Some help on Dale Hollow

[bobberandhook]

I only get to fish Dale once a year and will be making a trip Apr.11..............I read that they were starting to hit jerkbaits, but was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions or favorite lures or colors this time of year. ALso, I stay in Ky waters and I am familiar with Wisdom and Wolf..........any suggestions on some other area to try.

I really appreciate the help and any ideas

Thanks

[plowboy]

They will probably still be hitting jerkbaits by then. My best advise to someone that only fishes a few times a year would be to buy three packs of Kalin 5" grubs and some 1/8 and 1/4 jig heads with large 2/0 hooks. Find every flat, flat point and every gently sloping bank and swim the grubs just off the bottom. Do alot of fan casting and work the grubs from the bank out to 15 foot of water. You may have to move alot until you find them. Also there is usually a time from dawn till 9 am when the mornig bite will produce more fish than all the rest of the day. Be there before the sun comes up. Look for clay banks also. Stay well off shore during the day and swim the grub making sure you are bumping the bottom or ticking some weeds and just reel very slowly. Thats the easy way to catch fish. White, smoke, and crawfish type colors will all work. The jerk baits will still probably be on but this is a good back up plan. I have loaded the boat with a slow rolled spinner bait early in the morning or during overcast skys. It helps if the water has some color for spinner baits. If all else fails the grubs will work. The banks that will be holding the most fish will have a very gentle taper.

[bobberandhook]

Thanks Plowboy

I fish quite a bit around here.......just dont get to Dale much. Most of the banks I remember around Wisdom and etc were rocky. But I do recall a couple of grassy/clay banks I think you are referring to in some of the cuts.


Thanks again

[plowboy]

The west bank of Illwill is good. Trooper island and the island to the east of it have some good spawing areas. They are banks the average fishermen would never look at. Go up any of the creeks and find the shallow points, not the deep ones and drag the grub. Most flats and the coves in creeks will hold fish. Stay a couple of cast out say in 15 ft of water and work you way in. If the sun comes out you may have to hit deeper banks or fish deeper in general. They will be shallow during low light and thats why fishing at daybreak is so important. If its a sunny day I will catch more fish before 9 a.m. than the rest of the day usually. Thats just my experience, I'm sure there are others that will have different advice. Where flats drop off into a channel is always a good bet in April.

[bobberandhook]

If I am not mistaking......Illwill runs to and past Wisdom dock right?.......the bank across from the dock being the west.... I have been way up in there before fishing for largemouth....I believe there is alot of stickups on back in there isnt they?


thanks

[plowboy]

You are correct, the Illwill runs up past Wisdom dock and the
west side would be across from the dock. There will be smallmouth all over the creek but I like the clay banks further toward the main lake. Nothing wrong with fishing the stick ups but I stay 1 or 2 cast away from the bank on the flats. I wouldn't get hung up on fishing cover though. The banks that are gently sloping and have some clay will hold smallmouth and will have weeds. Rarely do I target laydowns for smallmouth but they will relate losely to them. Think structure (flats, gently sloping points) more than cover. Just my opinion.