Dale Hollow Secret Winter Smallmouth Technique Revealed!

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Dale Hollow Lake Fishing Report Updated May 16, 2013

Hey anglers. This report comes to you from a confused angler. The bite is hit and miss, one day they are biting the next nothing.
The water is about 3 feet above summer pool, so the water is in the trees. The Core is pulling water pretty hard do it wont be up long. The spawn is pretty much over and water temps are on their way into the 70's. The top water bite which is my favorite bite that Dale Hollow has to offer is just around the corner. I'm gonna hit the water for almost a full week which is gonna be great. I'm hoping the night is in full swing by the upcoming holiday weekend. It's gonna be a full moon that weekend so it's on. I hope to return with great news about the night bite.

Ps. I'm also gonna walleye fish a couple nights to put some food on the table. They are chrome on the dinner table. Lol. Good t luck to all anglers on the water and be safe because the rising water has put some logs in the water




March 24, 2013

Hey fellow anglers, I'm very sorry its been so long since my last
update. I've been able to escape from work and go fishing the last
couple weekends. I went down to prefish for a tournament and then
came back the next weekend for the tournament. The bite has been slow
with a few good mornings here and there. I've been looking for the
magic bait of the winter bite but thats just been very hard to find.
Last year it was float and fly and year before was the swimbait. But
this year my poles have had everything tied to them trying to turn on
some fish. I have narrowed my key baits down to about 4-5, float and
fly, Swimbait, football jig, jerkbait, and tailspinner. Out of those
5 baits the jig and fly have been my best producers.

With the water temps about to rise the swimbait bite will be on
in a few weeks. Spring is just around the corner and that means big
numbers of fish coming in the boat. Water temps ar still in the mid
40's but once they reach the mid 50's to almost 60 then those Smallys
move up big time. The tournament last weekend was a big fish only
tournament. This meant a change in my normal fishing, I usually like
catching numbers but this was a size game. So I started hitting spots
where I have caught 20" fish or larger. Day one the sun was up and
the sky was clear, but thankfully the wind was kicking like a pack of
ninjas. I was able to get some bites on the Big Hammer swimbait but
my better fish came on a 3/4oz football jig with a plastic craw on the
hook. The second day the weather was working in my favor with the
skies overcast and the wind had laid down and allowed me to throw the
bobber with a fly under it. My first stop produced two bites, one
pull down of the bobber and no fish but the second was just a slight
tick of the bobber but I knew I didn't do it because there was slack
in my main line. So with the fish just sitting under my bobber
holding onto my bait I set the hook.

That fish was the winning fish, he measured 21 3/4" and weighed
in at 4.78lbs. With no other fish over 21" brought in that was enough
to win all the money from the paying positions. We didn't catch big
numbers but we caught some big fish. I will be updating more often as
the water warms ups and the bite gets better. Please feel free to e-
mail with any questions adamvogelsang@insightbb.com











12-13-12
Hey there fellow anglers,

I'm so sorry its been so long since my last post, I
recently lost my father so I haven't been on the water much. But I
did get to spend a 10 days on the water after the Thanksgiving
holiday. The bite is very tough right now but there are some fish to
be caught. Most spots where I'd get bit there were several fish there
to be caught. I've been catching them on a wide range of baits. From
3/4oz football jigs to 1/2oz tailspinners to Float and Fly. Now those
of you who winterize your boats and sit around on the couch all winter
are missing out on some great action with the Float and Fly rig.
There is nothing like catching a 3-5lb Smallmouth on a 10 foot ultra
light, and not to mention how often do you get to sit around and watch
a bobber with the chance to land a monster of a Smally. 75% of my
fish came on the bobber but they are hitting the tailspinner pretty
decent as well. The water temps are in the mid to low 50's and the
weather is starting to turn colder so maybe the bite will improve as
Christmas gets closer. As always feel free to e-mail with any
questions. adamvogelsang@insightbb.com





10-12-12
October 12, 2012

Adam emailed and has had some stuff going on so he has not been to
Dale recently. He hopes to be back on it soon!


