Fished a 1/2 day evening “Kids Fish, Too!” trip with Dr. Kenton Z. and his children, Gillian and Tor of Pittsburg, PA. The kids were down visiting during their Spring Break. On this day, we enjoyed near 80 degree temps at trip’s start, but with it, endured a wicked NW wind that really cramped our style a bit.

KENTON AND THE KIDS, GILLIAN AND TOR, TROOPERS ALL!!

A WIND-DRIVEN 5,000 ACRE BRUSHFIRE ON FT. HOOD COULD BE SEEN FROM THE LAKE OVER THE ENTIRETY OF OUR TRIP.

Start Time: 3:45p


End Time: 7:45a


Air Temp: 83F at trip’s start.


Water Surface Temp: ~61-64F

Wind: Winds cranked up to near 30mph for the first 90 minutes of the trip, then tapered off to less than 14 by trip’s end, all from the WNW.

Skies: Skies were clear and bright.

As we began our trip, I got to know the family a bit and learned that Gillian, age 13, had never caught a fish before, and that Tor, age 11, had only reeled in a fish someone else had hooked. I promised the kids that by trip’s end they’d both be catching fish independently, and they really seemed enthused at that prospect.

Based on the length and intensity of the morning bite (fairly strong bite, ending around 9:30a) I was hopeful we’d see a moderate pre-sunset bite this evening, and that is what we experienced. I had hoped to fill in the ‘meantime’ with some deepwater fishing in the relatively lower light conditions found there, but the very strong winds denied us access to that.

So, we sampled some mid-depth areas and struck out, and headed to the shallower waters of Area 412 by 5:30p, about an hour before I’d normally try there. We were modestly rewarded here with 8 fish … but those fish were the first these kids had ever caught on their own and they were super excited about it. Once Tor caught his first fish and realized how important correct lure presentation was, he asked me to double-check his presentation every time he dropped his slab!!

As the 6:30-7:00p timeframe came, birds began to coalesce in our vicinity, but they never grouped up tightly nor fed heavily — nor did the fish. We hopped over to Area 389 and found more fish during this time right on bottom with just a few getting active enough for a short span of time to allow us to enjoy a second spurt of activity resulting in 13 more fish coming aboard — all average white bass. We also lost 3 right at boatside — but that’s how it goes with new anglers going through the learning curve.

By 7:30 the fishing here had all but shut down and the birds had departed. We headed back towards the dock looking for birds as we went but found none.

So, the count for the day stood at 21 fish by the time the trip was through, but for two brand new fisherman in some tough, frontal, windy conditions, that was pretty darn good. Great job kids!!

TALLY = 21 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