Final Day of 13-Month Study on Lake Belton’s White Bass – 61 Fish
CLIENTS: This morning, Wednesday, April 15, I conducted the last of 13 sampling efforts on Lake Belton in support of a study being conducted by Temple College in an effort to quantify the differences in the size and weight of the white bass populations in this lake versus that of Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.
Joining me were Brandon and Wendy Hunt, a really outdoorsy couple and a real pleasure to have aboard.
TODAY’S DATE: 15 April 2026 (AM)
NEXT OPEN DATES FOR FISHING: 28 & 29 April 2026 (AM)
PHOTO CAPTION: Wendy and Brandon Hunt worked through gloomy, grey skies all morning to land 61 fish on what has been a below average week after a weekend cold front stalled our warmup and raised the lake nearly a foot.
FIND LURES HERE: https://whitebasstools.com/
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:
This morning’s fishing, for better or worse, was nearly identical to yesterday‘s thanks to a nearly identical weather set up. We only had bright conditions for about a 25 minute span during which the fish really turned on. Otherwise, it was gloomy and grey, with thick cloud cover on a south southeasterly wind, stiff enough to create whitecaps on any stretches of open water.
We had no problems finding fish, and the fish we found typically were fairly responsive as soon as we began presenting to them, but, within minutes, the enthusiasm waned and the fish got infinitely tougher to catch.
We used white, three-quarter ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs for all but that 25 minute span when the sun shown. At that time, I switched everyone over quickly to nickel-plated slabs until the skies clouded back over.
We used the vertical “smoking” tactic in combination with Garmin LiveScope. Under these conditions, the LiveScope really allows you to see the reluctance the fish demonstrate under murky skies versus the additional energy they show almost immediately when skies brighten. The fish will chase farther, and pursue more quickly than when they are lackadaisical under dark conditions.
In this manner, and over the space of 4 areas with a few short hops at each one, we picked up exactly 61 fish including 54 white bass, 4 hybrid striped bass, 2 freshwater drum, and 1 largemouth bass.
RESULTS: 61 fish, all caught and released
TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW “SLOW SMOKE” A BLADED HAZY EYE SLAB VERTICALLY: Click here for tutorial
OBSERVATIONS:
-The threadfin shad spawn continues.
-Thick, gloomy clouds were an issue once again today. The fish stayed very subdued most of the morning.
LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:
Taken on Lake Belton on 09 April 2026, approx. 6:55AM…
0 feet 69.2F
5 feet 69.4F
10 feet 69.1F
15 feet 68.4F
20 feet 67.9F
25 feet 67.6F
30 feet 66.9F
35 feet 66.0F
40 feet 64.4F
45 feet 62.3F
50 feet 61.2F
55 feet 60.3F
Taken on Lake Belton on 02 April 2026, approx. 7:20AM…
0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 69.9F
10 feet 69.4F
15 feet 69.0F
20 feet 68.6F
25 feet 68.4F
30 feet 68.1F
35 feet 68.1F
40 feet 67.9F
45 feet 65.9F
50 feet 63.7F
55 feet 61.7F
60 feet 60.0F
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 7:15A
End Time: 11:30A
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 69F
Elevation: Belton is 0.14′ low with a 0.91′ change in the last 4 days. USACE is releasing 60 CFS.
Water Surface Temp: 69.8F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: SSE12-13 all morning
Sky Condition: 100% grey clouds all morning with little thinning.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 1% illumination
GT = 75
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH MOST SUCCESS:
Area 2435 – 7 fish on Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs (3/4 oz. white)
Area 2436- 3 fish on Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs (3/4 oz. white), 3 hops
Area 958- 18 fish on Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs (3/4 oz. white), 3 hops
Area 1482- 33 fish on Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs (3/4 oz. white), 4 hops
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: https://www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle