Keeping Up With Moving Fish — Austin Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle — 65 Fish @ Stillhouse






As the water cools, fish move. Keeping up with these movements by fishing regularly is a key to success in this transition time. Generally, white bass and hybrid stripers will slowly make their way up to pre-spawn staging areas for the winter, following bait as they go. This year there is very little current and the water temperature is high for this time of year. Taking regular trips, even if they are short in duration, allows me to keep my finger on the pulse of the fish migration.

When you see this kind of action on sonar, you really don’t even need to fish to confirm the presence of gamefish. I can mentally note that fish are here and then continue to “cover ground” by looking at other areas so when customers are aboard we go to the fish with confidence.

Today I hit a number of areas quickly:

Area 977 gave up 10 white bass.

Area 978 gave up 5 white bass.

Area 74 was “congested” with whites, allowing 25 fish in a very short 20 minutes on site.

Area 980 gave up 15 fish.

Area 981 yielded 4 whites.

Area 982 gave up 2 whites.

Area 942 gave up 2 whites.

And I ended up at sunset at Area 724 boating 2 whites there.

TALLY = 65 FISH, all caught and released.


Start Time: 4:30p

End Time: 6:30p

Air Temp: 52F at trip’s start.

Water Surface Temp: ~59.3F

Wind: Winds were SE5 the entire trip.

Skies: Skies were greyed over the entire trip.