Dale Hollow Today — a courtesy dispatch from the lake
Vol. I · No. 04
Tennessee Kentucky Upper Cumberland Byrdstown, TN
27,700 acres · 620 miles of shoreline · four counties

The single source
for a complicated lake.

Live pool elevation, dam generation, water temperature, weather, fishing reports, marina detail, tournament calendar — the six feeds every Dale Hollow trip touches, finally drawn on one page.

§ 01 · The dispatch

Filed from Byrdstown, Tennessee — right on the lake. Updated every ten minutes from USACE Nashville District, USGS, NWS, Open-Meteo, and the marinas themselves.

If you fish, boat, vacation, or live on Dale Hollow Lake, you already know the problem: the information you need is scattered across a dozen websites, Facebook groups, marina phone numbers, and government feeds. Lake levels at one site, fishing reports at another, marina contacts at a third, dam release schedules at a fourth, weather somewhere else.

Dale Hollow Today is building a single, mobile-first dashboard that consolidates all of it — refreshed automatically, free to use, and tailored to the people who actually spend time on this lake. We're launching marina by marina, feed by feed, over the next few weeks.

§ 02 · The conditions

The water, the sky, the turbines.

Pulled directly from USACE Nashville District and the National Weather Service — refreshed every ten minutes.

Lake Level & Water Temp Loading

Pool elevation · surface & tailwater temps
ft
Winter 631 ft Summer 651 ft
vs. summer pool — flood pool 663 ft
Surface (est.)
Tailwater
Barometer
Diss. O2
Source: USACE CWMS · surface temp est. · Open-Meteo (barometer) · USGS Celina (DO) Tailwater + DO reflect dam discharge, not lake surface. Summer stratification makes surface different.

Dam Releases Loading

Outflow from Dale Hollow Dam turbines
cfs
Inflow
Tailwater
Daily generation forecast: USACE Nashville Water Mgmt · Basin schedule

Lake Weather Loading

Celina, TN · near Dale Hollow Dam
°F
Wind
Today's High
The lake will tell you everything you need to know — if you bother to ask it. Pool elevation, tailwater temp, barometer falling. We just put the questions on one page.
House note, Dale Hollow Today
§ 03 · Before you go

Two states. One shoreline.

Dale Hollow Lake straddles the Tennessee / Kentucky line. Below are the official state portals for fishing licenses and boater education — we do not sell anything here, these are direct links to TWRA and Kentucky Fish & Wildlife.

Tennessee · TWRA

The Volunteer side.

Fishing License

Required for anglers 13 and older. Annual, 1-day, or 3-day online.

Buy at GoOutdoorsTennessee →

Boater Education

Required for TN residents born after Jan 1, 1989 operating a vessel over 8.5 hp.

TWRA Boating Education →

Dale Hollow Regulations

Smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, lake trout, muskie — creel and size limits vary by species.

TWRA Creel & Length Limits →

TN/KY Reciprocal on Dale Hollow

Wolf River / Illwill Creek area is reciprocal (TN or KY license valid). Some KY-side creeks still require a KY license.

TWRA Reciprocal Agreements →
Kentucky · KDFWR

The Bluegrass side.

Fishing License

Required on Kentucky waters. License year runs March 1 through end of February.

Buy at Kentucky Fish & Wildlife →

Boater Education

Required for operators age 12–17 on motorized vessels over 10 hp. Free Kentucky Safe Boating course.

KDFWR Boater Education →

Reciprocal Agreements

Official Kentucky regulation on TN/KY reciprocal fishing agreements including Dale Hollow.

KDFWR Reciprocal Rules →
§ 04 · The calendar

When the pros are on the water.

MLF, Bassmaster, TBN, Bill Dance Giant Bass Open, Pickett County Chamber events, and more — all in one place. Tap a highlighted date to see what's running.

Confirmed 2026 Estimated (verify link)

Missing a tournament? Let us know

§ 05 · From the water

Fifteen seconds. Best 5 & depth.

Tournament-focused quick report. No novel required — pick a species, drop a weight, call the depth, move on. Rolling seven days, moderated.

Submit a report.

Takes 15 seconds. We rotate everything out on a rolling 7-day window. Moderated by Richter Technology.

Local bait & tackle — Sunset Marina · Star Point · Willow Grove · Exxon (Byrdstown). Most lake marinas carry live bait — call ahead.
Recent reports · rolling 7 days
§ 06 · The directory

Every marina on Dale Hollow.

Every marina on the lake. Tap a name for phone, address, slip availability, boat rentals, fuel, and directions. Sunset, Eagle Cove, and Star Point shown first by request. After that, sorted by distance from Byrdstown.

Show lake map with all marinas

Sunset, Eagle Cove, and Star Point shown first by request. After that, sorted by distance from Byrdstown.

