I'll tell ya, I went to Lake Cherokee last August looking for stripes with a neighbor who has a pontoon down there, and my Dad caught a monstrous 27" striper. Not quite trophy size, but that bad boy made some great table fare! The first morning we were there, we were riding down the lake at about 7 am and saw a bunch of boats huddled up in the middle. They were vertical jigging like mad and pulling the stripers out like crazy! We joined the fray and caught two before the stripes just disappeared from the depth finder! According to most people down there, the stripers go deep in the day and lie near the bottom in the deepest points, probably going to the cooler water to rest, and they seem to be impossible to catch unless they are feeding. We didn't have any luck at all the next two mornings... the lake is so big, we just couldn't find the stripers. It was fun while it lasted, but it's more of a luck-game than anything. Lots of water to cover and not a lot of time to do it... after about 10am, the stripers are docile and out of feeding mode.

I would recommend Cherokee, but after the morning striper run is over, you might as well go out shopping or something. In the three days I was there, I also caught a 5" Large and a 5" Smallmouth. Not much to brag about, but it was better than nothing, I suppose.