About Dale Hollow Lake

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The Dale Hollow Reservoir is an artificial lake situated on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River, 7.3 miles above its juncture with the Cumberland River at river mile 380. Portions of the lake also cover the Wolf River. It is also the site of Dale Hollow Lake State Park on the north side. Dale Hollow Reservoir lies mainly in northern Tennessee, where it covers portions of Clay, Pickett, Overton and Fentress Counties. Small arms of the lake also extend northward into the Kentucky counties of Cumberland and Clinton. The project consists of 27,700 acres of water and 24,842 acres of surrounding land.

Dale Hollow Lake State Park

The lake takes its name from William Dale, a government surveyor and veteran of the War of 1812. Settling originally in Willow Grove, Mr. Dale bought his first 449 acres of land nearby in 1808. The farm eventually grew into a plantation known as Dale Hollow; he and his descendants lived there until the dam was started in 1942. The waters of the lake would ultimately cover both the farm and Willow Grove, “the town that drowned”.

Dale Hollow Dam and Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the River and Harbor Act of 1946. The project was completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1943, making the lake the oldest artificial lake in Kentucky.Hydroelectric power generating units were added in 1948, 1949 and 1953. The project was designed by the Corps of Engineers and built under their supervision by private contractors. The hydroelectric generators of Dale Hollow Dam are used to supply power to the surrounding countryside. The dam, power plant and reservoir are currently operated by the Nashville District of the Corps.

The lake is also used recreationally. Water sports are moderately popular, especially water skiing. Wakeboarding and tubing are two more water sports that can be seen regularly. The main recreational use is fishing.

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Dale Hollow is well-known as a prime location for smallmouth bass fishing, currently holding the world record for the largest such fish ever taken. It is the lake that is linked with the name Billy Westmoreland, famed smallmouth angler of Celina, Tennessee. The lake and surrounding rivers, the Cumberland River and the Obey River also contain other species such as largemouth bass, crappie, muskellunge, walleye, catfish, gar, and trout.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife each maintain jurisdiction over the lake's waters within their respective states. There is no reciprocal fishing agreement between the agencies, so recreational fisherman must be licensed by both states in order to fish all areas of the lake.

For more information on Dale Hollow Lake, visit the Clay County Chamber of Commerce at www.DaleHollowLake.org, or the US Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District at http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/op/DAL/rec/.

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