2026 regulation year
Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary) 2026 — Kentucky Fishing Regulations
Kentucky statewide rules apply unless overridden below.
Last updated
Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary) carries 2 special-regulation overlays on top of Kentucky's 2026 fishing rules — covering Smallmouth bass. Verify the agency booklet before launching: in-season changes are not yet wired to this page.
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State-level special regulation
World-record smallmouth fishery (11 lb 15 oz, 1955); 18 in min smallmouth + 5 / day combined black bass; reciprocal with Tennessee on the open water
Source: Kentucky special-water list
Per-species rules on Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary)
18 in min, 5 / day combined; world-record smallmouth fishery; reciprocal with TN
Official source
Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources publishes the authoritative 2026 Kentucky fishing regulations. Special-regulation lakes and rivers are listed in the agency booklet — always verify before fishing.
Visit official Kentucky fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources's emergency-order feed — check it before any Kentucky trip during the active season.
Other special-regulation waters in Kentucky
- Bark Camp Creek (Whitley County)
- Barren River Lake
- Beaver Lake (Anderson County)
- Boltz Lake (Grant County)
- Buckhorn Lake (Perry / Leslie County)
- Cane Creek (Laurel County)
- Carr Creek Lake
- Cave Run Lake
- Cedar Creek Lake (Lincoln County)
- Cumberland River tailwater (below Wolf Creek Dam)
- Daniel Boone National Forest streams
- Dewey Lake (Floyd County)
Frequently asked questions
- What special fishing regulations apply at Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary)?
- Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary) carries 2 special-regulation overlays that override Kentucky's statewide 2026 rules, covering Smallmouth bass. One of them reads: "World-record smallmouth fishery (11 lb 15 oz, 1955); 18 in min smallmouth + 5 / day combined black bass; reciprocal with Tennessee on the open water." Every overlay on this water body is listed in full above.
- Do I need a fishing license to fish Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary)?
- Yes. Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary) is in Kentucky, so a valid Kentucky fishing license is required just as it is anywhere else in the state, issued by Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. The special regulations on this page change the bag, size, slot, or gear rules for Dale Hollow Lake; they do not waive the license requirement. Free-fishing days and youth exemptions follow the statewide Kentucky rules.
- Do Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary)'s special rules replace Kentucky's statewide limits?
- Only where they conflict. Kentucky's statewide 2026 regulations apply on Dale Hollow Lake by default; the overlays above replace the matching statewide rules for the species or gear they name, while everything not specifically overridden still follows the statewide rule. When a water-body rule and the statewide rule disagree, the water-body rule wins.
- Which species have special rules on Dale Hollow Lake?
- Smallmouth bass has a water-body-specific rule on Dale Hollow Lake (KY/TN boundary), each linking to its full Kentucky regulations above. Species not listed here follow the statewide Kentucky limits.