August 8, 2012

Hey there fellow anglers,

I'm writing this report from the lake, because it
seems that I have an addiction. I'm hooked on this night bite, with
the full moon just past the bite has picked up big time. The moon has
been rising later and staying up allnight. The water temps have
dropped a few degrees to 85-86 depending on where you are on the lake.
I mainly fish the lower end of the lake and the main lake points are
producing a good constant bite. Since the recent rain that we
recieved the creek points are starting to show some signs of life.
I've been fishing with a little bit heavier jig cause the fish have
been hanging around the 15-30 foot range and even 1 or 2 have come
from 35 feet deep. I hope this helps motivate you to get out and beat
the summer heat by fishing the night shift on beautiful Dale Hollow
Lake. Horse Creek Resort has a very affordable motel at less than $50
per night and it comes with a free covered slip. If you visit Horse
Creek look me up and I'll try to get up to date on the bite, hope to
see you on the dock/water soon. Please be safe on the water and make
sure all your lights work. As always feel free to ask any and all
questions. adamvogelsang@insightbb.com




July 25, 2012

Hey Anglers,

Well the hot temps have not slowed the fishing down any. The
fished have moved into a full summer pattern. 20-30 feet deep and
feeding off the bottom, they are eating jigs, spinner baits and even a
swimbait worked along the bottom from time to time. The bite has been
strong early in the night but as the bite slows down it seems that the
bigger fish are there to be caught. So if you can deal with the heat
right after sun down then lots of smaller fish are there for the
taking but as midnight rolls around and the temps become more bearable
the pigs come out to feed. Remember stay safe on the water at night
and make sure you have working navagation lights. As always if you
have any questions please e-mail me at adamvogelsang@insightbb.com


July 3, 2012

Hello fellow anglers,

After a week on the water and fishing about 5 of 7 nights I
can say that the Smallmouth have moved to deeper water. When my
vacation began the majority of my fish came from 7-12 feet of water.
But as the week went on and the heat of the day warmed the water the
fish pulled out and went deeper. By the weeks end most fish were
coming out of 15-25 FOW. The smally's are biting hair jigs with a
chunk trailer and also hitting spinner baits slow rolled right on the
bottom. Some of my fellow co-anglers even work the spinner bait like
a jig, bouncing it off the bottom. I have better luck with a hair jig
that I tie and a Zoom trailer trimmed with scissors. There is still a
top water bite early mornings and late evenings, Zarra Spook or Pop R
worked over top of long main lake points are producing some good fish.
But there is only a small window of opportunity to catch the top water
fish, in the morning you may have 3 hours at the most and in the
evening 1-2 hours tops and then they shut off. That's when I grab my
jig and go to work handing out tooth aches.

Crappie and big bluegills are being caught under lights at night
with little minnows (toughies), and I've seen several huge Walleye on
the cutting table during the day. The Walleye are being caught
jigging or trolling spoons real deep during the day if you can deal
with the heat. I just swim and relax during the heat of the day and
start fishing when the sun goes down. Remember to stay hydrated and
always be safe on the water. Thanks for reading and as always, if
you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me
adamvogelsang@insightbb.com

Thanks Adam Vogelsang



June 6, 2012


Hello again fellow anglers,

After a few weekends of fishing, I' happy to say the night
bite is in full swing. The holiday weekend there was a lot of boat
traffic, not only during the day but at night as well. The water is
down this year due to lack of rain, it's about 5 feet below summer
pool. I have fished several patterns in the fast few weeks, from late
evening top water to jigging hair jigs under the beautiful stars and
then top water again as the sun is coming up.

The most productive bite I've found is the night bite!!! There
are fish to be had at all of those certain times but the night time
has been the best. The top water is tons of fun but the thump those
smallmouth hand out on those jigs at night will keep you awake for
hours. The bit has been its strongest while the moon is up and bright.
Water temps are around 80 degrees and daytime temps have been as high
as 94. Friday June 1st it got down to around 45 degrees and that made
for a cold night on the water. But when the fish are biting its hard
to throw in the towel.

