The Trout Fishery of the Tailwater below Dale Hollow Reservoir

The 7.3 miles of tailwater below Dale Hollow Dam were initially stocked with rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) in 1950. In 1953, creel records indicated that a minimum of 16 percent of the 16,500 fingerling-stocked fish were captured by anglers within 12 months after stocking. The rainbow trout creeled averaged 9.4 inches long, and had grown at a monthly rate of 15 millimeters in length and 26 grams in weight. On the basis of growth rates it was decided that an annual stocking of approximately 25,000 fingerling rainbow trout would most benefit the fishery. To maintain suitable water temperatures throughout the tailwater in the summer, a minimum cold-water discharge below the dam was established. Threadfin shad (Signalosa petenensis) were stocked in the reservoir in an attempt to establish a supplemental food supply for trout in the tailwater. The stocking of brown trout (Salmo trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) in the tailwater has been only slightly successful. The Dale Hollow tailwater presently supports 7,000 put-and-take trout-fishing trips per year at a cost to the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission of less than 20 cents per trip.