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Dale Hollow Lake 12-21-08 |
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Written by Stephen Headrick
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Sunday, 21 December 2008 21:03 |
'Tis the season...Float & Fly season that is, and you're probably getting tired of hearing about it, but our job is to report to you what has been working and what we think will work in the upcoming week. Now that doesn't mean that you won't catch fish on a jig or a Silver Buddy this time of year, but when guys tell us they've had 15+ fish consistently on the fly, and we hear about 18+ days, it's pretty hard not to point that out. I've always heard, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well, float & fly definitely ain't broke yet, so no need to change what's been working. Don't worry jig lovers, we heard that the jig bite was decent too, so we have a few suggestions on that as well.
Lake Stats
Waterlevel: 636.40 MSL - 14.60' below full pool of 651'.
Water Temp: 48 degrees at surface, 48 degrees 10' deep
Clarity: water is pretty clear on the main body, stained in some of the creeks.
Smallmouth
A lot of guys stopping into the Dale Hollow 1 Stop reported some outstanding days of non-stop float & fly action, but then there were others who were a little frustrated because they just couldn't dial them in right away. It was a hard week to put together a pattern with the weather changing so much. The main difference though - depth. If your leader was 10' or shorter, more than likely you fell into the latter category. Everyone that we talked to who was sticking them all day long were at 13' to 14' under the bobber. Color didn't seem to make a difference, but leader length was, and still is the key...
To read the rest of this report, including what's working and hot spot maps, visit www.DaleHollowFishing.com.
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Dale Hollow Lake 12-15-08 |
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Written by Stephen Headrick
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Tuesday, 16 December 2008 18:16 |
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The hot topic around the lake this week is all of this rain we've been getting, and will continue to get all week. If you want know how to pick a fishermen out of a crowd around Dale Hollow, pay extra close attention to people's faces. The ones with smiles ear to ear are the fishermen, and there's two reasons. One - it's brought the water level up some. It's been a hard few weeks for launching, but with the amount of rain we're in store for, that situation should straighten itself out just fine. Two - the fishing will be out of this world. I'll tell you why further down.
Lake Stats
Waterlevel: 635.40 MSL - 15.60' below full pool of 651'.
Water Temp: 50 degrees at surface, 50 degrees 10' deep
Clarity: water is clear on the lower end, slightly stained on the upper end, due to the rain the creeks are/will be stained.
Smallmouth
It's hard to stress enough the importance of forage, or the main food source, of Smallmouth or any other fish for that matter. If you know how the forage is affected by the current conditions, you'll know where to find them. If you know where to find them, you'll find fish that eat them too...
With that said, think about this weeks introduction about the rain. The rain will cause the bait fish to become more active for two reasons - first, the rain is warmer than the lake. Minnows have a hard time in colder water and actually start to die when the water temperature reaches 40 degrees. The rain will have a warming affect, especially in the shallower creeks, and cause the minnows to go into a feeding frenzy. Second, if you've ever been to Dale Hollow Lake then you know it's all "hollers", or ridges/coves/mountains for you Northerners :). We mentioned in our first report that when we get a big rain the run-off from these hollers washes a lot of plant material into the creeks. Well guess what, among other things, minnows feed on plant material (plankton).
So, you can guess where we recommend fishing...
To read the rest of this report, including what's working and hot spot maps, visit www.DaleHollowFishing.com.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 16 December 2008 18:19 )
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Written by Stephen Headrick
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Tuesday, 02 December 2008 09:11 |
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The cold weather and cloudy days have arrived and so has float n' fly season. A gentleman stopped in the 1 Stop yesterday to report he boated 16 fish - 4 on shiners, 12 on float n' fly. A lot of people think that the water temperature needs to be between 55-50 degrees, but I'm telling you it starts at 58...IT'S ON, AND IT'S BEEN ON FOR A FEW WEEKS! One thing to note, if you're coming to Dale Hollow to fish, be sure to call ahead of time to where you'll be launching from to find out the status of their ramp(s). The lake is down a bunch and you won't be able to put in at some spots.
Lake Stats
Waterlevel: 633.80 MSL - 17.20' below full pool of 651'.
Water Temp: 52 degrees at surface, 52 degrees 10' deep
Clarity: water is turning over and stained on the lower end, semi-clear on the upper end.
Smallmouth
A lot of guys fishing the Smalljaw tournament this weekend were Float n' Fly fishing and said they were bringing in a bunch of slot fish, many reported to be just under 21", which doesn't keep, but a lot of fun to catch. We also had reports that the jig bit was decent around grass beds and rocky points. With the lake as low as it is (approaching record levels), you'll find the larger Smallies suspending close to deep water on points near channel breaks...
For a complete report on fishing Dale Hollow Lake including what's working and hot spot maps, visit www.DaleHollowFishing.com.
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Dale Hollow Lake - 11/9/08 |
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Written by Stephen Headrick
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Sunday, 09 November 2008 13:06 |
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You'll notice a consistant theme in this report...stay close to the main body near grassy river channel points. Due to a lot of pulling on the lake and the lack of rain this season, the water level is low and fish are staying close to these points near creeks. Typically in the fall we get a good amount of rain that washes plankton and other sources of food for the forage into the creeks. Smallmouth are lazy. Instead of chasing their meals in and out of the creeks they stage at these points and wait for them to pass while heading into the creeks or back out to the main river channel. This hasn't been a typical season, but your best chance of landing a bronze beast will still be around these points and off steep banks near these points in 30-40 feet of water...
What's working? Carolina rig with tubes at 30-40 feet later in the day in clear conditions. On cloudy days throw topwater baits like a Chug Bug or Zara Spooks early in the morning until 9:30am - 10:00am. Remember, the water level is low, so fish are still staying close to those points, and watch the water temperature this week! The bottom is gonna drop out and it's getting real close to Float n' Fly weather!
Stephen Headrick a.k.a. "The Smallmouth Guru"
For a complete report on fishing Dale Hollow Lake and hot spot maps, visit www.DaleHollowFishing.com.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 09 November 2008 13:13 )
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