8.6 Million Eggs Headed to TPWD Hybrid Factory — 36 Fish

CLIENTS: This morning, Monday, Feb. 9, I welcomed aboard TPWD representatives Cody Tally (Dundee Fish Hatchery near Wichita Falls) and Michael Baird (Freshwater Fisheries, Waco Region), and avid angler Ryan Selken for a morning in search of mature, female white bass.

These fish would be hauled in a specialized truck box back to the Dundee Hatchery where their eggs will be mixed with the milt from male striped bass to produce Sunshine-strain hybrid striped bass for stocking in Texas public waters.

Troy, Texas, residents Tommy and Sylvia Maedgen also pitched in fishing separately from their own bass boat.

TODAY’S DATE: 09 February 2026 (AM)


NEXT OPEN DATES FOR FISHING: 16, 17, 19, 20 February 2026 (AM or PM)

PHOTO CAPTION: Shown are several of the white bass we captured for use in TPWD’s hybrid striped bass production program. After a four-hour fishing effort, 23 white bass were transferred into the specialized 2-compartment tank with controlled temperature, pH, salinity, and oxygen levels and readied for a long drive to near Wichita Falls.

FIND LURES HERE: https://whitebasstools.com/


WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow


SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

We met up a bit after 7A and lamented the reversal of weather conditions we were faced with. All last week and through this past weekend we were due to have cloud cover and wind today. Instead, we had next to no cloud cover and nearly glassy conditions. I was just shaking my head before the morning even began.

We benefitted from some early bird activity which pointed the way to fish for the first 2 hours or so. That was not cake-walk, and, after that, it got even tougher.

The fish were very reluctant to chase at first, but, by around 8A, as the deep water near bottom in 35-40′ became more well-lit, the fish began to turn on a bit. All four of us used white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs with stinger hooks to put our first 26 fish in the boat. Of these, 12 were the right species, size, and gender.

By this same time, the Maedgens were able to contribute another 6 target fish.

We continued catching, albeit at a much slower rate, from around 9:30 to 11:45. During this time, the bite on deep flats dried up and we wound up catching fish on the breakline dropping into the old Lampasas River channel by casting soft plastics, and we also used Garmin LiveScope to deadstick from a standstill over concentrations of shad right in the river channel.

By 11:45, my crew had landed an additional 10 fish, 5 of which were what we were targeting. So, the morning’s effort netted us 23 usable, mature, female white bass.

At ~1.50 pounds per fish and at ~250,000 eggs per pound of body weight, that provided TPWD with the potential for producing just shy of 9 million hybrid fingerlings this coming spring … and coming soon to a reservoir near you!!!

We had a good time of fellowship despite the tough conditions and really appreciated the Maedgens getting up early and burning some gas to help out.

RESULTS: 36 fish, all caught and released

TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW “SLOW SMOKE” A BLADED HAZY EYE SLAB VERTICALLY: Click here for tutorial

OBSERVATIONS:

-Water temps have come up and fish are definitely on the move to the spawning grounds, albeit in no big rush.

-Birds worked for nearly 2 hours over fish which were quite widespread and which were stunning sunfish, thus crippling them. These crippled sunfish would flounder on the surface and kept the birds interested.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Taken on Stillhouse Hollow on 09 February 2026…

Bob Maindelle

Full-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide Service

Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide

(254) 368 7411 (call or text)

Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle