The view of the crystal-clear Dale Hollow Lake from one of the rooms at Cedar Hill Marina.
Known best for its smallmouth bass fishing, many people don’t know that Dale Hollow
is also a crappie hotspot. (Photo: Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor)
Destination: Dale Hollow – Slaying Slabs
by Rob Somerville
Would you like to fish for giant slab crappie in water so deep and clear it makes you want to take a drink of it?
If your answer is, “Yes,” which I am sure it is, you need to hook up with the “Slayer of Slabs” – Corey Thomas, a crappie guide on Dale Hollow Lake. I did and it was a dream of a trip, where two-pound crappies weren’t the exception. They were the norm.
To me, all guides are graded by their knowledge, their skills, their friendliness and courtesy to their customer and the ability to catch fish. In the top 5 percent of all the fishing guides I have shared a boat with stands, Steve McCadams of Kentucky Lake, Billy Blakely of Reelfoot Lake, Matthew Tosh of Pickwick Lake and Corey Thomas of Dale Hollow Lake.
Here is my in-depth interview with Corey Thomas of Lake Days Guide Service for all our crappie fishing readers.
CRAPPIENOW: Give us the history of you concerning Dale Hollow Lake.
COREY: My earliest memories of Dale Hollow were from when I was 8 or 9 years old and would read about Dale Hollow Lake in publications like Outdoor Life and In-Fisherman magazines. The stories of the mythical smallmouth bass at the lake captivated my interest when I was a child. Fast forward several years. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20’s that I actually got the chance to fish the lake and wouldn’t you know it, I was actually fishing it for crappie, not smallmouth bass.
CRAPPIENOW: Can you share your fishing history at Dale Hollow Lake?
COREY: I have been fishing Dale Hollow for a little more than 20 years. I first started fishing the lake when a friend took me night fishing for crappie, under the lights, during the summer. I then started honing my crappie catching skills on Dale Hollow, a process that has lasted all of those 20-plus years and is still continuing.
CRAPPIENOW: How long have you been guiding on Dale Hollow Lake and how many clients do you guide each year?
COREY: I am into my third full season of guiding. Right now, I guide part time and run between 50 to 75 trips per year, depending on how the weather cooperates.
CRAPPIENOW: Crappie tournaments are beginning to become as numerous and popular as bass tournaments. Why do you think that is so?
COREY: I think the growing popularity of crappie tournaments can be attributed to several different factors. One of the main ones is the advancements in technology, such as Garmin’s Livescope. This has changed the way we fish for crappie especially tournament fish and has pulled a lot of bass tournament anglers over to the crappie side.
CRAPPIENOW: What type of gear do you recommend for crappie fishing?
COREY: I am on B’n’M Poles and Crappie Magnet Pro staff teams. I was using these products exclusively for years, before they sponsored me, and would continue to use them even if they no longer sponsored me.
My rods of choice for casting at Dale Hollow due to the clarity of the water is the B’n’M Leland’s TCB rod which is an ultra-light 6.5 ft. rod that pairs up great with 2-to-4 pound test line. My other go-to setup is the B’n’M 7.5 ft. 75 Series combo which pairs great with 4-pound line. This is their new 75th Anniversary rod and reel and it is awesome!
For any kind of long poling I recommend the new B’n’M – 14-foot Diamond Series. When you and CrappieNOW Editor Richard Simms were fishing with me, the crappie were loving the Double Cross jig heads with the Original Crappie Magnet in Shonuff/Chartreuse color, tipped with Crappie Magnet Slab Bites.
My line of choice is the Leland Lures – Trout SOS line in 2 and 4 pound test. It is a co-polymer line and super strong.
CRAPPIENOW: So, how is crappie fishing on Dale Hollow different from fishing other lakes in our region for crappie?
COREY: Dale Hollow plays by a different set of rules than most of the other crappie lakes that I have fished in the past. I attribute that to the deep, clear water mainly. The lake fishes like three totally different lakes, depending on what part of the lake you are fishing. The two river arms {the Wolf and the Obey} fish like a typical river system. Then, you have the middle section that fishes very big and has offshore structure humps, islands, breaks, and a ton of grass. This is the most complex section of the lake for me. Then you have the lower section, close to the dam, that has deep clear water that fishes like a highland reservoir similar to Lake Cumberland. The lake is starting to get more pressure on the crappie, especially up the river arms but overall is still fairly low pressured as compared to most top crappie lakes.
CRAPPIENOW: Where do you recommend our readers stay when visiting Dale Hollow Lake?
COREY: I highly recommend staying with the Wilbert’s family owned and operated Dale Hollow Marina or Cedar Hill Marina, also owned by the Wilbert’s.
ABOUT DALE HOLLOW
Encompassing 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. The area boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, is rich with natural and historic features and has been developed to provide visitors with a wide range of outdoor recreational activities.
Dale Hollow Lake is one of nine large reservoirs in Tennessee to be designated as a Bill Dance Signature Lake, with access points constructed to a standard of excellence endorsed and designed by Bill Dance Outdoors in collaboration with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
Rob Somerville, from Dyersburg, Tenn., is the Owner/Editor of Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine. He is also a longtime member and officer of the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association.
