Stillhouse Fishing Guide Report – 31 Mar. 2010 – 11 Fish






I fished a half day morning trip on Stillhouse today with Keith L. of Georgetown, his son, Matt, and grandsons, Luke and Andrew, of Ohio. The forecast for today had me concerned as far back as Sunday when cloudless skies were predicted. Keith put it best … we had “severely bright” skies, and, as often happens under such conditions, we had a short, quick, low-light bite right in the early morning and then the fishing went flat on us.

Andrew and Luke worked hard and hung right in there to the closing bell on this day made tough with very bright conditions

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp: 56F at trip’s start.

Water Surface Temp: ~60.4 to 60.8F.

Wind: Winds were just rippling the surface from the S. at sunrise and for about 40 minutes beyond, then slowly build up to around 13 mph by trip’s end.

Skies: Skies were clear and bright.


We started our day at Area 116 flatlining with Rip Shads. We put 7 fish in the boat in the first 90 minutes of the day. 6 of them came off this area (4 whites and 2 largemouth).

When things got quiet, we moved on to Area 888 and continued flatlining, adding one additional largemouth to the mix. The boys did really well. They got the baits out behind the boat the appropriate distance, kept an eye on their rods constantly, reacted quickly when we hooked up with fish, kept their rods up at a 45 degree angle when fighting, and they were rewarded for their good technique as we only lost one hooked fish as it head-shook on the surface.

From this point in time, around 9:45a and on, things got really tough. There were no birds, no bait on top, no rough fish surfacing, just nothing much going on at all in nature.

We made a number of stops and quickly vertical jigged at each one hoping to entice a school of white bass to perk up, but that wasn’t to be.

We managed a single crappie at Area 127, a crappie and a white bass at Area 604, and a white bass at Area 599 and that was it. After a 50+ fish trip for the boys on last year’s Spring Break trip from Ohio, this one was a bit tough, but, knowing that 50+ fish days can happen is what keeps you heading back out there after ’em!

TALLY = 11 Fish, all caught and released