Short & Sweet: The Angler & the Angling – 14 Fish w/SKIFF

CLIENTS: On Saturday morning, October 24, I conducted the 2026 season’s 20th SKIFF trip. Joining me was a U.S. Army “Gold Star“ family who lost their soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Keith Jesmain, while he was on active duty.  CW2 Jesmain had served for eight years in the aviation field.

Joining me was U.S. Army Master Sergeant Maria Jesmain, originally from the island of Saipan, and the youngest of her six children, Carmen, age 6. MSG Jesmain is still on active duty and will retire in 2028. She serves in logistics.

Mr. James Elzie, Manager of the Wounded and Fallen Branch of Army Community Services on Fort Hood, helped us connect.

ABOUT SKIFF:  Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (SKIFF) trips have been provided to military families at no charge since May of 2009.  SKIFF is funded by donations from Austin Fly Fishers, The McBride Foundation, The Great Place Spouses’ Club, The Great Place Thrift Store, and VFW Post 4008 in Belton, TX.  SKIFF provides kids of military members separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  SKIFF trips are also provided to Gold Star families who have lost their service member, and kids of bona fide disabled veterans.  I conduct these 3.5 hour adventures on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir year ’round.  Call or text 254.368.7411 to make your reservation. We’ve provided trips for over 660 children, and those kids have landed over 18,000 fish.

TODAY’S DATE: 24 October 2026 (AM)


NEXT OPEN MORNING DATES: 28 Oct. & 24, 30 Nov. 2026

PHOTO CAPTION: U.S. Army Master Sergeant Maria Jesmain and the youngest of her 6 children, Carmen, joined me for the 2026 season’s 20th SKIFF trip. This morning we fished Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

Although I normally schedule my SKIFF trips for 3.5 hours, I don’t believe I’ve ever had a six-year-old make it that long in the 17 years of the program, and Carmen was no exception. The water has cooled sufficiently to drive the sunfish out of shallow water, leaving fewer options now for young children. This will remain so until late May of next year.

Using side-imaging to locate schools of white bass in 30 to 40 feet of water, I positioned the boat atop these fish and equipped Carmen with a spinning rod outfitted with a MAL Dense Lure. I was seated right next to her and simply had her try to imitate the technique I was employing, by allowing her lure to fall to the bottom, then briskly cranking it upwards 6 to 7 cranks, then repeating.

Carmen did best when reeling in fish which I had hooked and then handed off to her.

By two hours’ time, Carmen had landed 14 white bass and both Mom and I could tell the novelty of this morning on a boat and Carmen‘s enthusiasm was beginning to wane.

Maria and I knowingly looked at one another and agreed it was time to go back to the boat ramp. I had shared with Maria earlier that I would much rather shorten the trip and send Carmen home happy, then shoot for some certain length of time and have it become an endurance contest and have Carmen return home less enthusiastic about fishing than if we had ended on a good note.

 I told Carmen I was going to entitle this report “Short and Sweet”, as I felt it aptly described both the fisherman and the fishing!

RESULTS: 14 fish, all caught and released

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

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

SEE THE “SMOKING TACTIC” TUTORIAL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

OBSERVATIONS:
-This fall’s second significant cold front came in on 16 Oct., dropping overnight lows to 48F with winds 25-40mph all day on 16 Oct. This has put the white bass fishing into overdrive. More fish are now in more places, and all are using bottom once again, thus making locating them much simpler than during the extended summer we just lived through.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE: Not measured.

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