Gainesboro area fishing

[Chasman]

I’ve just bought a home near Gainesboro and new to the area. The waters around there look good and anxious to fish it. I only know of roaring river park boat ramp to put in at. I want to fish for largemouth, smallmouth and crappie once in awhile. First of all, what hazards are out there and where to start to fish for smallmouth?

[Smalliefan2]

Dale Hollow is just up the road. Launch at Presidents Island is close. Hop over the hill, west on 85 and Wartrace ramp is close on Cordell Hull.

[robdy72]

I lived around and fished the area you are talking about for 7 years it can be good at times, you can go to Granville and I think it has better fishing or Wartrace like was mentioned. There is good large mouth fishing and crappie but for smallmouth I would make the drive to Dale Hollow. I never caught a smallmouth when I fished Cordell hull if you would like to talk about it more you can PM me.

[Jason Hale]

Both of these guys are giving you good info. Smallmouth is going to be much better on Dale Hollow. Largemouth and Crappie can be good on both lakes. You will not want to fish Dale Hollow during the daytime after Memorial Day due to tougher fishing and pleasure traffic. I fish Cordell Hull quiet a bit and will be glad to talk fishing with you, or go fishing. Feel free to reach out and I'll be glad to help you out and show you around.

To answer your questions on hazards, Cordell is full of them. Stay in the bouys and be careful. You will be on a shallow flat with logs and stumps in a hurry.

PM sent with cell number.

[Chasman]

Ive fished dale hollow for 30yrs. I’ve looked for homes in the area. Burkesville, clay county and not found anything, or we were out bid. I didn’t like the Albany area, plus I do all my fishing from Holly creek to the dam. Surprises me no smallmouth caught on the Cumberland or Cordell Hull. I thought that once I’m tired of fishing one place, I can go to the other. I enjoy exploring new waters. And the Gainesboro area looks good. A lot of creeks or small rivers to go up into, or maybe they are called back waters?

[Chasman]

Thanks Jason. I would like that.

[Scud]

As others have said, Cordell is a river lake, so be careful if you get outside the buoys.

[jeffblanton]

While not a TN lake you are not very far from Barren River Lake (Mapquest says 55 miles) It is a flood control lake - right now 8 feet above summer pool. At summer pool there are basically no hazards unless you are way back in a major creek or up river. Good LM some SM and Hybrids stripers.

[HydraSport205]

First off, welcome to the area. I am an Indiana transplant as well, been here for about 12 years. I live a little down river from you in the Defeated area. The hull has a good population of LM and SM but as others said, DH is the place to go if you are targeting smallies as well as Center Hill, probably the best fishery in the area. There are alot of smallmouth in cordell hull but largemouth are the dominant species for sure with a few spotted bass thrown in as well. The grass on the hull has been making a good comeback over the past 3 years or so, the fishing has changed quite a bit as a result IMO for the better. You will want to spend some lake time with an eye on your depth finder and GPS until you get familiar with the lake. You can get into trouble quickly as others said, being a river lake, you can go from 40+ foot to 2 foot deep in a hurry.

You are minutes away from several ramps, each of which will expose you to vastly different areas of the lake, I would recommend exploring them all either by road or by river.

Wartrace
Salt Lick
Granville/Martins Creek
Buffalo Road
Defeated Creek

[Chasman]

Thanks for all the replies. I’ve fished rivers in Indiana. And anytime I am on new water, especially a river, I’ll be going slow. Probably a lot of idling until I get familiar with the area. Closes place I know to put in at is what I think is roaring river ramp. There’s a little park and ramp just north of Gainesboro. I may have the name wrong.

[robdy72]

That's the right name, that's where I put in at a lot when I lived there. This time of year you can catch sauger in the river up and down from the bridges right by the ramp, you can go down river on your right is Jennings creek, there is pretty good fishing in there also just gets shallow quick when you get to the middle of it on back.

[ledgeman]

I realize this is an old thread but I think you will love this area. Cordell Hull is a sleeper in the middle TN area... one of the few places you can go fish all day and see very few boats.

[ridge_runner91]

Any of you guys ever catch any stripers by accident? I live in ohio so I only get down once or twice a year if I'm lucky, but would love to learn more about it.

[Smalliefan2]

Head over to Carthage, about 20 miles from Gainsboro, downstream. You can launch below Cordell Hull dam (Old Hickory) and fish striper in the tailwater. Used to go there on lunch, and watch them catch fish.

[ridge_runner91]

Thanks Smalliefan2, When I have gone down in the past that's where I have gone. I know there are stripers up in cordell but almost no one talks about them. Not sure if that's because the population of the fish is low, or if the population of the fishermen is low. I realize lots of them move up stream into Kentucky during the summer. But I assume that they move back down towards the dam in the winter.