DALE HOLLOW- SMALLMOUTH HISTORY
This week, iBass360 is on historic Dale Hollow Reservoir, Tennessee- the last known place a 10 pound smallmouth was caught! More than 30 years ago, April 14, 1986, in this very spot, Paul E. Beal. made his historic catch- a 10 pound, 8 ounce smallmouth. The story goes that Beal was sharing a houseboat with some friends and family, and on that fateful morning he was left behind to do the dishes while his buddies snuck off to go fishing.
Angry that he was left cleaning up after everyone, Beal decided to "cool-down" by going fishing with his dad. Not long after the plastic grub he was casting hit the water, Beal came tight on the trophy smallmouth. That catch did not beat David Hayes' 11- 15 which stands as the All-Tackle world record smallmouth bass but that is not without its share of controversy. Hayes caught his record fish on July 9, 1955 while trolling a lure in Dale Hollow- without a doubt the most famous body of water for producing trophy smallmouth.