This month the Full moon is June 4th, The Strawberry moon. I
think the moon helps the bite a bunch, my favorite time to fish is a
full moon and the few days right after it. I like it so much I'm
heading back down this week to put in a few hours on the night shift
down on Ole Dale. Lets hope they are biting and I will post a fresh
report when I return. Thanks again for reading and as always if you
have any questions feel free to e-mail me:
adamvogelsang@insightbb.com







May 15, 2012



Hello Anglers,

   

   After a few days on the water I'm happy to say the bite is on!!  I
was excited when I

arrived on the water Tuesday afternoon.  I was hoping to experience
several different

patterns during my stay.  

    It all started with a night of fishing under the stars with my
great friend and Dale

Hollows best night fisherman/guide Greg Brisendine.  We hit the water
around 10pm

and fished until maybe 3:30am.  In that time we threw light weight
buck tail jigs into

shallow water and it payed off.  We boated around 12-14, with a few
random species

added on.  On top of the smallys we hooked into a Gar and a Flathead
Cat.  Like always

we lost several fish and had several short strikes.  Greg is such a
seasoned fisherman

that he can tell when his chunk trailer has been robbed by
Mr.Smallmouth.  It's almost

like Babe Ruth calling which wall he is gonna smash the baseball over.
 Greg can get a

hit set the hook and know that his chunk is gone or damaged.  He can
also tell the

difference between a Goggle Eye strike and a Smallmouth strike, that
is nearly

impossible for me.  

    Well after a great night of catching I get dropped off at the back
of the Houseboat and

fall fast asleep.  After a few days of working on the boat I hit the
water again in search of

a top water bite.  After some dock talk I hear they are hitting the
Zara Spook.  Well after

some deep digging I find one on my boat.  Which is a surprise because
I would have put

money that all 3 that I own were at home in Louisville.  Well I find
one and it's game on.  

After a dozen explosions at my bait and a couple change of underpants
later I have

boated maybe 5 smallys.  When fishing top water they don't always hit
the bait with their

mouth.  On my third cast Saturday morning my Spook got smacked 3 feet
in the air.  

After a few more twitches, another big Boom and it's fish on.  After a
few hours, a bad

spot in my line cause my line to break on the cast.  This caused my
only Zara Spook to

land 40 feet up in a Evergreen.  The only other top water I had on me
was a Pop R.  But

that would only bring the fish up to it but not make 'em hit it.
 After watching several and

several lookers but no buyers, I switched to a weightless fluke.  The
Fluke is slow

enough for the fish to bite or just what they wanted at that time.
 Within the next two

hours I had 3 break off and boated 6-8 more.  I blame the break of
12lb P-line on me, I

didn't use a swivel and with the twist that a fluke put in your line.
 When setting the hook

with that kinda twist, it's bound to snap.  I won't make that mistake
again.  

    The last fish of the morning and the biggest  of my trip is a fish
I will never forget.  It

only measured 19 3/4" but when he hit the fluke my whole rod
tingled/vibrated and I set

the hook.  After only two crank of the reel it locks up, it won't go
forward or backward.

No drag, no back reel, nothing!!  So I slowly walk to the back of the
Ranger to keep

tension on the fish.  Well, I eventually ran out of boat and no option
but to act like Long

John Silver and pull this fish in by hand.  After some burn on my
hands from my braided

line and fighting this mad smally like a caveman, I get her in the
boat.  After such a

crazy morning I retire to the boat to nap for a bit.

