WHO I FISHED WITH: The Vaughter kids — Kiara (age 16), Dasani (age 15), and Anthony (age 7). The kids’ mom, US Army First Sergeant Yolanda Vaughters is currently serving on active duty at Ft. Lee, VA. This was a SKIFF trip provided to this family at no charge thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers. This was the 24th SKIFF trip of the 2017 season.
From left: Kiara (age 16), Dasani (age 15), and Anthony (age 7) with a trio of white bass we picked up on downriggers within 15 minutes of the start of our trip.
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This was a multi-species SKIFF program trip focused on white bass.
WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse
WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday evening, 14 October
HOW WE FISHED: Downrigging for the first half of the trip, and working tailspinners vertically in the second half, with another shot of downrigging for “high-riders” just after sunset. The kids really buckled down and made every minute count, especially in our last hour, in an effort to better the 52 fish count my crew of 3 kids caught during the morning trip this same day. As it turned out, they surpassed their goal by 2, ending the evening with 54 fish landed.
OBSERVATIONS/NOTES: “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: 54 FISH, all caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 4:00p
End Time: 7:25p
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 72F
Water Surface Temp: 76.9F
Wind Speed & Direction: S3-7
Sky Conditions: ~40% white cloud cover tapering off to 20% cover by the end of the trip
Water Level: 1.36 feet low
GT = 0
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 1950-341-074 — downrigging for fish suspended at mid-depth over a 40-44′ bottom in the first 1/2 of our afternoon trip.
**Areas 2023 & 2024 – sparse results on vertically worked tailspinners despite plenty of bottom-oriented fish
**Area 1150-784 – last light downrigging from 6:50 to dark at 7:25
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
