Deciphering Dale Hollow's Pan Fish

As an avid angler of Dale Hollow Lake, I have enjoyed hundreds of wonderful days of fishing our shores. From Smallmouth and Largemouth, to Muskies and Catfish, I love the tug on my line like most of you savvy fishermen. But despite my love of the "big" fish of the Dale, my heart truly lies beneath the scales of a different breed of game fish. My heart belongs to the Bluegills.

Now before you Bassmasters move on to a different story, let me assure you that my smaller fishy pals are equally difficult to find as the golden bronze-backs for which this lake is known. In fact, I believe the Bluegill and Shellcracker fishing on Dale Hollow is one of the lake's best kept secrets. We have some of the most healthy and wicked panfish in the United States. I personally have caught two Shellcrackers over two pounds. A two pound Shellcracker is one big honkin' fish! And feel that baby fight...pound for pound, I believe they can fight like the toughest bass. On our tiny light weight rods and reels, these fish are a blast to catch, especially when the gettin's good. And let's face it-if you want fish for the table, there are few species as delicious as a fresh ‘gill fillet. So, as a dinner plate alternative to cutting the sides off one of our precious bass, I offer a few words of hard-earned wisdom for those of you that want a break from pounding the shores for Smallies. Pull in 15 Shellcrackers on a warm June day wearing nothin' but your swim trunks and flip flops and you will become a believer. Save your bass aggression and snow suits for Floatin' Fly season!

Contrary to popular belief, the many varieties of pan fish on Dale Hollow spawn most of the summer. One variety or another will be making beds from mid May through July. I've even seen some fish fanning beds later than that. And when the pan fish bed, they bed together. If you find a few in one spot, start studying. There are conditions to observe, because if they are in one location, others will be in similar ones across the lake. Start taking mental notes and maybe even jot down a few things for next year...they will be valuable tidbits of information you'll be glad you kept.