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Hello folks! I need to talk to the locals on Douglas Lake.
i am planning on retiring in the near future, and I am thinking of looking at the lake . I would like to talk to the local fisherman to get an honest opinion . And i have some questions. Thanks in advance. ! Tim
Congratulations on your impending retirement, Douglas is a beautiful lake with the Great Smoky Mountains as a backdrop and only 45 minutes from the University of Tennessee hometown Knoxville. It is about 30 navigable miles long with around 500 miles of shoreline. If you are not aware the lake is a flood control reservoir used for hydroelectric power generation, meaning it has huge yearly fluctuations.
Attachment 310499
If the above chart shows, it is evident of the fluctuations. In January this year the lake level was 950ft above sea level. On June 1st the lake level was 995ft, way up in the bushes as a result of Tropical Storm Alberto. That is a 45ft vertical change. Gentle sloping banks away from the river channels can lose the waters edge up to 1/4 mile each year. Below is a picture I took couple years ago when the lake was only about 20ft down.
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I did not have gps on my front depth finder and used pictures to help triangulate brushpiles, but you can see the stationary and floating dock in the backdrop, useless about 4 or more months of the year without proper cabling. There are some main channel areas that are not as bad, but tend to be steep billy goat terrain. Some ramps become unusable in the winter, but we do not get much ice. Here is a shot at Dandridge public boat ramp, again see the full pool level in the left side background.
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You can pm me for more information, I have two friends who have lake property, one in Muddy Creek area and 1 near Swanns Bridge. Both lose water around October and have to pull their boats out til next Spring. Real Estate is not cheap, but nowhere near Lake Guntersville AL or Santee Cooper SC prices. Fishing is good, many species to try to capture, and licenses are a little high but a necessary evil I guess. I have fished Douglas/Cherokee for 45 years now and current creel limits and regulations have maintained and even improved these lakes in my opinion. Hope this helps some.
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