isn’t a lot of size variation on Cherokee Lake right now, making one or two kicker bites even more important.
“There are fish all over the lake, but there is a prominent average size,” he said. “The majority of bass are 2 or 2 1/2 pounds. Someone will need to have a limit of solid ones and then one or two big bites every day. Those bigger bites will probably be from largemouth.”
The tournament is being hosted by Visit Jefferson County, TN.