Shocked at Dale Hollow

[Chubminnow]

Live bait, artificial bait...who the heck cares? There's nothing wrong with fishing either way in my own opinion. It's all according to what I'm in the mood for and how much time and money I have (both of which I'm very short on). But yea, you're right...no guides were doing any good either...at least not on Saturday anyway. I personally know this to be true because Tennessee Wildlife Authority checked us out on Saturday...he told us no one he had checked on the lake that day were doing any good either, live bait or artificial either one...one boat he checked reported having caught three...as for us we boated three smallmouth and one five pound walleye. Sunday we decided to pack it in and come home early...but before we left we had breakfast there at the state park lodge and talked to two other guys who fished saturday. They boated less than ten fish I think, spots, LM's and SM's, one smallmouth over 21" and had the picture to prove it. They told us they were using jerk baits mostly, in the creeks but not to far up in the creeks.

[TEE]

There's times in the Spring and Fall that if your not draggin' a shiner, your not getting bit.
And then there's times when artificial will outfish live bait...depends on the fish and time of year. Am I ashamed about draggin' shiner sometimes? HELLNO!

[thebassman30]

There's no shame either way. If you choose to catch them that way, please use a circle hook and practice catch'n release.

I've had a few days in the last six months where the live bait guys got an eyeful of the benefits of covering water. There are times it really pays off to power fish at Dale. More often then not, I'm pretty sure the live bait guys catch more numbers than me for sure.

If you've got the patience to stare at a bobber or fish live bait right now, more power to ya.