IT WAS 10 DEGREES WHEN WE LEFT ALASKA! — 68 Fish with the Thomas Family

WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Friday evening I fished with Mr. Tim Thomas, his wife, Lisa, and their boys, 9-year-old Asher, and 7-year-old Eli.  The Thomas family came in from near Anchorage, Alaska, to Killeen to visit family and decided to do a little fishing in “soft” water after leaving 10F temperatures behind up north. Tim, a U.S. Air Force veteran and avid outdoorsman, now works in IT for a cell phone company and Lisa is a message therapist.

 

From left: Tim, Lisa, Asher, and Eli Thomas with a mess of white bass all cut from the same cloth, taken on 3/8 oz. slabs with Hazy Eye Stinger hooks attached on the line-tie.

 

From left: Asher and Lisa Thomas with our largest fish of the trip, just nudging out dad’s freshwater drum.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Friday evening, 23 February 2018

HOW WE FISHED:   We fished vertically 100% of the time this evening.  We fished 3/8 oz. slabs with Hazy Eye Stingers in deep water for smaller fish through 4:30p under what would be our best weather conditions of the trip.  Around 4:45, as the wind stopped and the fog thickened, the fish reacted quickly and negatively.  We had to go with a slow-smoking tactic and then with dead-sticking as the fish got more and more lazy.  We put 53 fish in the boat during our first 2 hours, 10 fish in the boat in the 3rd hour, and 5 fish in the boat as dark approached in the final hour.

OBSERVATIONS/NOTES:   1) The slow warmup we were enjoying was halted and reversed by this week’s protracted, cold rains and heavy cloud cover.  2) We enjoyed our best action from 2:30 – 4:30p while the wind was blowing and the fog was thin.  Right at 4:45p when the fog thickened with the dying wind, the bite dropped off sharply.

TALLY: 68 FISH, all caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 2:30p

End Time:  6:30p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  52F

Water Surface Temp:  52.8 – 53.1F

Wind Speed & Direction:  ESE6 for first 90 minutes, then dying to nil with fog immediately thickening as the wind died.

Sky Conditions:  Heavy, low cloud cover and fog to the point of limiting visibility to about a mile for the first 90 minutes, then the fog rapidly thickened to under 100′ visibility.

Water Level: Up to 3.11 feet low from 3.46 feet low before this week’s rain

GT = 0

Wx SNAPSHOT:

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area B0041C to B0042C – smaller fish on bottom in 46′ responding to snap-jigging and slow easing for 2 hours

**Area B0042C – larger white bass suspended in two distinct 6 foot bands approx. 12-18′ off bottom and at 25-31′ below the surface.  Slow smoking took fish at first, then, as bite slow with dying wind and increasing fog, deadsticking was required.

 

 

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

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