Dale Hollow Secret Winter Smallmouth Technique Revealed!

Tools for Post Spawn Fishing  By Jim Files

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Dale Hollow Lake Fishing Information / Water Temps Dam Schedule COE

Dale Hollow Release Schecule TVA

Shared Waters Ky & Tn
on Dale Hollow Both Ky and Tn Licenses are valid on this portion of the lake

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Dale Hollow Lake Fishing Report Updated May 15, 2012

May 15, 2012

Hello Anglers,
   
   After a few days on the water I'm happy to say the bite is on!!  I was excited when I
arrived on the water Tuesday afternoon.  I was hoping to experience several different
patterns during my stay.  
    It all started with a night of fishing under the stars with my great friend and Dale
Hollows best night fisherman/guide Greg Brisendine.  We hit the water around 10pm
and fished until maybe 3:30am.  In that time we threw light weight buck tail jigs into
shallow water and it payed off.  We boated around 12-14, with a few random species
added on.  On top of the smallys we hooked into a Gar and a Flathead Cat.  Like always
we lost several fish and had several short strikes.  Greg is such a seasoned fisherman
that he can tell when his chunk trailer has been robbed by Mr.Smallmouth.  It's almost
like Babe Ruth calling which wall he is gonna smash the baseball over.  Greg can get a
hit set the hook and know that his chunk is gone or damaged.  He can also tell the
difference between a Goggle Eye strike and a Smallmouth strike, that is nearly
impossible for me.  
    Well after a great night of catching I get dropped off at the back of the Houseboat and
fall fast asleep.  After a few days of working on the boat I hit the water again in search of
a top water bite.  After some dock talk I hear they are hitting the Zara Spook.  Well after
some deep digging I find one on my boat.  Which is a surprise because I would have put
money that all 3 that I own were at home in Louisville.  Well I find one and it's game on.  
After a dozen explosions at my bait and a couple change of underpants later I have
boated maybe 5 smallys.  When fishing top water they don't always hit the bait with their
mouth.  On my third cast Saturday morning my Spook got smacked 3 feet in the air.  
After a few more twitches, another big Boom and it's fish on.  After a few hours, a bad
spot in my line cause my line to break on the cast.  This caused my only Zara Spook to
land 40 feet up in a Evergreen.  The only other top water I had on me was a Pop R.  But
that would only bring the fish up to it but not make 'em hit it.  After watching several and
several lookers but no buyers, I switched to a weightless fluke.  The Fluke is slow
enough for the fish to bite or just what they wanted at that time.  Within the next two
hours I had 3 break off and boated 6-8 more.  I blame the break of 12lb P-line on me, I
didn't use a swivel and with the twist that a fluke put in your line.  When setting the hook
with that kinda twist, it's bound to snap.  I won't make that mistake again.  
    The last fish of the morning and the biggest  of my trip is a fish I will never forget.  It
only measured 19 3/4" but when he hit the fluke my whole rod tingled/vibrated and I set
the hook.  After only two crank of the reel it locks up, it won't go forward or backward.
No drag, no back reel, nothing!!  So I slowly walk to the back of the Ranger to keep
tension on the fish.  Well, I eventually ran out of boat and no option but to act like Long
John Silver and pull this fish in by hand.  After some burn on my hands from my braided
line and fighting this mad smally like a caveman, I get her in the boat.  After such a
crazy morning I retire to the boat to nap for a bit.
    Well, wow that bite was so much fun I have to run into Celina and hit the Dale Hollow
One Stop.  I need more Zara Spooks!!!!  I'm walking to the parking lot from the dock,
and as I pass the office of Horsecreek and the manager Thomas Weaver ask how the
fishing has been?  Well I share my story and tell him where I'm going and he says here
use these, don't drive all the way to town.  Thanks man, I say and he reminds me, these
aren't a gift I want them back soon.  That's how much fun these baits are.  He also
added that the short one has helped on his hook up ratio.  So I start Sunday off at
5:15am on a long main lake point and it was on from the get go.  After boating 5 within
the first hour I knew it was gonna be a great morning.  Well other than the rain it was.  
Using the shorter Spook increased my hook up ratio from 5:1 to 3:1.  Around 8 am the
rain got so bad I just couldn't take it anymore so I went back to the dock to help my
neighbor with his boat.  
    I must say that the top water bite is the most fun bite that Dale Hollow hands out.  
There is alot of fun fishing to be had but World Class Smallmouth on top water, is
priceless.  Just as always if you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me.  
Thanks for reading and always be safe on the water.

Adam Vogelsang
adamvogelsang@insightbb.com



4/19/12
Hello to all,
Well after spending 5 days on the water I have some good news to share
with my fellow Smallmouth anglers. The bite is on!!! I fished everyday but, only fished
in the morning from 7-11. I would have fished all day but I have a ton of work/cleaning
to do on my houseboat, good ole spring cleaning.

The bite started out strong and continued through mid-week. The Smallmouth are
scattered right now but I think that is a good thing. That means there is no wrong place
to cast. I caught fish in 5-30 feet of water. Keeping the boat in depth range of 40-50
feet and throwing my bait as close to the bank as I can get it. If I didn't get bit I would
just continue the same retrieve all the way to the boat. Sometimes the fish would
hammer my swim bait right away and other times, the bait would be right under the boat
and then BAMM!!! If anyone has never experienced the swim bait bite then you are
missing out. It is a slow retrieve and when they hit the bait, you know it. The Big
Hammer is my favorite swim bait on the market. I have only been throwing them less
than a year but I have never caught so my fish on one particular bait.

I fished the lower end of the lake this week and 90% of my fish were either full of
eggs or leaking them all over the boat. Some random species are also biting the swim
bait other than the Smallmouth. I have caught many Catfish and a few Walleye and
them make for a great dinner. I had great numbers of fish all week, my slowest day
was 6-7 fish and my most productive was 15-16 fish.

Crappie are still being caught on small jigs and minnows, real tight to brush and on
grass flats. The Walleye are biting jerk baits at night and the bluegills are being caught
75-100 at a time on crickets in about 5-15 feet of water. I have not heard any reports on
the Largemouth/Spotted Bass. If anyone has any question please feel free to e-mail
me.

Thanks for reading,

Adam Vogelsang
adamvogelsang@insightbb.com


4/12/12
Hello Anglers,

This is my first report for Fishin.com. So just let me start with a quick introduction.
My name is Adam Vogelsang, I live in Louisville, Ky, and I have a houseboat at
Horsecreek Marina on Dale Hollow Lake. I target Smallmouth bass 90% of the time that
I'm on the water. Any reports regarding other species will be second hand, aka "dock
talk".

The Smallmouths are being caught in 5-20 feet of water, they are biting swim baits,
jerk baits, crank baits and jigs. Most of my fish are caught on the Big Hammer swim
baits, soft jerk baits and hair jigs. Early morning and late afternoon/evening is when the
bite is the strongest. Water temps are around 68-70 degrees. Once the water gets
above 75 degrees the night fishing will start out producing the day fishing. Most anglers
are catching 5-15 Smallmouths per day and some of the local guides are catching as
many as 20 per day.

Walleye are being caught at night on jerk baits and swim baits. Crappie are being
caught tight to brush and on main lake grass flats, small jigs or minnows under a small
float are producing the numbers. Bluegills/Shellcrackers are being in caught 5-15 feet
of water on crickets.

Thanks for reading,

Adam Vogelsang
adamvogelsang@insightbb.com