23 AUGUST 2008






Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Report by Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide Bob Maindelle

Conditions:

Start Time: 6:30a

End Time: 11:00a

Air Temp: 76F at trip’s start, and only up to 84F by day’s end.

Water Temp: 83.4F

Wind: Light and variable from SE to nearly flat calm

Skies: Heavy grey early morning cloud cover gave way to clear skies by 9:00am

Fished a Kids Fish, Too! morning trip this morning with 9-year old Spencer L. and his dad, Scott and 9 year old Taylor W. and his day, Billy. As we met at dockside, I assessed both fellows’ casting abilities and equipment preferences, and then we got out on the water. The low pressure system that brought some rain earlier in the week has moved to the east, but there is still cloud cover in the area as a result of it.

I took a few sonar sweeps of Area 206 that’s been productive of late, and there was not nearly the amount of bait nor gamefish that I’d seen in the recent past. Nonetheless, I stayed there until the light level was about right for any surface activity that may have taken place to begin, but saw none. In the meantime, we trolled with downriggers and kept a sharp eye on sonar. The downriggers didn’t fail us and we wound up with a 4.25 pound largemouth to start the day off, and then headed to the south to look for some topwater fish.

In roughly a line connecting Areas 31, 41, and 196, we encountered multiple large schools of white bass with largemouth mixed in and stayed on these fish for about 30 minutes. Most fish were 10.75 to 11.5 inches, but very solid and healthy, and also very full of 1.75″ long shad. A majority of the fish we caught regurgitated 2-3 shad as they were being landed. The increasingly bright sky conditions made the fish very finicky and made them feed near the surface instead of on the surface. When all of the topwater action was done, we’d managed 22 additional fish. The real key was getting an accurate cast to the surfacing fish quickly, and the boys struggled to do this, so our success was diminished as compared to what accomplished casters could have done — but, that’s why I do kids’ trips – so kids get better at the sport.

After the topwater died off, white bass remained congregated in the area. We took 12-15 trolling passes with the riggers down and with Lunker Lickers following. We took an additional 12 fish via this tactic including several 15-16 inch white bass, a 3+ pound channel catfish, and several 1 pound bass.

Once the downrigging dried up and the fish vacated the mid-depths, we gave live sunfish a try for largemouth, but the very bright and very still conditions we then encountered killed the action for good.

We headed back to the dock with 34 fish caught and released and two enthusiastic young men comparing their notes for the day.


TALLY = 34 fish, all 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








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