With a guide
Guides and charters near Horse Creek Resort
Captains who run Dale Hollow Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
Dale Hollow Bass Guide
Dale Hollow Trophy Troller
Trolling: smallmouth, walleye, musky, white bass, crappie, troutCall 615-477-7888trolldhl.com
Reel Country with Bobby Gentry
SmallmouthCall 270-427-0419bobbygentry.com
What to bring
Tackle for Horse Creek Resort
Three picks from the largemouth bass checklist that work for the fish here. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
How to get there
Getting to Horse Creek Resort
Horse Creek Resort is a public boat launch on Dale Hollow Lake in Clay County, Tennessee, run by Marina.
TWRA holds no written directions for Horse Creek Resort. Use the coordinates below, which come straight from the state’s access record and drop you on the access point itself rather than on the nearest town.
Horse Creek Resort is 4.0 miles south-east of Celina, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Horse Creek Marina, a few hundred yards to the east on the same water. For bait, Granville Marina in Gainesboro is about 16 miles away.
Coordinates 36.51010, -85.45180
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Horse Creek Resort
Dale Hollow Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
Fentress County includes part of the reservoir’s upper Obey/East Fork arm, but read the CONFIDENCE note, the developed marinas and ramps are all in Pickett and Clay counties, roughly 30 minutes west of Jamestown, so this is a “nearest major water” for Fentress rather than a water with Fentress access.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Horse Creek Resort
What you can keep from Dale Hollow Lake at Horse Creek Resort. TWRA sets 5 rules just for Dale Hollow Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black bass (combined) | 5, only 2 may be smallmouth | — | Dale Hollow Lake rule |
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | 15 in minimum | Dale Hollow Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 2 | 16–21 in protected slot: one under 16 in and one over 21 in | Includes the Wolf River upstream to South Ford Road bridge |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 50 in minimum | Dale Hollow Lake rule |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 in minimum, only one over 20 in | East Fork Obey River, Compton boat ramp to Hwy 52 bridge, Jan 1–Apr 15: one single-point hook or lure, max 3 rods; gigging, snagging, bowfishing closed on the East Fork Jan 1–Apr 30 |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
| Channel catfish | No limit under 34 in | Only one over 34 in | Statewide |
Other rules on Dale Hollow Lake
- No more than 4 rods and reels per angler.
From the 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide (TWRA), in effect 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, checked 25 September 2026. Rules change, so check the guide before you keep a fish.
13 public boat launches in Clay County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Dale Hollow Lake around Horse Creek Resort
What the water at Horse Creek Resort actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Dale Hollow LakeOpen the Dale Hollow Lake page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain
Obey RiverOpen the Obey River page →George Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Public domain
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not s / Public domain
Dale Hollow LakeOpen the Dale Hollow Lake page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Obey RiverOpen the Obey River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Cumberland RiverOpen the Cumberland River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Next one along
More Dale Hollow Lake access near Horse Creek Resort
The closest other public access points on Dale Hollow Lake, measured straight line from Horse Creek Resort. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Horse Creek Resort water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Horse Creek Resort
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Horse Creek Resort, including Obey River, Obey River/Cumberland River and Cumberland River. Handy when the wind is wrong on Dale Hollow Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Horse Creek Resort
The closest shops to Horse Creek Resort that this site has checked. Granville Marina in Gainesboro is nearest, about 16 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Horse Creek Resort
Horse Creek Resort is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.