Dale Hollow Report

[notorious]

Originally Posted by fishfindergeneral

You should come up to Dale, it's still pretty clean.

I see that you catch a few indigenous walleye mixed with the stocked ones, are they caught in the same zones or do you travel up lake to them specifically?

[fishfindergeneral]

They are in the whole lake. I fish from the dam all the way up the Wolf and the obey.

[StriperFan]

Those are some real nice walleye/trout/bass for sure. Would you go as far as to tell which lure you use for the walleye on downriggers? The reason I'm asking is because on Tim's Ford I can catch walleye on Hot-N-Tots and crawler harnesses but I haven't caught a single one on my swimbaits and bucktails I use for Hybrids/Stripers on my downriggers. The difference may be entirely speed. I fish the walleye rigs 1.5-2mph and the hybrid rigs 2.5-3.5mph.

Notorious, how do you tell the indigenous walleye from the northern stocked. I've read a lot on the subject and never had a definitive answer. I know on Tim's Ford I have caught walleye spawning off of gravel banks far from the river and suspect they were from the northern strain, but that's not much to go on.

[fishfindergeneral]

I'd say speed is your main factor. I sometimes use harnesses on the riggers but we are only doing 1.5 at that point. Spring time is the only period that I can troll faster than 2mph and get walleye.

[StriperFan]

Thanks, That is what I was thinking. Good info folks, go slow for the eyes.

[fishfindergeneral]

Striperfan, I believe he's talking about the difference in color of the eyes. Some are light gold in color and some are dark with camouflage. I have my own opinion on that subject.

[StriperFan]

I was thinking Saugeye on the color differences with saddle

[notorious]

Originally Posted by fishfindergeneral

Striperfan, I believe he's talking about the difference in color of the eyes. Some are light gold in color and some are dark with camouflage. I have my own opinion on that subject.

What is your opinion on the Southern Raverine verse the Northern Strain in their adaptive behavior including catch and geographic tendencies?

StriperFan, Yes the Southern Riverine genome typically are darker, show more vertical markings and grow the largest while the Northern Strain are more "Golden" as past termed and suggested as adaptive than the prior. DH remains one of the few fisheries where the Southern continues to reproduce in measurable numbers.

Just simple Trivia...OH holds the World Record Walleye catch at 25# since 1960,and this was the Southern Riverine walleye.

[fishfindergeneral]

Honestly, I don't believe the Tennessee or world record strain exists any more in Dale. Tdub believes they have found specimens in the Clinch I think it was. The introduction of the alewives in 1979 changed everything on Dale forever. It not only repositioned almost every species but it ended healthy reproduction for walleyes. In 1980 they found the population to be Healthy but 5 years later they they could not find a walleye anywhere in the lake that was under 5 years old. Which means five straight years of missed recruitment. That's when the heavy stocking program began. At first they thought the alewives were eating the walleye eggs but later realized that an enzyme in the alewives made the males sterile. The alewives are now the largest biomas in the system and the walleyes main forage all these years. With the heavy stocking and a low number coming from the Erie gold strain. The chance of a pure strain existing are slim to none. I've caught as many of the dark strain down by the dam in late January into early February as I have up river that time which means those fish are pelagic. When I move up river in late march to early may, to fish the river spawners, more often than naught they are the golds.

[jad2t]

That's really a shame about the alewives, I didn't know that until just now.

What was the purpose for stocking alewives in the first place? Or were they not actually stocked but got in there some other way?

[fishfindergeneral]

Forage for the lakers, which died off in the early nineties and have never been reintroduced.

[TNBronzeback]

It is a shame for sure. Plus im sure they didnt realize the negative side effects of the alewives when they put them in there.
Im all for stocking and gladly pay my license fees that assist in stocking. Its really a minor cost for a years worth of enjoyment and memories.
But its a very very delicate balance essentially playing GOD when doing so. Sadly in D.H. case, they just didnt have the knowledge of the alewive enzyme.
Its actually pretty interesting all the studies and efforts through the years about the walleyes here in TN.
Im glad they are as good as they are here though, i enjoy putting some in the boat every year. Saugers are fun and good eating and all, but not quite a walleye! lol

[jad2t]

I agree. I do like the stocking of species like the Striped Bass which otherwise wouldn't show up in our landlocked reservoirs but sometimes introducing a non native species can have a very negative affect. In this case they tried to introduce two non native species. Lake Trout which aren't even there anymore, and alewives to feed them which make the Walleye sterile.

So I'm guessing the Walleye in Tims Ford are also sterile and cannot naturally reproduce because I believe alewives were stocked in there as well. Most of the stocked fish of any species besides trout are literally a few inches long when released. So this way by the time they are large enough to legally harvest, they've been living wild and eating a natural diet long enough that you don't forego the health benefits of wild caught vs farmed.

Oh well, we all make mistakes. I have faith that the TWRA biologists are sharp but still human.

[StriperFan]

Originally Posted by notorious

What is your opinion on the Southern Raverine verse the Northern Strain in their adaptive behavior including catch and geographic tendencies?

StriperFan, Yes the Southern Riverine genome typically are darker, show more vertical markings and grow the largest while the Northern Strain are more "Golden" as past termed and suggested as adaptive than the prior. DH remains one of the few fisheries where the Southern continues to reproduce in measurable numbers.

Just simple Trivia...OH holds the World Record Walleye catch at 25# since 1960,and this was the Southern Riverine walleye.

I have caught both on Center Hill as well. With the golden variety being caught mostly in the main lake. But I have noticed a lot of the catch's I had around the headwaters showed strong saddle markings on the back, but also had the white tail and dorsal spot. Tims Ford is completely of the golden variety from what I have caught.

[XxthejuicexX]

I know little to nothing about walleye fishing so I have been reading up and found out about the alewives earlier this week, Sucks that happened. Walleye are almost mythical to me. I hear the stories of my grandfather catching them up on Erie when he lived in PA. I think in all my time we have caught two keeper walleye on center hill ( by accident ) and I caught probably 30 or so shorts this year on the Caney. I'm going to try and find some on Tims or Normandy. I fish Dale hollow a little but don't know enough to be dangerous with the eye's. Smallmouth I can catch.