26 JANUARY 2008






Belton Lake Fishing Report by Belton Lake Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle

Fished a Kids Fish, Too! trip today with 4th grader Ryan F. of Harker Heights. Ryan’s dad is serving in Iraq, AND Ryan has 3 sisters at home, so he was overdue for some good old guy-time.

We began our trip at 7:15am and fished until 2:15pm.

At launch time the air temp. was 38F with a heavy fog (thank goodness for GPS) and the water surface temp. was 50-51F.

Bird activity was non-existent due to the fog, so we relied solely on sonar and experience today to get to the fish. We made a 2 hour and 15 minute stop in the vicinity of Area 27 and found scattered whites and small hybrids on bottom in 26 to 28 feet and caught a mixed bag of 13 here before that sluggish action dried up.

I was really proud of Ryan, as he had never fished before — he said the closest thing to fishing he’d ever done was to go crabbing while visiting his uncle in England. He got the hang of slabbing pretty quickly, and, with occasional reminders about watching his technique, he did very well.

By 9:45 the fog was beginning to lift, so we made a run to Area 99. There is a fair slope here from 35 feet up to 23 feet of water with a good, clean bottom. Although the lack of bait on sonar concerned me as we cruised the area, my concerns were set aside as soon as the slabs went down. Over the next 2 hours and 45 minutes we bagged 35 more fish including a long 4.25 pound hybrid for Ryan (the largest of 3 legal hybrids caught today). The best window of action was from 10:30 to 11:45, just as the fog had completely lifted, and a light puff of south wind tried to get started.

By noon the action was over with, and we took a lunch break on the water. Ryan learned the fine art of how to make a good deal while snack-swapping.

As we ate and tallied our catch, we calculated that we were 2 short of catching 50 fish. So, you guessed it, we spent another 2 hours trying to put 2 slimy somethings in the boat so young Ryan could tell his mom we caught 50 fish. Finally, off the deep side of Area 99, two juvenile white bass cooperated and we wrapped things up.

On our way in we took a quick look at Cowhouse Point; there were several boats and what looked like very little action on the now glassy smooth surface, so we headed to the dock.

As we were heading home Ryan paid me the nicest compliment I ever got in the guide business. He said: Mr. Bob, I’ve never fished before and you’re an expert, but I caught more fish than you … I guess ’cause you’re a good teacher.

Made my day!!

TALLY = 50 FISH, all caught and released


Bob Maindelle, Owner Holding The Line Guide Service and Kids Fish, Too! Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide, Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Lake Georgetown Fishing Guide, Walter E. Long (Decker) Lake Fishing Guide. Offering Salado Fishing, Killeen Fishing and Ft. Hood Fishing