This time of the year typically the fishing in West Virginia is just about a wrap unless you are one of the hardcore anglers that just brave the extreme cold and the frozen rod tips. Although this time of the year it seems like a good majority of the anglers from my part of West Virginia seem to take a trip or two over into Kentucky to either Lake Cumberland or Dale Hollow. So, I figured why not talk about those two places, especially considering I am heading over to Lake Cumberland Friday night?

Once those types get below the 50s in West Virginia, the fishing just gets incredibly tough. There are going to be days where it isn’t too bad and can sometimes provide the best days to catch the biggest bass in the lake, it is not what you would call on “on fire”.

Albeit, a lot of folks take the trip towards Lake Cumberland or Dale Hollow where generally the water temps are still in that lower to mid 50’s range. Which normally provides excellent crankbait fishing for smallmouth and even can mix some largemouth in as well. I know a fair share of anglers who spend some time down there in the winter after they get done hunting chasing after some fish.

If you are planning a trip to Dale or Cumberland in the near future, I figure I can provide an update now to give you some ideas on when to plan for your trip. Fortunately, I got to get out on the water Sunday at Dale Hollow with Greg Engle who is on vacation there for the week as he gets ready for the Billy Westmoreland tournament this weekend (which by the way is a super popular invite-only tournament held on the lake each year).

Surprisingly, the water temperature was still in the upper 50s on Dale and with the forecast this week I don’t see it tapering off very much at all. I still think it’s a bit warm to get on a good smallmouth bite, but I would imagine once the area gets a good consistent cold weather streak those places will come alive. I have been to those areas this time of year for a few years in a row now, but it is extremely hard to beat a crankbait whether you are throwing a Spro Rockcrawler or a Rapala DT6, while also mixing in the umbrella rig.