18 FEB 2008
02/18/08 9:40 PM
Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Report by Fort Hood Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle
Fished a 4 hour evening trip today from 2:30p to 6:30p. I delayed today’s trip due to poor conditions in the morning (bright & calm). By launch time, the wind was pushing lightly but steadily from the ENE and the skies had become more fair than clear. Air temp was 58 and the water surface temp ran 56 to 57.
Fished 3 areas today and found solid fishing at 2 of them. First success came right on top of Area 109 in 18-21 feet. Found schooled whites and a mixed bag of other fish right on bottom and was able to coax them with a slab. Caught 10 fish here including 3 largemouth, 1 drum, 2 short whites, and 4 keeper whites.
Just as the hits were getting few and far between, some tern activity began to pickup over open water in 25-27 feet. Got there fast as I could and found suspended and fast-moving schools of whites working over schools of small threadfin shad. Got 1 keeper white and 1 barely legal black bass out of this commotion before the school moved — unfortunately, the terns didn’t stick around long enough to hint at which direction the whites were moving, so that ended that.
Not 5-10 minutes later, right at 5:34, another, larger flock of terns (~30 birds) began working up a little shallower (on the high side of Area 110). I moved in on them and caught 12 more fish in about 15 minutes, and up as shallow as 11 feet (the shallowest I’ve caught a white bass thus far this year). These whites were all beefy 13-15 inch fish, with one hitting exactly 16.0 inches. After 10 of these 12 fish had been landed, the terns from the flock working the school, and other small flocks evidently from uplake further, all lifted and started heading to raft up for the night. The fish activity just dropped off at that time, and, despite a fair expanse of time before sunset, I only landed 2 more fish despite seeing many more than that both suspended and tight to bottom.
After putting the boat back on the trailer at Union Grove, I spoke to the Corps Gate Attendant making his rounds. He said there was very little white bass action reported at the Cedar Gap area today — it seems the fish are going to hang tough downlake until something changes (and that something will hopefully be "flow" from some much needed rain). We’ll see.
TALLY = 24 FISH, all caught and released
Bob Maindelle, Owner Holding The Line Guide Service and Kids Fish, Too! Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide, Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Lake Georgetown Fishing Guide, Walter E. Long (Decker) Lake Fishing Guide. Offering Salado Fishing, Killeen Fishing and Ft. Hood Fishing