Prespawn Bite Wide Open on Dale Hollow

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Central Division takes off this morning on Dale Hollow Lake for the second stop of the 2022 season. Dale Hollow is far from the flooded and floating-timber-filled fishery it was when the Toyota Series came last year. This week, the field of nearly 290 boats is greeted with low water levels, cleaner water clarity and a prespawn bite that, albeit tough, has the potential for some large bags to be put on the scale.

About the Fishery

Dale Hollow sits in the Cumberland River valley, straddling the Tennessee and Kentucky border and was created by damming the Obey River. Ideally sitting at a full pool of 651 feet above sea level, water levels can, and do fluctuate drastically due to the nature of a flood control reservoir. However, at this time, no major fluctuation in water levels is expected for the upcoming week as Tennessee Valley Authority has no listed plan to alter the flow of roughly 1,300 cubic feet per second.

Anglers can target largemouth, spotted bass and smallmouth bass, though because of the slot on smallmouth anglers anglers can only keep one over 21 inches and one under 16 each day. Still, Dale Hollow offers a variety of types of cover and structure, which include an abundance of grass and vegetation, even in early spring, that will fuel the prespawn bite. Major creeks such as Sulphur and tributaries like the Wolf River will most likely come into play, as they often do. However, don’t rule out down lake, near the dam, as the cleaner water could play a major factor in success this week.

Current Conditions

While a major storm system blew through the area late in the night prior to Day 1, don’t expect it to change Dale Hollow into the muddy mess Toyota Series anglers faced in 2021.

Below average water levels for the time of year (officially 645.20) have cleared up the water and made the bite challenging. Two-time reigning Dale Hollow Toyota Series champion Adam Wagner confirmed this was unlikely to change this week.

“It would have to rain quite a bit to really make a change,” said Wagner. “It’s tough for me. Clear water and low water are going to make it tough.”

Wagner is finding all his fish in the prespawn phase but admits in some areas fish could start to move further along, depending on water clarity and temperature. With temps mostly registering in the low to mid-50s, the prespawn bite should be on this week, with the potential for some very good bags that Dale Hollow can produce.

Tactics in Play

In 2021 Wagner attacked high and muddy water with a flipping stick, but don’t expect that to be the only ticket to crack the Top 10 this week. Current conditions could be conducive to more open-water tactics such as a jerkbait, umbrella rig and other forward-facing sonar aided tactics in clear water. Anglers using these tactics will likely focus on primary and secondary points outside of spawning pockets, primarily near the dam and mid-lake areas of Dale Hollow.

Up lake, the dirtier water will still put a flipping bite in play, regardless of the lower water levels. Most anglers working in this portion of the lake will likely be targeting fish relating to rock transitions and trying to illicit reaction strikes in the dirtier water. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jigs will see the most play out of the “non-flipping” dirty-water crowd.

Critical Factors

• Slot limits – Dale Hollow’s famous smallmouth will seldom be seen this week, as the lake regulations limit anglers to one smallie over 21 inches and one under 16 inches. Anglers will be forced to return fish within this regulation immediately to the water, all of which likely to be within the 3-5 pound range. Meanwhile, this does mean anglers able to wrangle a legal smallmouth have the potential to weigh-in a true giant.
• Quality bites – Weights are likely to be stacked tight amongst the field so anglers that can separate themselves from the rest will have a shot the final day. Better than average bites of the correct species have the potential to jump anglers up the leaderboard not one, but several places.
• Complete limit – Completed limits will go a long way towards finding success at Dale Hollow. Wagner didn’t divulge much about this week’s game plan, but he did stress the critical need for a limit to go with his better-quality fish. “I’ve been getting some big bites but getting five will be the trick,” he said.

Dock Talk

Dale Hollow has been known to produce tight weights for tournaments throughout the years. While it’s not uncommon to see a 20-pound (or larger) bag grace the scale, it will be improbable to see that done three days in a row.

“I’m going to say 17 (pounds) a day is going to be really good. There will be a couple of 20-pound bags. But doing it every day is going to be difficult, I think,” said Wagner.

Wagner may be estimating based off of his own winning weight from 2021 of 53-11, but he’s not far off the pace as local BFL events regularly eclipse the 18-pound mark this time of year. Either way, expect a tight leaderboard  throughout the event.