With a guide
Guides and charters near Card’nal Cove Resort
Captains who run Cherokee Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Skylar Hamilton Guide Service
Nathan Mountain Outdoors
Largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, bluegill, troutCall 423-726-0240nathanmountainoutdoors.com
StriperFun Guide Service
Cherokee Lake stripersCall 931-403-2501striperfun.com
What to bring
Tackle for Card’nal Cove Resort
Three picks from the largemouth bass checklist that work for the fish here. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
How to get there
Getting to Card’nal Cove Resort
Card’nal Cove Resort is a public marina on Cherokee Lake in Grainger County, Tennessee.
TWRA holds no written directions for Card’nal Cove Resort. Use the coordinates below, which come straight from the state’s access record and drop you on the access point itself rather than on the nearest town.
Card’nal Cove Resort is 7.5 miles north-west of Morristown, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Cardinal Cove Resort, Inc., a few hundred yards to the south on the same water. For bait, Gilmore Boat Dock in Rutledge is about 6 miles away.
Coordinates 36.26233, -83.41393
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Card’nal Cove Resort
Cherokee Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
TWRA notes fish densities here are greater than in most Tennessee reservoirs because of high fertility; the Hawkins end fishes more like a river than a lake.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Card’nal Cove Resort
What you can keep from Cherokee Lake at Card’nal Cove Resort. TWRA sets 6 rules just for Cherokee Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 combined with smallmouth | 15 in minimum | Reservoir rules run from Cherokee Dam upstream to John Sevier Dam |
| Smallmouth bass | 1 (Jun 1–Oct 15); 5 (Oct 16–May 31) | 18 in minimum Jun 1–Oct 15; 15 in minimum Oct 16–May 31 | Within the 5 largemouth/smallmouth combined limit |
| Spotted bass | 15 | No length limit | Spotted/Alabama bass, separate from the largemouth/smallmouth limit |
| Walleye | 10 walleye/sauger/saugeye combined | 15 in minimum | Cherokee Lake rule |
| Sauger | 10 walleye/sauger/saugeye combined | 15 in minimum | Cherokee Lake rule |
| Paddlefish | 1 | No length limit | Season Apr 1–15. Culling prohibited. Holston River from Hwy 344 (Malinda Ferry Rd) bridge up to John Sevier Dam closed to snagging Mar 1–31 and Apr 16–May 31 |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| Striped bass | 2 striped and hybrid combined | 15 in minimum | Statewide |
| White bass | 15 | No minimum | Statewide |
| Channel catfish | No limit under 34 in | Only one over 34 in | Statewide |
Other rules on Cherokee Lake
- Jul 1–Sep 15: marked zone just above Cherokee Dam closed to fishing from boats (bank fishing and southeast-shore coves stay open)
From the 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide (TWRA), in effect 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, checked 25 September 2026. Rules change, so check the guide before you keep a fish.
21 public boat launches in Grainger County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Cherokee Lake around Card’nal Cove Resort
What the water at Card’nal Cove Resort actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Cherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →TVA Web Team / CC BY 2.0
Norris LakeOpen the Norris Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Holston RiverOpen the Holston River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Cherokee LakeOpen the Cherokee Lake page →Dwight Burdette / CC BY 3.0
Norris LakeOpen the Norris Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Holston RiverOpen the Holston River page →Dacoshi / CC BY-SA 3.0Next one along
More Cherokee Lake access near Card’nal Cove Resort
The closest other public access points on Cherokee Lake, measured straight line from Card’nal Cove Resort. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Card’nal Cove Resort water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Card’nal Cove Resort
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Card’nal Cove Resort, including Norris Lake, Holston River and Clinch River. Handy when the wind is wrong on Cherokee Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Card’nal Cove Resort
The closest shops to Card’nal Cove Resort that this site has checked. Gilmore Boat Dock in Rutledge is nearest, about 6 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Card’nal Cove Resort
Card’nal Cove Resort is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.