Marina detail missing or off? Tell us

§ 07 · Dining & restaurants

Where to eat, by the mile.

Sorted nearest to farthest from Byrdstown. Dock & Dine marks the spots where you can tie up and walk straight in.

Bobcat Den
American comfort · Byrdstown TN
8550 Hwy 111, Byrdstown, TN
Daily · breakfast–dinner
Country Kitchen
Home cooking & pizza · Byrdstown TN
120 Noah Dr, Byrdstown, TN
Daily 7am–8pm (9pm Fri/Sat)
Miller's Pizzeria
Hand-crafted pizza · Byrdstown TN
1011 Old Static Rd, Byrdstown, TN
Thu–Sat 10am–8pm
⚓ Dock & Dine
The Steel Coop at Sunset
Lakeside steaks & seafood · Monroe TN
2040 Sunset Dock Rd, Monroe, TN
Seasonal · 11am–9pm (call to confirm)
⚓ Dock & Dine
Mitchell Creek
Dockside grill · Mitchell Creek Marina, Allons TN
1260 Livingston Boat Dock Rd, Allons, TN
Seasonal (call to confirm)
Dos Amigos Mexican
Authentic Mexican · Albany KY
708 Tennessee Rd, Albany, KY
Mon–Fri 10:30a–9:30p · Wknd 11a–10p CT
⚓ Dock & Dine
Mike's Landing
Lakeside grill · Sulphur Creek Resort, Burkesville KY
3622 Sulphur Creek Rd, Burkesville, KY
Seasonal · live music weekends (call to confirm)
Dos Amigos Bar & Grill
Authentic Mexican · Monticello KY
211 Cumberland Crossing, Monticello, KY
Sun–Thu 11a–9:30p · Fri–Sat 11a–10p ET

Missing your restaurant? Get listed free

§ 08 · Houseboat rentals

The classic Dale Hollow trip.

Call the marinas direct — houseboat availability, sizing, and peak-season booking windows are handled in-house at each location.

Sunset Marina & Resort
Monroe TN · Arnold/Reese family since 1946
Star Point Resort & Marina
Byrdstown TN · world-record smallmouth water

Other marinas with houseboat rentals (Cedar Hill, Dale Hollow, East Port, Hendricks Creek, Mitchell Creek, Safe Harbor Wisdom Dock, Sulphur Creek) coming soon.

§ 09 · Camping & RV parks

Five USACE grounds. A few private ones.

Dale Hollow has five major USACE campgrounds plus marina-adjacent RV spots. USACE bookings via recreation.gov; marina sites by phone. Sorted nearest to farthest from Byrdstown.

Obey River Park USACE
★★★★½ 4.5
123 sites · adjacent to Sunset Marina · biggest DH swim beach
100 Obey Park Rd, Monroe TN
Mid-April → mid-October
Rating: 4.5 / 5 · 434 reviews · recreation.gov
Star Point Resort PRIVATE
☆☆☆☆☆ —
RV full hookup + cabin rentals · Byrdstown TN
4490 Star Point Rd, Byrdstown TN
2-night min · lake-view sites on request
No cell coverage at site — call ahead. Rating: pending (not on recreation.gov)
Lillydale USACE
★★★★★ 4.7
112 sites · 30/50A, tent, group island · Allons TN
985 Lillydale Rd, Allons TN
$22–$50/night · year-round · 14-day max
Rating: 4.7 / 5 · 375 reviews · recreation.gov
Willow Grove USACE
★★★★½ 4.6
81 sites · electric & tent · Allons TN
$22–$46/night · connects to Lillydale via 7.5-mi trail
Rating: 4.6 / 5 · 142 reviews · recreation.gov
Dale Hollow Damsite USACE
★★★★½ 4.6
72 sites · quiet near-dam location · next to fish hatchery
Boat launch 3 mi at Pleasant Grove Day Use
Rating: 4.6 / 5 · 522 reviews · recreation.gov

Note: Sunset Marina hosts annual RV leases + cabins (marina office 931-864-3146); Obey River Park above is the public nightly campground at that location.

§ 10 · Get listed

Are you a marina, restaurant, or guide on the lake?

We're building a free directory and want to feature every business on Dale Hollow. Get in touch and we'll add your listing — slip availability, fishing reports, menus, fuel prices, whatever you'd like to share with visitors.

Get listed — info@dalehollowtoday.com
§ 11 · Why this site exists

Dale Hollow Today is a courtesy community service from Richter Technology LLC, an MSP based in Byrdstown, Tennessee — right on the lake. We built it because we got tired of bouncing between USACE, USGS, NWS, four marina sites, three Facebook groups, and TWRA every time we wanted to plan a day on the water.

The site is free to use. No ads, no tracking, no spam. We work directly with local marinas, guides, and lake businesses to keep the information current. If you have a correction or want your business listed, email us at info@dalehollowtoday.com.