Stillhouse Fishing Guide Report – 10 Sep. 2009 – 78 Fish






Didn’t have enough time for a guided trip this day (I’m blogging 2 days after the trip) due to travel plans taking me to Rockwall, TX, but I did head out on this morning on my lonesome to stay on top of things and take a crack at some topwater action if I could find it.

A GRAPH OF OUR ELEVATION RISE ON STILLHOUSE DUE TO RAINS FROM THIS WEEKEND’S LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM

Start Time: 7:00am

End Time: 11:20am

Air Temp: 74F at trip’s start.

Water Surface Temp: ~82.4F

Wind: Winds were from the SSE at ~7-8 following a calm sunrise.

Skies: Skies were mostly cloudy at sunrise; a light fog came in for about 45 minutes, but then cleared giving way to increasing cloudiness which would turn to rain, which would in turn be the leading edge of a persistent low pressure system which would dump 9-15 inches of rain on the local area through Sunday, Sep. 13th.

I was on the water just a few minutes prior to sunrise and quickly checked out Area 056. There was some light topwater caused by juvenile largemouth and white bass, but nothing much more substantial. I landed the only larger fish I saw break water after quietly looking over this area for a few minutes — a 13.75″ largemouth — on a Cork Rig.

Next, I throttled up to a moderate cruising speed and closely looked as I drove, studying the surface for topwater action, but seeing noting beyond random “static”.

I gave Area 70 to 71 a few passes with the downrigger and came up with 2 solid white bass. As I watched sonar, I saw a fair cluster of fish right on the breakline here in 32-34 feet, on bottom. With the fog about to settle in, I buoyed these fish and decided to hunker down as I waited for the fog to lift. I got a few fish to respond, but didn’t hook or land any with a slab.

As the fog cleared about 35 minutes later, I headed to Area 484. I wound up spending the rest of the trip here as there was ample bait, white bass on bottom and in fairly regularly appearing schools at mid-depth, and, every once in a while when the sun broke through the increasing clouds or at least warmed and brightened the area, schools of largemouth would bust shad on topwater. These are now schools, not just little wolfpacks, which marks a significant change in the season and dictates some different tactics.

For the whites, a smoked slab in silver or white did well early, then a blade was all they’d touch after they got picky. For the largemouth, long, immediate, accurate casts are still the rule using the Cork Rig with a matching forage imitator.

The “routine” was to cast to breaking fish when they presented themselves, and vertically work the slabs and blades when they didn’t.

Following this simple formula here made for a productive morning trip with 78 fish boated by the time I had to wrap it up to head north.


TALLY = 78 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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