Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
27,700-acre highland reservoir near Burkesville. Home of the world-record smallmouth; gin-clear water. The lake tops out around 130 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Drawn out, this is 24,917 acres of water rimmed by 379.5 miles of bank. The 17.2 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 64% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 19.3 mi, about 16.2 mi across. You'll find it in Clay County. The nearest mapped water is Cumberland River Tailwater, 21 mi to the north.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (15 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Spring crappie concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (15 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (15 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Sharp break (15 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 30 ft, rated prime for fall channel catfish. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Sharp break (15 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) |
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. Spring smallmouth bass concentrate at Rock reef, a prime-rated rock pile around 4 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (4 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (30 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring walleye on Dale Hollow Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Sharp break — drop-off, 30 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (30 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Sharp break (30 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (30 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Dale Hollow Lake also holds muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 41 structure features on Dale Hollow Lake; the deepest is Deepest basin at about 120 ft.
Access data: Kentucky Fish & Wildlife — Fishing Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Kentucky waters are set by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Dale Hollow Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kentucky fishing regulations →
Dale Hollow Lake is about 130 ft (40 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, rainbow trout on Dale Hollow Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Dale Hollow Lake is regulated by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife. Check the official Kentucky regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Cumberland River Tailwater 21 mi, KY · Mill Creek Lake 24 mi, KY · Cordell Hull Lake 30 mi, TN · Lake Cumberland 35 mi, KY · Metcalfe County Lake 37 mi, KY · Caney Fork River 42 mi, TN · Center Hill Lake 47 mi, TN · Obed River 47 mi, TN · Green River Lake 47 mi, KY · Barren River Lake 49 mi, KY · Green River (Mammoth Cave) 53 mi, KY · Marion County 66 mi, KY
See how Dale Hollow Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best smallmouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best walleye lakes in Kentucky · best crappie lakes in Kentucky
Browse all Kentucky fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.