Expect big weights, both smallmouth and largemouth on display at Dale Hollow

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Dale Hollow Lake occupies a prominent place in bass fishing lore. The Kentucky-Tennessee border reservoir produced the world record smallmouth bass when David Hayes caught an 11-pound, 15-ounce behemoth way back in 1955, a mark that still stands today.  

But as far as modern, tour-level events go, the lake hasn’t received much publicity. While Dale Hollow has hosted a few MLF5 events in recent years, the fishery has been left off national schedules due to its slot limit, which prohibits anglers from possessing smallmouth between 16 and 21 inches and only allows for one over 21 inches to be kept each day.  

Thanks to the Bass Pro Tour’s catch, weigh, immediate-release format, Dale Hollow is finally set to receive the national spotlight, no slot limit strings attached, when the 79-angler field hits the water Tuesday for the start of PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury. Those in the know expect it to shine. 

“It’ll be full of fish catches, and it’s going to show the world how good of a fishery the lake is,” said Kentucky native John Hunter. “I just hope I can keep up.” 

Follow coverage throughout the event on MajorLeagueFishing.com. On-the-water action will stream live on MLFNOW! Thursday through Sunday. 

No slot means smallmouth can show out

Since he relocated to Ten Mile, Tennessee, from Pennsylvania about two years ago, Matt Becker has made the 90-minute drive to Dale Hollow every chance he’s gotten. The reigning Fishing Clash Angler of the Year called the reservoir his favorite “fun-fishing” lake. 

He’s excited to show the tournament world why. 

The biggest storyline entering Stage Three is the fact that the slot limit, which has been in place since 2000, won’t inhibit Bass Pro Tour competitors from chasing the chunky smallmouth Dale Hollow is most known for. 

“It’s a totally different fishery now,” Becker said. “It’s really uncharted waters this tournament with the smallmouth in play, just because we’ve never seen that in any tournament.” 

The waters of Dale Hollow include plenty of healthy largemouth, too. Becker won the March 2 Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on the lake with 22 pounds, 12 ounces of green bass. Hunter expects both species to hit SCORETRACKER® in big numbers, noting that the lake’s smallmouth and largemouth typically mix. While he’s always targeted largemouth during past tournaments, he’s found himself catching (and releasing) plenty of smallmouth in the 3- to 4-pound range in the process. 

“It opens the doors, completely, for silly weights,” Hunter said. “Because in a normal day there on Dale Hollow, if you catch 15 or 20 keeper largemouth, you’re probably throwing back another six or seven smallmouth that were 3 pounds or better, and you start adding that, in our format, that’s an extra 20 pounds. And that’s just when you’re targeting the largemouth.” 

Aside from increasing weights and showing off the smallmouth population, both Becker and Hunter also believe the lack of a slot limit will level the playing field for those who have never competed on Dale Hollow. 

“The catch and release, every fish counts and the smallmouth factor pretty much take away any kind of local advantage anyone would have,” Hunter said. 

“I’m going to try to approach it as a brand-new lake that I’ve never been to before just because it’s going to fish totally different than any time I’ve been there,” added Becker. 

Multiple ways to win

Not only will both smallmouth and largemouth both be in play, local anglers expect to see a wide range of techniques and areas on display at Dale Hollow. 

The 28,000-acre playing field offers fairly diverse habitat. Like most highland reservoirs, there’s a wide range of rock (bluff banks, chunk rock, gravel, rocky points) but also some muddy bottom areas and even some grass. The riverine portions typically have current and more stained water, while the lower end is clear. Hunter thinks both areas, and everywhere in between, will hold fish. 

“You can catch good largemouth and good smallmouth both up the river and down the lake,” he said. “So it’s not like people are just going to get around one species. They both live everywhere.” 

In recent years, the deep, clear waters of Dale Hollow have proven ideal for anglers using forward-facing sonar to chase suspended bass with the likes of jighead minnows, jerkbaits and finesse swimbaits. Those techniques will almost certainly account for plenty of fish this week, per usual. But Becker thinks a healthy population of bass will be shallow, either on beds or preparing to spawn. Look for anglers to target them with typical springtime offerings — crankbaits, swimbaits, jigs, shaky heads. 

“I think it will be wide open,” Becker said. “I think you’ll see fish caught on a bed, and I think you’ll see fish caught in the middle of the lake and everywhere in between. I think it’s going to be pretty much whatever you want to do.” 

The primary variable that could impact what areas and techniques account for the win and $100,000 first-place prize will be the timing of the spawn. With a cold front forecast to drop overnight lows into the 30s during the days leading up to the tournament, Hunter thinks the majority of bass will still be in prespawn mode during the early days of the event. However, as temperatures warm, the fish could transition shallower and even start bedding in large numbers. 

“You may see (spawning) more on the tail end of our tournament, but I think more than likely, a majority of it will be on the tail end or after,” Hunter said. “But I think there will still be a lot of fish up shallow getting ready. I don’t know if they will be locked on, doing their thing, but there’s going to be fish moving that way, wanting to do it.” 

As a result, Becker doesn’t think an angler will be able to ride one pattern or area throughout the six-day event. He believes adjusting as the fish move will be key. 

“I’m thinking it’s going to take a combination to do well in this tournament,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll be able to do one thing the whole time. You’re going to have to mix it up and kind of adjust with the conditions for that day and just roll with the punches.” 

What will it take?

Given the unprecedented nature of a national-tour event on Dale Hollow with no slot limit, no one knows exactly what to expect from a weight standpoint — other than weights will be heavy. 

“It’s going to take some serious weight, for sure,” Becker said. 

Becker predicted it will take at least 90 pounds over the two-day Qualifying Round to make the Knockout Round. Hunter agreed, saying the bar might even rise to 100. It would take a lot to break the record for the heaviest weight needed to qualify for a Knockout Round — it took 106-8 in Group A on the St. Lawrence River in 2021 — but it’s not out of the question. 

As for the single-day shootout in the Championship Round, Hunter guessed the winner will have to amass at least 80 pounds, while Becker thinks it could be more like 100. 

“I’m thinking five fish per period for two days, so that would be 15 a day, that’s 30 fish, and I think they’re going to average 3 pounds,” Becker said. “So that’s what I’m thinking for two days — I think it’s going to take at least 90 pounds to make the Knockout Round.  

“And then as far as a one-day shootout, I don’t know what the potential is. I think it could potentially be over 100 pounds.”