Corps lake · Albany corridor · KY 553 · KY 738 · the Wolf River arm · Clinton County
Dale Hollow Lake
Two spurs out of Albany, each ending at a marina: Wisdom Dock on KY 553, a fee ramp with a year-round marina; Wolf River Marina on KY 738, free, single-lane, no dock, at the head of the Wolf River arm — the one part of this lake where a Kentucky licence carries into Tennessee water.
ALBANY · KY 553 AND KY 738Launches at KDFWR coordinates · schematic
Three numbers to get right
What you hear
What the primary sources actually say
"Winter pool is 631."
Not from the Corps. Nashville District releases give the summer target, "elevation 651 feet by mid-May", and the flood pool, "from elevation 651 to 663". No readable Corps page states a winter pool. Status pending.
"Just read the USGS gauge."
There isn't one. USGS 03416500 served "0 data types" on 14 Sep 2026. The pool is the Corps' and TVA's Dale Hollow pages; TVA's lake line is 800-238-2264, code 35. A link, never a level.
"A Kentucky licence covers the lake."
The Wolf River arm only. 301 KAR 3:160 (eff. 16 Oct 2025) and KDFWR: "all Tennessee portions of Wolf River arm" from a line at its mouth, Illwill Creek included, under Kentucky rules from a boat. Tennessee's main body needs a Tennessee licence.
What the pool does on this road
Wisdom is the trailer launch here: paved, multi-lane, courtesy dock, 51+ paved spaces, ramp and cleaning station year-round. Wolf River Marina is the one single-lane launch on the Kentucky portion and the only one with no courtesy dock — a solo launch, year-round on its record. A no-dock single lane is the ramp a low pool changes first — reasoning; the Corps publishes no winter pool we could read.
The reciprocal line is at the mouth of the Wolf River. KDFWR, 17 Oct 2025: "Reciprocal waters are the Wolf River arm of the lake. This includes the Illwill Creek embayment beginning at a line crossing the Wolf River at its mouth where it meets the Obey River and the main part of the lake." Licensed state's rules from a boat; fishing state's rules from the bank. 301 KAR 3:160, eff. 16 Oct 2025. Which launch is inside Illwill Creek is not stated — status pending.
LIMESTONEDRIFT
DALE HOLLOW LAKE · ALBANYAccess and limits
Two launches, both out of Albany
Launch
Fee
KDFWR record, in the agency's words
Wisdom Marina
Yes
"KY 553 (Wisdom Dock Road) southwest of Albany to lake". Any trailerable, paved multi-lane, 51+ paved parking, dock, seasonal restrooms, no camping, marina year-round limited hours, retail, cleaning station year-round, lodging seasonal. Ramp and shoreline year-round, 24 h.
Wolf River Marina
No
"KY 738 W of Albany to lake". Any trailerable, paved single lane, no dock, 51+ paved parking, restrooms year-round 24 h, camping seasonal, marina seasonal limited hours, retail, cleaning station year-round. Ramp and shoreline year-round, 24 h.
Limits — six of them differ from statewide
Species
Size
Daily creel
Smallmouth bass
16–21 in protected slot · 1 under 16, 1 over 21
2 (within 5 black bass)
Largemouth bass
15 in minimum
5 black bass combined
Crappie, black and white
10 in minimum
15 combined
Walleye
16 in minimum
5
Rainbow and brown trout
no size limit
7 combined
Sauger · Muskellunge
statewide
10 · 1
Everything else is statewide — spotted bass size, catfish, sunfish, white bass, and the licence plus trout permit. Walleye and trout are the regulation’s own lines, 301 KAR 1:201 §3(21); the record’s muskellunge line is the statewide rule. Camping on this road: Wolf River Marina (commercial, seasonal, KDFWR); no Corps or state camping on the Kentucky arms here. Marinas: Wisdom and Wolf River — hours, slips and fuel are not on any primary record and are status pending. Fish attractors: KDFWR lists none for this lake.
Live pool: water.usace.army.mil, location dlht1 (Corps) · tva.com/environment/lake-levels/dale-hollow · TVA lake line 800-238-2264, code 35 · no USGS series · Corps office, 540 Dale Hollow Dam Road, Celina, TN, (931) 243-3136 · KDFWR 800-858-1549.
Sources: USACE Nashville District Dale Hollow Lake page, the 1991 Master Plan and the District's DVIDS releases of 22 Oct 2018, 21 Feb 2019 and 6 Jun 2023 for the dam, dates, statistics and pool figures; KDFWR waterbody record 99, the five access-site records, the 2026 Fishing Forecast, the 2026–27 Fishing and Boating Guide, the Smallmouth Bass page and the reciprocal-agreements page; 301 KAR 3:160; Kentucky State Parks reservation record; TVA; USGS 03416500. Conditions change. Verify pool, access and regulations before you travel. Revised October 2026.
limestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page
Water alerts. We email when the pool, the ramps or the rules actually change. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=dale-hollow-lake