Just a scouting trip this morning on Stillhouse since I fished Belton last week and have been away from Stillhouse for a bit. During this change of seasons, fish do not do the same thing too many days in a row, so you have got to stay on top of things.

Start Time: 6:45a

End Time: 11:45a

Air Temp: 60F at trip%u219s start, warming to the low 70’s by day’s end

Water Temp: 67.1F

Wind: Winds were steady from the ESE at ~12 the entire trip with occasional gusts to 15.

Skies: Skies were heavily overcast and leaden grey the entire trip with a drizzle falling on occasion.

Environmental Notes: Saw 3 ospreys and 3 herring gulls today (was hoping for more birds — maybe we’ll get them with the cold front due later in the week). Also noted that most of the shad I graphed on sonar was up in the upper half of the water column today.

Fishing was predictably difficult today. Whenever we get a soggy east wind in advance of a rain event, fishing really slows down and today was no exception.

I graphed many areas today and fished several that I graphed.

I got a drum on a blade bait early at Area 110.

I got a small channel cat on a slab at Area 121.

I got 3 white bass and 2 largemouth suspended over 45 feet of water a few yards to the NE of Area 186.

I got 1 drum on live shad on bottom at Area 122.

The only consistent success came late in the trip at Area 306. This is not an area I fish all that often, but I saw some very minor bird activity (which was more than was happening anywhere else), so I idled in and around this area, noted a minor breakline with some bait and fish on it, and witnessed a few fish chasing shad to the surface (looked like small white bass), so I knew the potential was there. I dropped a live shad down on an unattended rod and vertically jigged with a slab. Both did well, although the fish stayed truly active for only about 20 minutes, and then, although still present, became very sluggish. I managed 16 fish here including 3 black bass to 3 pounds, 4 drum, and 9 white bass, all fairly skinny 11 inch fish.

TALLY = 24 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

Belton Lake Fishing Report by Belton Lake Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle

Fished a half day afternoon trip with Billy W. and Scott L. today.

Conditions:

Start Time: 1:30p

End Time: 6:20p

Air Temp: 78F at trip’s start

Water Temp: 69F

Wind: High winds were a factor today. The forecast called for 8-15 from the S., but we got 20+ winds until 3:15, then they tapered down to 9 by trip’s end.

Skies: Skies were partly cloudy all day.

Prior to the trip’s start, I scoured Area 305 with sonar given that it was partially protected from the stiff S. wind. I found a few, individual fish holding tight to the bottom, but they ignored a slab jigged in and around them. Landed one 3.5 pound largemouth that was suspended at mid-depth over this area.

Picked Billy and Scott up at 1:30 sharp and we headed out and checked Area 152 to Area 301 and found bait, but no gamefish here. We then checked Area 150 to Area 294 and found scattered, suspended white bass at 20-30 feet deep over 42-44 feet. These fish did not respond to downrigged artificials nor drifted live bait.

We then headed to Area 211 and began to find find fish holding deep on the breakline. We enjoyed a mixed bag of solid, 3 year old white bass, as well as just-keeper hybrids in this area as we downrigged with White Willows and Pet Spoons. At one point, we encountered a sizeable congregation of fish on the breakline just to the NE of Area 295 and, after doubling up on the ‘rigger baits, began casting slabs over these fish and stayed in fish for 45 minutes solid with both clients taking fish on every 2nd or 3rd cast during that time. Once this action wound down, the fishing was just about over in this deepwater area. We managed 3 more whites on the downriggers afterwards, and then headed for some final shallow water live bait action before dark.

Right at sunset, we put 3 shad down on tightlines at Area 302. On our first drift of about 70 yards, we scored 1 hybrid and 1 white. On our second drift, we scored an additional hybrid and missed a second fish. Our 3 and 4th drift went unanswered.

We wrapped up right at the point of darkness with 48 fish boated.

TALLY = 48 FISH, all caught and released, except one deeply hooked white bass

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

Stillhouse Fishing Report by Stillhouse Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle

Conditions:

Start Time: 6:30am

End Time: 11:15am

Air Temp: 58F at trip’s start, warming to 78F by mid afternoon

Water Temp: 69.1F

Wind: See body of report.

Skies: Fair all day.

Fished a half-day morning trip by myself today which began with netting live shad for a booked trip tomorrow. At sunrise, I headed to Area 262 and observed for flicking shad. After seeing areas where the shad appeared to be concentrated, I began throwing and came up with 83 gizzards in 18 throws with the water temperature at 69F here.

With the water conditioned and the shad all stowed and happy in less time than I allotted for this chore, I headed out watching nature for signs of fish with surface conditions nearly flat calm and the sun brilliant. I noted nothing of promise and so then began to search with sonar at areas that should be holding fish and bait at this time of year. Sonar revealed a few fish not in the presence of bait at Area 130. I stopped and vertical jigged over these fish and pulled up 2 keeper largemouth, a drum, and a white bass before this limited action came to a halt. All came on a standard jigging presentation.

I then cranked up and ran sonar over a few other traditionally solid areas for this time of year. Upon arrival, the Area 103 breakline looked very promising. The bottom slopes downwards here from the S to the N and the fish were stacked up tight to the bottom right on the shoulder of the break. I dropped the trolling motor down and went to work. Over the next 2.5 hours the action ramped up, plateaued, and then fell off to near nothing. At the peak of the action, numbers of fish were aggressively pursuing my slab (TNT 180 in 3/4 oz.) as I used a smoking technique. As the action fell off, fewer and fewer fish would respond in that manner until finally, no fish would respond. The trigger for the start of the action at around 8:45am was definitely the start of the S. wind. No sooner did the light ripple from the S. turn to a light chop than the fish immediately turned on and stayed turned on for about 35 minutes over this 2.5 hour span of activity. The mixed bag catch here consisted of 48 white bass, 3 short largemouth, and 4 drum.

TALLY = 59 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

Belton Lake Fishing Report by Belton Lake Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle

Fished a half day afternoon trip with Bob S. and John S. of Killeen , and Jeff M. of San Antonio

Conditions:

Start Time: 2:00p

End Time: 7:10p

Air Temp: 59F at day’s start, warming to 82F by mid afternoon

Water Temp: 71F

Wind: Winds were light all day, never exceeding 8 mph. Winds were southerly until around 3:30pm, then went light and variable through sunset.

Skies: Skies were partly cloudy but bright all day.

The fish were surprisingly willing to bite today given the bright skies and very light winds. We fished the expanse between Areas 300/301 and Area 86. Today the fish were primarily found holding suspended out from the face of the breakline. We first worked over the area with sonar on and downriggers down fishing with White Willows. We immediately got into fish and although the action rose and fell with the wind speed, it never stopped until around 5:15pm. From time to time such concentrations of fish were visible beneath the boat as we downrigged that we stopped and fished both vertically and/or horizontally with slabs and typically put 3-6 fish in the boat in short order before the school drifted off. By the time the action shut down here, we had boated 47 fish.

Following this, we checked several deep areas without results save one small channel cat caught at Area 297 on a slab.

We ended the trip at the breakline at Area 302. As I was searching this area with sonar, the screen lit up with fish at 35 feet. We circled back, got slabs down on these fish and came up with 3 hybrids and 1 white immediately. We got 3 more fish slabbing, and then the fish turned off a bit as the light began to fail. We hooked up the downriggers one last time and ended up the trip with 2 more whites and final hybrid.

The ratio of hybrids to white bass today was higher than in any recent trip. We put 18 legal hybrid in the boat today, equaling over 30% of the catch.

TALLY = 59 FISH, all caught and released except 1 hybrid we couldn’t revive

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