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Fishing Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees: what the data says
41,779-acre reservoir near Grove. The lake tops out around 130 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees
Spring largemouth bass on Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 5 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. Elk River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring white bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | see map |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees
Start shallow in spring: white bass & hybrids sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Elk River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees
Spring channel catfish on Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Elk River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees
Spring blue catfish on Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 113 ft
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 103 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 90 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 84 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 63 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 56 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 52 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 39 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 36 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 30 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 30 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 27 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 16 ft
Common questions
How deep is Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees?
Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees is about 130 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, blue catfish on Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees.
Where is the best fishing spot on Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Lake Eucha · Spavinaw Lake · Lake Hudson (Markham Ferry) · Illinois River (Oklahoma) · Claremore Lake · Greenleaf Lake
See how Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best white bass lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best channel catfish lakes in Oklahoma
Browse all Oklahoma fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.