    Well, wow that bite was so much fun I have to run into Celina and
hit the Dale Hollow

One Stop.  I need more Zara Spooks!!!!  I'm walking to the parking lot
from the dock,

and as I pass the office of Horsecreek and the manager Thomas Weaver
ask how the

fishing has been?  Well I share my story and tell him where I'm going
and he says here

use these, don't drive all the way to town.  Thanks man, I say and he
reminds me, these

aren't a gift I want them back soon.  That's how much fun these baits
are.  He also

added that the short one has helped on his hook up ratio.  So I start
Sunday off at

5:15am on a long main lake point and it was on from the get go.  After
boating 5 within

the first hour I knew it was gonna be a great morning.  Well other
than the rain it was.  

Using the shorter Spook increased my hook up ratio from 5:1 to 3:1.
 Around 8 am the

rain got so bad I just couldn't take it anymore so I went back to the
dock to help my

neighbor with his boat.  

    I must say that the top water bite is the most fun bite that Dale
Hollow hands out.  

There is alot of fun fishing to be had but World Class Smallmouth on
top water, is

priceless.  Just as always if you have any questions please feel free
to e-mail me.  

Thanks for reading and always be safe on the water.



Adam Vogelsang

adamvogelsang@insightbb.com







4/19/12

Hello to all,

Well after spending 5 days on the water I have some
good news to share

with my fellow Smallmouth anglers. The bite is on!!! I fished
everyday but, only fished

in the morning from 7-11. I would have fished all day but I have a
ton of work/cleaning

to do on my houseboat, good ole spring cleaning.



The bite started out strong and continued through mid-week. The
Smallmouth are

scattered right now but I think that is a good thing. That means
there is no wrong place

to cast. I caught fish in 5-30 feet of water. Keeping the boat in
depth range of 40-50

feet and throwing my bait as close to the bank as I can get it. If I
didn't get bit I would

just continue the same retrieve all the way to the boat. Sometimes
the fish would

hammer my swim bait right away and other times, the bait would be
right under the boat

and then BAMM!!! If anyone has never experienced the swim bait bite
then you are

missing out. It is a slow retrieve and when they hit the bait, you
know it. The Big

Hammer is my favorite swim bait on the market. I have only been
throwing them less

than a year but I have never caught so my fish on one particular bait.



I fished the lower end of the lake this week and 90% of my fish
were either full of

eggs or leaking them all over the boat. Some random species are also
biting the swim

bait other than the Smallmouth. I have caught many Catfish and a few
Walleye and

them make for a great dinner. I had great numbers of fish all week,
my slowest day

was 6-7 fish and my most productive was 15-16 fish.



Crappie are still being caught on small jigs and minnows, real tight
to brush and on

grass flats. The Walleye are biting jerk baits at night and the
bluegills are being caught

75-100 at a time on crickets in about 5-15 feet of water. I have not
heard any reports on

the Largemouth/Spotted Bass. If anyone has any question please feel
free to e-mail

me.



Thanks for reading,



Adam Vogelsang


adamvogelsang@insightbb.com





4/12/12

Hello Anglers,



This is my first report for Fishin.com. So just let me start
with a quick introduction.

My name is Adam Vogelsang, I live in Louisville, Ky, and I have a
houseboat at

Horsecreek Marina on Dale Hollow Lake. I target Smallmouth bass 90%
of the time that

I'm on the water. Any reports regarding other species will be second
hand, aka "dock

talk".



The Smallmouths are being caught in 5-20 feet of water, they are
biting swim baits,

jerk baits, crank baits and jigs. Most of my fish are caught on the
Big Hammer swim

baits, soft jerk baits and hair jigs. Early morning and late
afternoon/evening is when the

bite is the strongest. Water temps are around 68-70 degrees. Once
the water gets

above 75 degrees the night fishing will start out producing the day
fishing. Most anglers

are catching 5-15 Smallmouths per day and some of the local guides are
catching as

many as 20 per day.



Walleye are being caught at night on jerk baits and swim baits.
Crappie are being

caught tight to brush and on main lake grass flats, small jigs or
minnows under a small

float are producing the numbers. Bluegills/Shellcrackers are being in
caught 5-15 feet

of water on crickets.



Thanks for reading,

Adam Vogelsang
adamvogelsang@insightbb.com