Pre-frontal conditions were forecast for today with typically means some awesome fishing …

Start Time: 7:20a

End Time: 2:00p


Air Temp: 62F at sunrise (obscured by fog), warming to 78F.

Water Temp: 54-56F


Wind: Winds were slack until around 11:45a, then picked up from the NW at ~9 for about 1 1/2 hours, then went slack for a few hours before turning NW as the cold front pushed in.

Skies: Skies were foggy until 10:45 when the fog lifted for the remainder of the day.

Upon launching, I sighted birds at just to the north of Area 243, up on the flat. There were about 12-15 gulls, with a few terns mixed in. The birds were more active than the fish were. Although there was a good number of bottom oriented white bass here, they were fairly sluggish. I vertical jigged for 18 whites here and then moved once the birds had dissipated and the fish settled down.

Next I looked over a few areas without result before heading to Area 333. I got 1 white and 2 smallish largemouth here in 27-29 feet on a 1/4 oz. slab. Another boat with 3 anglers was catching fish where I had hoped to head to and the fish had really done all they were going to do before they moved on and I motored over there.

Finally, around 10:45, the fog lifted, and a NW breeze began to ripple the surface and then increased to 6-8 mph pretty quickly.

I headed to the expanse of water between Areas 334 and 335 and found a great number of terns working hard over the large stretch of water. The terns were feeding on small shad forced to the surface by feeding white bass. As I searched the area over with sonar, I found fish on both sides of the channel and in and over the channel itself. On the W. side of the channel, fish were up as shallow as 20′; on the E. side of the channel, fish were at the high point of 26′; over the channel, fish were as deep as 41′ and were more tightly clustered, probably on the move. In all, the birds were much more active than the fish were.

I got over Area 334 and hunkered down. Just as happened yesterday, I found the suspended fish were hard to tempt, and that the bottom-oriented fish were best responding to an extended pause in the jigging stroke. When the sky brightened up and while the NW wind continued, the fish activity spiked for about 35 minutes. During this time bottom oriented fish typically struck as soon as the slab reached bottom. At this point in time I dropped a tandem rig and caught 12 sets of doubles before the wind stopped and the fish slacked off. I tallied 68 fish at this location.

Just as I was packing up to head in, a small flock of terns began working over Area 335. I headed over and managed 1 crappie and 1 suspended white in 25-27 feet here. The scenario was just about the same as at Area 334. The bird activity ended quickly, and the fishing had finally ground to a halt and so I headed in.

TALLY = 91 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