Preparing for the quiet time of year on Dale Hollow Lake
By Tom Adkinson
October 29, 2021

A foggy morning on Dale Hollow Lake. Image by Tom Adkinson

CELINA, Tennessee – The quiet months are settling in at Dale Hollow Lake, an impoundment of the Obey River that covers 27,700 acres of hollows in the mountain-and-valley terrain north of Cookeville, Tennessee. The U.S. Corps of Engineers dam that creates the lake is three miles east of the little town of Celina.

As autumn drifts toward winter, the water skiers, jet ski riders and party boat pals of summer are long gone, leaving the 620 miles of Tennessee and Kentucky shoreline for hardy boaters and anglers to enjoy in relative solitude. Excitement comes from spying a bald eagle overhead.

A day of fishing on Dale Hollow Lake. Image by Tom Adkinson

Dennis Wilbert, whose Dale Hollow Marina is growing from 400 to 600 boat slips, says his winter guests in cabins, motel units and “houseboat cabins” that stay tied up at the marina enjoy a bonus on a lake known for clear water that holds hefty smallmouth bass and a considerable crappie population.

“Winter fishing actually can be better than summer. The smallmouth come up (from the deepest water) and the crappie bite all winter. The largest smallmouth of the year often are caught between Christmas and New Year’s Day,” Wilbert said.