Sunfish Tips — 34 Fish with the Rowells on SKIFF Trip #14

On Thursday, August 3rd, I conducted the season’s 14th “S.K.I.F.F.” Program trip, treating Grace Rowell and her two children, 12-year-old Delilah and 8-year-old Ryan Jr., to some multi-species angling on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.

IMG_3473

From left: Mrs. Grace Rowell and her children, Ryan Jr. and Delilah with our first fish of the morning.

Grace’s husband, US Army Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ryan Rowell Sr. is currently serving in Kuwait where he works as a Field Artillery mechanic.  SFC Rowell has been in the service for 19 years.

Grace and the kids were real troopers, leaving their quarters on Ft. Hood in a downpour to get to our launch site.  Although they outran the rain and we launched under dry conditions, that rain caught back up with us and we fished in about an hour-long rainshower.  It seems the fish didn’t mind (hey, they were already wet, right?) as we caught fish from start to finish this morning.

After the white bass cooperated well, allowing us to put 18 in the boat using 3-armed umbrella rigs equipped with Pet Spoons, we invested the balance of the trip up shallow in pursuit of sunfish.

Ryan was keenly interested in my approach to sunfishing, as he goes as often as he can to one of the Ft. Hood ponds earmarked for kids.  He learned a number of good tactics, from bait selection and presentation, to the importance of downsizing tackle to account for the small mouths sunfish have.

We landed 34 fish this morning before heading back in.

“Homefront” spouses with a husband or wife away from home on military duty (not just deployments) are welcomed to call me at 254.368.7411 to arrange for free 4-hour outing for your children.  Homefront parents are always welcome to attend, but are equally welcome to take some downtime from their own children and leave them in my care for this time on the water.  This is all made possible through the sponsorship and work of the Austin Fly Fishers and the supportive allies they have developed along the way.

TALLY: 34 FISH, all caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 6:30am

End Time: 9:00am

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 76F

Water Surface Temp: 84.6F

Wind Speed & Direction: NE breeze 5-6mph the entire trip

Sky Conditions: 100% grey cloud cover with light rain from 7:15 to 8:15a.

Water Level: 0.13′ low slowly falling with only evaporative losses of ~0.02 feet per day; 0 cfs release at dam

GT = 0

Wx SNAPSHOT:

03AUG17

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic 444 to 484 to 1114 to 909 — downrigging and smoking

**Area 1416 – sunfish on slipfloats

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle

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