Home from the Hollow.....

[mhall]

Well I survived the vacation and other than a few incidents all was well. Dale Hollow is truely an impressive fishery right now and I sure wish it wasn't so far from my home. Got there Monday afternoon around 4.30 and by the time I got settled in it was fairly late. Decided to go out right there in Sulphur creek and cast a little before dark. As I get a little away from the marina I see my buddy coming back towards the marina in his boat with all the family including mine. I had run to the Tennessee line to get some Budlights and that's how we all got seperated. I wave him over to me because he's got my keys to my boat which was in a slip. He borrowed them to get a life jacket as he was one short with the whole crew in his boat.

[Chubminnow]

Unless I'm missing something here I feel I've been slighted...C'mon Mark, there had to have been more take place during your trip to Dale besides having to make a beer run, lol...Were there any fish caught, if so, what time of day?

[Grumpy]

Just call him PAUL (Harvey) from now on!!

[mhall]

Unless I'm missing something here I feel I've been slighted...C'mon Mark, there had to have been more take place during your trip to Dale besides having to make a beer run, lol...Were there any fish caught, if so, what time of day?

Sorry, that 30 minute edit deal got me as I was trying to edit my post. Anyway my buddy climbed over in the boat with me and the family went and docked his. I only had three rods in the boat and no tackle bag, as I was just kinda goofing off. I was throwning a Red Flame spinnerbait and my buddy was throwing a jig. I had already caught a dink Kentucky when he climbed in. We proceeded down the bank and I slung my spinnerbait a long cast and landed within a few inches of a rock ledge. I turned the handle a couple of times and felt a little tick and set the hook, I told my buddy aka Netboy it was a little one until it jumped and I totally changed my mind about the being small part. We brought the bass to net and it almost pulled my arm out of socket. It was as long as my Golden Rule, 22 1/2 inches and weighed a little over 5lb's. My first brown bass this year over 5. I fished only in the morning hours from here out, as night fishing and a family vacation wasn't going to work to well. Tuesday morning same stretch of bank I loose not one but two pigs on topwater. The first was every bit as big as the one the night before and the other in the 21 to 21 1/2 inch range. They hit on long casts and I brought both fish to the edge of the boat with net in hand only to loose them both. In neither case do I feel it was my fault like it normally is, they just came unbuttoned. The second fish was fould hooked in the top of the head and you know how hard it is to land one of those size with one hook in it's head. Anyway ened up with a few decent Spots and that what could have been feeling in my gut. Wednesday morning again went to same stretch of bank and it wasn't happening and I spent way to much time trying to make it happen. Thursday morning I went to find new water. Man did I find it fairly close to the confluence of Illwell and Wolf river. I seen a bass busting on top so I went over to investigate. I'm catching bass over 75 foot of water in the jumps on walking baits and I destroyed them for a couple of hours. I had over a double limit of GOOD Kentuckies, 16 to 17 footballs. Smallmouth were a 20 inch, an 18, 17 3/4, a 16 and a 15 inch. Lost another one on a jigging spoon about 20 inches and another about 18 inches on topwater. I also had a 17 and a 14 1/2 inch largemouth also. I hooked something large on a jigging spoonin in 50 foot of water that I would pull up and it would strip drag back. It finally got loose but my guess is it was a big walleye as it would stay down fight in a tight pattern and shake it's head often. We had a good rain down there Thursday afternoon and night. This scattered those threadfin shad balls out quite a bit so the Friday morning bite slowed considerable. However I did manage to catch seven good fish. I had a 19, 18, a one a little over 16 inches for smallmouth. I had a 15 inch largemouth and three football Spots in the 16 to 17 inch range. I never fished past 10.00 a.m. on any morning and if you added up all my time for the week it would add up to about one good solid day of fishing. I LOVE DALE, it's going to make me forget all about Cumberland. WOW what a fishery and those smalljaws down there are MEAN. I'm considering quitting my job, leaving my wife and moving down there.

[buzzking]

Its been a really good last couple of years on dale and it just keeps getting better.

[bigwormy]

sounds like a blast. my dad just got back also. he had a good trip, but not quite as good as yours.

[mhall]

I've got a digital pic of the 5 pluser but I'm to stupid to figure out how to get it on this site, LOL.

[mastin03]

really sounds like you got into 'em....cant hope for action much better than that with the qaulity of fish.

[biggw]

Wtg go man sounds like that trip turned out to be a plus for you-And yes that place has got some good smallies in it--ps: so when are you leaving your wife lmao lol

[mhall]

Wtg go man sounds like that trip turned out to be a plus for you-And yes that place has got some good smallies in it--ps: so when are you leaving your wife lmao lol

I've just got to figure out how to have a place to sleep and plenty to eat I can put away some dang groceries. Then I'm gone................

[dcbasser]

Nice trip hall. Sounds like you had a blast. However, I wouldn't give up on the Big C just yet. We was there last tuesday night and flat out put a whipping on them. First time this year we had been down there bass fishing and I had just about forgot how much I love that lake. Probably will start fishing her quite a bit for the rest of the season.

[fishNnut]

Sounds like an excellent trip!! I am still working on making my first trip down there, but I know it won't be long. Turkey hunted the area this past spring and can't wait to try the smallmouth on the lake.

Don't know much about it, but I am absorbing all the information I can and searching previous post.