Dale Hollow

[skeeterjames]

Trip coming up in just a bit over a week. Curious of water temps and levels. Havent been down there since back in the spring and that was when we had all that rain and the lake was over 5.5 ft. How did the grass beds do this year?

Thanks

Skeeter

[elnutsmalljaws]

Lake is 644 which is 7 feet below summer pool and 70 degrees. The grass beds would not have been effected at all by anything that happened this year. Even the deep grass in 20+ of water is good and will survive as well as all the shallow grass in the lake. If you want to fish the grass, then you are going to a lake that has it at all depths to 30 feet. Good Luck

[skeeterjames]

I live and die in the grass down there. Hasnt been too good to me the last couple years, hope that changes this year!

Thanks for the info.

Skeeter

[elnutsmalljaws]

I love the grass as well and fish it quite often at night and even in the winter even with the FNF. I love to cast my FNF and let the jig fall into a grass bed that is sitting in 10-12 foot of water with my 10 foot leader and then as I work the jig and it hits a piece of grass, pull it up until it breaks free then let if fall into the grass again. Had MANY absolutely hammer the fly in doing this to the point where I can find a nice hole in the grass bed and can call my shot for a couple on back to back cast. My buddy never believed me in this pattern until he saw me pull out a 5-9 and 4-15 on back to back cast and I called the 4-15 before the cast was made. I had used this technique on the 5-9 and could feel the pocket in the grass and by the way she hammered the fish I knew it was a competition bite. I told Chunknwind to watch on the next cast, pulled it off the grass, then another and felt the hole and said watch just a second before the bobber was yanked under. He could not believe it but was a believer then. He hit the same pocket on the next cast and caught one that went just under 3. 3 fish the same hole in 3 cast in the middle of winter. Dale grass beds hold fish ALL year long, just different techniques to catch them is all that is needed. I love the grass at Dale as well but I done live and die in it but do fish it everytime I am there to see if that is the pattern for that day or trip. Some grass beds will actually put off carbon monoxide at certain times and will push the baitfish and Smallies out of certain grass beds. Usually in the dead of Summer and usually at more shallower depths but it happens at times. Good Luck, waiting on December or 53 degree water temps before I hit Dale whichever comes first.

[mybentrod]

Just got back from Dale this weekend. Blanked out. Hate to say it, but I did. Dale does that to ya from time to time. I was marking fish in the 30-60ft range....ALL BUNCHED TOGETHER. I threw jigs and deep cranks at them in craw and shad colors. I didn't have a trolling motor so I was kinda drifting and repositioning alot, but.....I had graghed alot of fish, just couldn't catch em.

[rickhise]

temp was 70.2 mid lake, I use livebait so cant give u much help unless u r going that route, fish take some work no numbers in one area but scattered. I stayed in 25-30ft areas mainlake, ky's are real active. Its a light fog w/drizzel now so its DH day for sure, holding the next few