Dale Hollow

[mahallett]

Can anyone offer any insight on DH the first couple weeks of April? Where to try and find the crappie, best tactics? Will be staying at Cedar Hill Resort.

[Dave and Lynn]

Sounds like a great time for some small mouth fishing.

[dave the wave]

they should be in the willows or flooded brush trying to spon

[mahallett]

we're kinda hoping to find some of those too......would cranks be a good option or drop shot? never really targeted smallies before but got into them once on a northern Wisconsin trip while pullin in crappie - lots of fun, big fighters.

[mahallett]

thanks Dave - we'll see what we can find. do you use live bait under a float?

[Dave and Lynn]

For the smallies try your floats with minnows or jigs on gravel banks around wood. Also watch for jumping fish. If you see them jumping get over there fast and try you float or some type of floating lure. Rapala works good also casting up on shore and twitching. Good luck.

[CrappiePappy]

Never fished Dale Hollow ... but, when I fished Watts Bar (TN) or Lake Cumberland (KY) for smallmouth, I'd put a large minnow on a plain jighead & cast out & let it pendulum fall back to the boat (on deep rocky banks) or bounce it on the bottom with a slow retrieve (on gravel banks).

... cp

[mahallett]

D&L and CrappiePappy - thanks for the advice, we'll give it a try

[dave the wave]

The black crappie are in the bushes right now and the whites will be in them in april. I use a chartrouse 2" curl tail jig on a long pole and dip it around the bushes and willows. I would also bring some nightcrawlers because the shellcrackers will be spawning then also