Cold Front Coming In – 64 Fish with Andy and Devon

WHO I FISHED WITH: Andy Maindelle from north Austin, and Devon, a 17-year-old young man that Andy and his wife, Amy, are providing foster care for.

IMG_4084

The ominous northwestern sky as we came off the water in advance of a cold front that swept into Texas on Monday evening. As it got dark, this cloud mass lit up with lightning on a continuous basis.

IMG_4081

From left: Andy Maindelle and his foster son, Devon, age 17.  Devon had had pretty limited exposure to the outdoors until recently and did really well fishing vertically for the white bass we boated tonight, primarily using tailspinners.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This was a multi-species trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse

WHEN WE FISHED: Monday evening, 09 October (Columbus Day)

HOW WE FISHED:  The first two hours were very slow with just a handful of fish picked up on downriggers.  Things started to coalesce around 4:45p when I found a widespread, suspended school of white bass working shad around mid-depth over a 40′ flat.  We put a dozen fish in the boat before they dissipated.  We moved on and did well in the final 2 hours of the evening finding well-grouped, bottom-hugging white bass in two distinct areas quite willing to strike tailspinners worked vertically, especially on the first several drops after arriving at a new location (as we “spot hopped” with the Jog function of the Ulterra once I found fish in a general location).

OBSERVATIONS:  As has been the case for most of the summer, white bass were sure to be found wherever largemouth were working bait on the surface in open water. 

TALLY: 64 FISH, all caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 3:00p

End Time: 7:15p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 83F

Water Surface Temp:

Wind Speed & Direction:  WSW11 at trip’s start, then tapering down to WSW6 by dusk

Sky Conditions:  <10% white cloud cover the entire trip

Water Level: 1.22 feet low

GT = 0

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

09OCT17

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 074-2384 -downrigging over a widespread, suspended school of white bass working shad around mid-depth over a 40′ flat.

**Area 520-630, then 139-697 – spot hopping as topwater largemouth pointed the way to white bass below; using tailspinners

**Area 2021 – a “last light” bite in ~33′ using tailspinners

Bob Maindelle, Central Texas Fishing Guide

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