Dale Hollow Lake

Dale Hollow Lake was created in 1943 when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Obey River near Celina. What they created was something exceptional - a lake fed by cold, limestone-filtered springs that give it water clarity rivaling a mountain lake. On a calm day in late summer, you can see 20 feet down from a dock. That clarity is not an accident of geography - it's a function of minimal development on the shoreline and the spring-fed tributaries that keep the water cold and clean.

The lake holds the world record for smallmouth bass - a 11-pound, 15-ounce fish caught in 1955 that still stands today. That record has attracted serious bass anglers to Dale Hollow for decades. Even if you're not a competitive fisherman, smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, and rainbow trout fishing on Dale Hollow is genuinely excellent. The cold, deep water supports trout in ways that most Tennessee lakes cannot.

Houseboating is a Dale Hollow tradition. The lake has a handful of marinas that rent houseboats by the week, and a Dale Hollow houseboat trip is one of those Upper Cumberland experiences that people plan around years in advance. Families who started coming in the 1970s are now bringing grandchildren. The relative lack of development on the shoreline means you can anchor in a cove and feel genuinely remote.

Clay County and Pickett County, which surround the lake, are among the least-developed parts of Tennessee - which is part of the charm and part of the reason the lake stays as pristine as it does. Celina is the main gateway town, a small county seat with a handful of restaurants and services. This is the part of Tennessee that feels furthest from Nashville's gravitational pull, and that's exactly what draws people here.