Gills and Crackers at Dale Hollow Lake

Had a great day at Dale Hollow. I don't have an accurate count but it is over 50 fish in 4 hours fishing. Fish caught on a Yamaga Blanks Blue Current TZ Jig Head Special 6' 10" UL rod spooled with SOS 2# test line......using either the Midnight Blue ThunderHawk Micro Dancer or a Bison colored Trout Magnet on a 1/16 ounce jig head with a #8 hook. It was a fantastic day! The girth on Dale Hollow Gills is quite impressive. All these fish gave me all the fight I wanted. My drag was screaming all day. Water temps were high 60's with some places hitting 71 degrees. The fish are on the flats....the bluffs....almost everywhere. They are not on bed yet and it is just going to get better. While the Gills and shellcracker are nice it is not Dale Hollow's best. I could not keep the Smallies off the line...I am uploading just one pic of the many I caught with all the Gills and Crackers today. My spring is going great!...Life is good!


Regards

Another great day and report ! Love those Dale Hollow gills and crackers !

Boy howdy ! those are awesome .:ThumbsUp

Nice looking fish! Dad is heading down tomorrow, I sent on your tips. Hope he catches some, he has been going for years with only a few nice fish to speak of.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by montagc

Nice looking fish! Dad is heading down tomorrow, I sent on your tips. Hope he catches some, he has been going for years with only a few nice fish to speak of.

---

Hope he gets on them. The chances are very good. Dale Hollow can be a tough nut to crack. When it is good it is great. When it is bad it is very bad. The fish seem to be everywhere now. Should continue to be good for the next month. I am supposed to go in the morning and Friday. But seems all the pollen has given me a sinus infection.

Regards

Are you fishing those jigs under a boober or tight lining them on the bottom?

I fished this morning on Norris and caught a lot of fish but only a few big ones.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by volfan411

Are you fishing those jigs under a boober or tight lining them on the bottom?

I fished this morning on Norris and caught a lot of fish but only a few big ones.

---

I am casting and twitching back to me.......pretty much just fishing it like a jig.

Regards

Good report.

Nice gills for sure!

Nice fish

Big Bream and Crappie is my way of having fun!!!!Awesome post and pics!!!!!!!!!!

Dad ended up cancelling his trip. We will get down there together some day soon. The advice from members on this site got me my first big crappie there and i hope to pass on what i learned.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by montagc

Dad ended up cancelling his trip. We will get down there together some day soon. The advice from members on this site got me my first big crappie there and i hope to pass on what i learned.

---

Sorry he couldn't make it. I am going back the next two days...hopefully. Yeah the crappie get big in Dale Hollow. My quest this year is to get the big shellcrackers and big Gills. The Gills often go a pound up there and the shellcracker often 2 pounds. I have not found them yet but am going to spend a lot of time and gas trying..LOL. Most folks would be happy to get into all the Smallies I have been catching up there and while they are nice to catch it really is a nuisance when you are trying to catch the Gills....those things are everywhere you cast this time of year.


Regards

Dale Hollow is known for big gills and redear. Cumberland is the one to keep an eye on though, gonna be some big redear in there after KY finally stocked it a few years back.

looks like some fun to me ......congrats on a fine outing

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

Sorry he couldn't make it. I am going back the next two days...hopefully. Yeah the crappie get big in Dale Hollow. My quest this year is to get the big shellcrackers and big Gills. The Gills often go a pound up there and the shellcracker often 2 pounds. I have not found them yet but am going to spend a lot of time and gas trying..LOL. Most folks would be happy to get into all the Smallies I have been catching up there and while they are nice to catch it really is a nuisance when you are trying to catch the Gills....those things are everywhere you cast this time of year.


Regards

---

He ended up heading down after all, just a couple days late. He's fishing from a kayak so range is limited. Said he caught quite a few big bluegills and some smaller rockbass/warmouth, and sent a pic of one nice redear he picked up. He was just using pieces of crawler.

I like to catch my smallies from rivers, but have gotten some nices ones from DH. I like how in the spring you can catch 18" smallies, dink trout, crappie, and every panfish under the sun from the same place on the bank, just tossing a roostertail. Fun stuff.