2026 regulation year
Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary) 2026 — Tennessee Fishing Regulations
Tennessee statewide rules apply unless overridden below.
Last updated
Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary) carries 2 special-regulation overlays on top of Tennessee'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 Kentucky on open water
Source: Tennessee special-water list
Per-species rules on Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary)
18 in min, 5 / day combined; world-record smallmouth fishery; reciprocal with KY
Official source
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency publishes the authoritative 2026 Tennessee fishing regulations. Special-regulation lakes and rivers are listed in the agency booklet — always verify before fishing.
Visit official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's emergency-order feed — check it before any Tennessee trip during the active season.
Other special-regulation waters in Tennessee
- Bald River (Monroe County)
- Beaverdam Creek (Johnson County)
- Big Soddy Creek (Hamilton County)
- Buffalo Creek (Grainger County)
- Caney Fork tailwater (below Center Hill Dam)
- Center Hill Lake (Caney Fork)
- Cherokee Lake (Holston River)
- Cherokee National Forest streams
- Chickamauga Lake (Tennessee River)
- Citico Creek (Monroe County)
- Clinch River tailwater (below Norris Dam)
- Doe River (Carter County)
Frequently asked questions
- What special fishing regulations apply at Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary)?
- Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary) carries 2 special-regulation overlays that override Tennessee'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 Kentucky on open water." Every overlay on this water body is listed in full above.
- Do I need a fishing license to fish Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary)?
- Yes. Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary) is in Tennessee, so a valid Tennessee fishing license is required just as it is anywhere else in the state, issued by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. 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 Tennessee rules.
- Do Dale Hollow Lake (TN/KY boundary)'s special rules replace Tennessee's statewide limits?
- Only where they conflict. Tennessee'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 (TN/KY boundary), each linking to its full Tennessee regulations above. Species not listed here follow the statewide Tennessee limits.