Cheatham Lake

[nomad60]

Have any of you ever fished Cheatham lake, and if so, have you done any good? The reason I ask is, I've been checking that lake out online and it looks pretty good. But a coworker of mine told me he hates fishing there because his bass club had tourneys there 3 years in a row and no one ever caught a limit so they dropped it from any future schedules. I believe him but find it odd that the fishing there is so tough unless there's something peculiar to that stretch of water.

[Travis C.]

Are you speaking of just around Ashland City or lake as a whole. It's upper end is a great smallie fishery where at least one 9lber has come from it not to mention some big largemouth mixed along slack water wood/rock.

A lot on here including myself fish that part.

[Buccaneer]

Travis is right Cheatham Lake extends from the Old Hickory Dam tailwaters all the way downstream to Cheatham Dam. The upper end from OH Dam to downtown Nashville has some very good fishing and quite a variety of options from main current rocky areas to inside bends with more wood cover. Good smallie and largemouth potential in that stretch. I have fished from Commodore Yacht Club (Bells Bend area) downstream to the old Triton plant and its pretty much a pure river with straight runs unlike the upper section. Caught plenty of fish, most of them rather small as compared to areas closer to OH Dam.

[nomad60]

Oh ok, I didn't realize that everything from Cheatham dam on back to OH dam was considered Cheatham lake. I was talking more about the area from Cheatham dam on back, maybe a few miles, like that big island past sycamore creek.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by nomad60

Oh ok, I didn't realize that everything from Cheatham dam on back to OH dam was considered Cheatham lake. I was talking more about the area from Cheatham dam on back, maybe a few miles, like that big island past sycamore creek.

I haven't fished that area much. There is a book to give you some insight though call "The Compleat Tennessee Angler."

But as far as bass fishing goes, a lot of tourneys out of Ashland City are won by making that long run upstream.

[nomad60]

Thanks Travis. I have that book, as well as well as the West TN fishing map guide and it's from the Compleat TN Angler where my interest in Cheatham peaked. In there, it says "The best LM and crappie backwater is within 6 miles of the Cheatham dam but the best SM and striper fishing is near the OH dam headwaters." After I read that I started looking at the maps and saw that Cheatham isn't all that far from Clarksville but then my coworker told me that part of the river is horrible fishing. He said his club had a tournament there once a year for 3 years and every time, no one brought in a limit of bass and (I think) on 2 occasions, 3 bass won it (and they have some damned good anglers in their club; one of them, Mark Pierce, recently fished in the Classic). So anyway, he doesn't want to fish Cheatham at all LOL