Dale Hollow Ranked As Top 25 Bass Lake

Bassmaster Magazine recognized Dale Hollow Lake as a top 25 bass lake in the southeast, up two spots from last year.

According to Bassmaster Magazine, the lake has become the gold standard for the state of Tennessee. Dale Hollow Marina and Cedar Hill Marina Owner Denny Wilbert said he appreciated the lake getting recognition for the third year in a row.

“It means a lot,” Wilbert said. “This lake is such a storied lake, one a lot of things people don’t really know about this lake, it’s got three of the top ten world record smallmouth came out of this lake.”

The world record for the largest smallmouth bass set at Dale Hollow Lake in 1955. Wilbert said that smallmouth bass has been a draw for fishermen to come and try and catch the next world record bass.

“It just you know brings a lot of revenue to the area,” Wilbert said. “We get some great tournaments, big national tournaments now coming to this area, so it’s really helping the economy of the whole region around the lake.”

Wilbert said he believes the lake should be ranked higher.

“Well in my book I’ve traveled all over the United States and fished all over,” Wilbert said. “And I’ve never found a lake that I loved better than this one, produces as big of fish as this one, I mean you will find lakes up north that will produce but as far as year-round fishery we fish this year-round.”

Dale Hollow Lake unranked for nearly half a decade before it made the rankings back in 2022. Wilbert said the cycle of nature has helped the lake get its ranking. He said right now is a peak time for fishing on the lake.