This past Thursday morning I met Mrs. Nicole Tyra and her 5-year-old son, Cadyn Tyra, and Mrs. Bridget Strickland and her 9-year-old daughter, Kayla Jones, out at Belton Lake for the 2015 season’s 11th SKIFF Program fishing trip.
Cadyn Tyra landed our biggest fish of the trip today, a 3 1/8 pound blue catfish. Although he was all for catching it, he wasn’t so sure about holding it thereafter!! Thanks for doing the dirty work, Mom!
Kayla landed this white bass early in our trip, earning her a TPWD “First Fish Award”.
Cadyn’s dad, U.S. Army Specialist Nick Tyra is currently stationed at Camp Hovey with the 1st Cavalry Division in South Korea. Kayla’s dad, Sergeant Terrence Strickland, is in the same unit and at the same post as SPC Tyra where both men repair military vehicles.
Unfortunately, Nicole’s babysitter overslept, so we got off to a bit of a late start and missed the low-light topwater bite, but enjoyed about an hour’s worth of downrigging for larger white bass, just-legal and short hybrid striped bass, and 2 blue catfish. As that action tapered off, we made stops at 3 different areas to fish with bait for panfish up shallow, affording the kids an opportunity to catch several species of sunfish, small largemouth and smallmouth bass, and blacktail shiners. We ended the day on top of a school of very cooperative white bass in about 27 feet of water which responded well to a “smoking” presentation as we used lead slabs to catch them.
Kayla earned her Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. First Fish Award on this trip when she landed the first fish of her life and of the trip, a 12″ white bass. Cadyn took big fish honor with a 3 1/8 pound blue catfish.
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, organizations, and companies 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. SKIFF is open to children in elementary and middle school, as well as teens in high school.
TALLY = 51 FISH, all caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 6:50a
End Time: 10:35a
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 78F
Water Surface Temp: 87-88F
Wind Speed & Direction: NNW7-8
Sky Conditions: ~15% thin white cloud cover on a fair blue sky.
Note: Lake has dropped 0.01 feet in the last 24 hours and now stands at 594.27 above sea level, with 594.00 being full pool
Other: GT= 0
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 085/812 downrigging early
**Area 492 panfishing
**Area 498 panfishing
**Area 166 panfishing
**Area 154/1576 smoking slabs late
Bob Maindelle
Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service
254.368.7411 (call or text)
Salado, TX