Fished Stillhouse on a half-day morning trip with Rev. Ken C. of Killeen.

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time: 10:45a


Air Temp: 27F at sunrise, warming to 62F.

Water Temp: 54.1F


Wind: Winds were NNW at 7 prior to sunrise, then varied from 7-10 through mid-morning, and then began to slack off toward 11am.

Skies: Skies were clear and bright all day.



Had an enjoyable trip this morning with Ken, the pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Killeen. Ken hadn’t been fishing in about 3 years but was familiar enough with spinning gear to get the hang of things pretty quickly, and he wound up doing very well.

Fishing was pretty easy today. We hit fish from just prior to sunrise and until 9:00am between Areas 112 and 257 catching fish every couple of casts using white blade baits fish “lift-drop” style. It was important to mentally note where your cast fell, and where in your retrieve any missed strikes occurred as the fish were tightly schooled, and repeated casts to fish-holding areas almost always resulted in multiple catches. We departed this area as the sun brightened and the fish activity dropped off. We landed a total of 29 fish here and broke ice out of guides the entire time. We got 1 largemouth going 1.75 pounds, and all the rest were white bass going 10 to 13 inches, with most at 10.75 to 11.25 inches.

Our next and final stop came in the vicinity of Areas 143 and 89. Fish were most active from around 9 to 9:40a. During that time fish were seen on sonar in the entire lower half of the water column and would chase smoked baits. After that, the fish settled down and preferred a smaller slab and a prolonged pause on a traditional slabbing presentation. We caught fish on the 1/4 oz. slab and the white TNT 180 in 3/4 oz. Before the action ended, we’d landed one drum and an additional 36 white bass.

Once the fish here had all but quit, I rigged up the downrigger and spent about 10 minutes showing Ken the way the sonar and downrigger work together to target fish at a specific depth. We caught 1 fish this way just so he could experience that and then we headed to the dock.

Got to hand it to old Ken — he’s pretty hearty for a preacher — just wore a ball cap and kept his fingers working well the entire trip, most of which was below freezing.

TALLY = 66 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