Stillhouse Fishing Guide Report — 16 April 2009 — 103 Fish






Fished a half-day morning trip with my little buddy Jaylen today. The threadfin shad spawn has begun making for some good shallow water action.

SOME EARLY SHALLOW ACTION TODAY DRIVEN BY THREADFIN SPAWNING ACTIVITY

JAYLEN KEPT RIGHT UP WITH ME TODAY HELP BOAT A TEAM TOTAL OF 103 FISH

Start Time: 7:00a


End Time: 1:00p


Air Temp: 59F at trip’s start.


Water Surface Temp: ~64F

Wind: Winds were SE at 7-9 at sunrise (obscured) and increased to SE at 13-16 by trip’s end.

Skies: Skies were 100% overcast the entire trip.

Environmental Note: We witnessed abundant threadfin shad spawning in the shallows today.

I was a bit concerned about today’s adventure given an easterly component to the wind, but the rising water temperature trumped all and put the threadfin shad to the shoreline spawning.

We looked closely for the right kind of bird activity to point the way to fish, and several accommodating blue herons, egrets, and ospreys helped us out. After unsuccessfully flatline trolling a bit, we witnessed this bird activity at Area 426 and acted on it. From 7:30 to 10:00a we stayed on the fish, all in less than 9 feet of water, and many within feet of the shoreline. We encountered a mix of black bass and white bass in about a 2 to 5 ratio. Of the blacks we caught, half were legal. I used a bladebait and Jaylen used a Bomber, and we did well on both. By the time the action here died down, we’d boated 49 fish including the two largemouth shown above.

After this I poked around in deep water but found little. By ll:30a, I gave Area 418 and vicinity a try with the slab and came up with 3 short crappie and moved on.

Finally, Area 108 showed some signs of life tight to the bottom as I motored over with sonar on. I looped back after buoying the best of what I saw and had very active white bass respond to our smoking retrieves in 25-27 feet of water. Over the next 90 minutes the two of us put an additional 51 fish in the boat. These were all white bass and all right at the 11 to 11 1/2 inch mark. These fish were spawned out and very healthy with plump bellies. When the action died to the point where the fish would no longer respond to a smoking retrieve, we left them alone and headed for lunch.

TALLY = 103 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








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