Day: September 27, 2014

We Interrupt this Abnormally Scheduled Broadcast …

by Bob Maindelle

This morning I fished a SKIFF trip with the Reynnells family of Harker Heights, TX.  This was the 22nd SKIFF trip of the 2014 season.  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

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(L to R) Emily Reynnells presses the camera’s “RECORD” button, assisting U.S. Army Sergeant Jason Luong, Broadcast Specialist with Ft. Hood Radio, as they record Josh Reynnell’s account of the action on Stillhouse this morning.

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Josh and Emily Reynnells show off two of the 30 fish they worked to put over the side of the boat this morning while we gave mom some down time.

 

I was joined this morning by Josh and Emily Reynnells, the children of U.S. Army Major Stephen Reynnells and his wife, Mrs. Johanna Reynnells.  MAJ Reynnells is currently in the midst of a lengthy temporary duty (TDY) assignment to Fort Belvoir, VA, where he is learning to operate an Army simulation center where “war game” scenarios are played out and complicated matters like inter-service cooperation and communication (between Army, Navy, Air Force, & Marines) can be worked out before entering into a high-stakes situation.  After a short break back home following this training, MAJ Reynnells will leave once again for Fort Polk, LA.  For the sake of family stability, MAJ and Mrs. Reynnells thought it wise to keep the kids based near Fort Hood (especially with the oldest daughter now attending Dallas Baptist University).

We had a very special guest on board today, in addition to our two Army kids.  Sergeant Jason Luong, a U.S. Army broadcast specialist of Fort Hood Radio, came along to capture video and audio for a presentation he desires to weave together for Ft. Hood Radio about the SKIFF program.  Jason has already been a great help to SKIFF by allowing me to record two interviews about the trips we offer to children and the respite we offer to the non-military parent.  Jason is no stranger to the rod and reel, and several times acted as the extra eyes, ears, and hands I needed to keep the fish coming over the side.

As I picked Emily and Josh up at their home on the way to the boat ramp, we had a light rain falling, which continued about 30 minutes after launching.  The thick cloud cover that accompanied the rain pushed the start of the bite back a bit this morning, but, one the clouds thinned and the winds began to move the water a bit, the bite turned on.

We caught all of our fish from just 2 locations this morning.  The first location allow for downrigging only, as the fish were suspended high up in the water column (typical under dark conditions) and they were on the move.  The second location which we fished under much brighter and clearing conditions, allowed for successful vertical jigging on bottom, followed by downrigging after the bite peaked and began to fall off.

We caught 27 white bass and 3 small largemouth bass for our efforts this morning.

Josh, a Kindergartener, stayed interested for about 3 of the 4 hours, and Emily stayed engaged the entire time.   On our way back to the boat ramp I gave each of the kids a chance to steer the boat, and over the course of the day we took in all kinds of sights including spotting a pair of bald eagles (that’s 3 days in a row they’ve been on Stillhouse), a number of cormorants, jumping fish, and more.

Just when we thought all the fun was over, we got back to the boat ramp and a friend and local bowfishing guide, Marty McIntyre, owner of Garguest Adventures, had pulled up with a 100+ pound alligator gar he’d shot overnight in the Brazos River.  So, while I got the truck and trailer and cleaned up from the trip, Jason and the kids ooh’ed and aah’ed at the big gar.  By noon, the kids were safe and sound back at their home in Harker Heights having enjoyed a morning in the Great Outdoors, while their mom had enjoyed 4+ kidless hours to herself in the Great Indoors.

Thank you, Austin Fly Fishers and all you SKIFF supporters, near and far, for allowing this morning to take place.

 

TALLY = 30 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time:  11:15a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  74F

Water Surface Temp:  80.1F

Wind Speed & Direction:  NE7-9

Sky Conditions:  80% cloudy

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area  1245 through 862 — all downrigging for ~90 minutes after a slow first hour prior to that

**Area  1337 through 1448 — vertical jigging for initial success with 2 short hops, then mop-up with downriggers to close out the trip

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

And the “First Fish Award” goes to… — 41 Fish, SKIFF Trip #2014-21, Stillhouse, 26 Sep. 2014

by Bob Maindelle

This evening I fished an after school SKIFF trip with the Apodaca family of Fort Hood.  This was the 21st SKIFF trip of the 2014 season.  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

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(L to R) Katelynn and Maryjane pose with Maryjane’s 3.00 pound channel cat caught after a long white bass feeding spree — likely cleaning up the scraps on bottom left by the aggressive white bass.

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Here, Katelynn (red vest) and Maryjane (blue vest) show our four best white bass with their mom, Denise, in the background.  Can you tell that Maryjane is not quite sure about having her thumb in that fish’s mouth?

Joining me for this trip was Mrs. Denise Apodaca, her 12-year-old daughter Maryjane Apodaca, and her eight-year-old daughter Katelynn Apodaca.  The girls’ father, U.S. Army Specialist Jesus Apodaca, is currently serving in the United States Army in Kuwait where he is supporting an Air Defense Artillery unit as a fuel handler on a one year tour. Specialist Apodaca has been in the Army for 4 years and has already served one previous year-long tour in Afghanistan with about a 1 year break in-between that deployment and this one.

We got on the water a bit later than we had hoped thanks to Friday afternoon Fort Hood traffic, but, as it turned out, the first part of the trip would be our slowest, with the fishing picking up well towards the middle of the trip and staying solid right until dark tonight.

Miss Katelynn had never caught a fish before, and Maryjane had only landed one catfish previous to this trip on a short excursion to the Rio Grande River with her grandmother. We fished three areas tonight. At our first stop, both game fish and the baitfish were rather sparse on sonar, but I saw enough to convince me that we should at least give downrigging a try for a short while.  I’m glad we did, as just three minutes after lowering the downrigger balls into the water, Katelynn came up with the first fish of her lifetime, a small white bass, earning her a TPWD “First Fish Award”. We gave up on this area rather quickly and went searching for greener pastures.

Upon arrival at the second area we checked with sonar, things looked a whole lot more promising. We were able to catch the majority of our fish at this location by vertical jigging with slabs and then cleaning up after the strong bite with downriggers over about a 2 hour span.  With 28 fish now landed and dark just 30 minutes away, we made one final move.

I sought out calm waters which the remaining light could penetrate more deeply, and we fished about 10 to 15 feet shallower in order to find fish that were still able to see our lures well. This turned out to be a good call as we were able to put 13 more fish in the boat in short order on a final twilight feed, including a few fish taken on slab worked vertically when we first arrived in this area.

 

Denise found out about the SKIFF program through my postings on Facebook about previous SKIFF trips. Denise is active in the Protestant Women of the Chapel (P.W.O.C.) on Fort Hood and was anxious to receive my electronic SKIFF brochure so she could let other ladies with deployed husbands know of what is offered through the SKIFF program. She was delighted with the experience, and found the entire outing very peaceful. She was obviously very happy for her girls.

We ended up the night with 41 fish including 1 freshwater drum, 1 three pound channel catfish, and 39 white bass.

TALLY = 41 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 4:30p

End Time:  8:05pm

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  83F

Water Surface Temp:  80.3

Wind Speed & Direction:  ESE8-9

Sky Conditions:  80% cloudy

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1446 was the best producer, allowing for 3 “short hops” worth of vertical jigging.

**Area 1444 through 1445 kicked in an additional 13 fish at trip’s end, all after sunset.

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com