We Interrupt this Abnormally Scheduled Broadcast …

This morning I fished a SKIFF trip with the Reynnells family of Harker Heights, TX.  This was the 22nd SKIFF trip of the 2014 season.  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

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(L to R) Emily Reynnells presses the camera’s “RECORD” button, assisting U.S. Army Sergeant Jason Luong, Broadcast Specialist with Ft. Hood Radio, as they record Josh Reynnell’s account of the action on Stillhouse this morning.

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Josh and Emily Reynnells show off two of the 30 fish they worked to put over the side of the boat this morning while we gave mom some down time.

 

I was joined this morning by Josh and Emily Reynnells, the children of U.S. Army Major Stephen Reynnells and his wife, Mrs. Johanna Reynnells.  MAJ Reynnells is currently in the midst of a lengthy temporary duty (TDY) assignment to Fort Belvoir, VA, where he is learning to operate an Army simulation center where “war game” scenarios are played out and complicated matters like inter-service cooperation and communication (between Army, Navy, Air Force, & Marines) can be worked out before entering into a high-stakes situation.  After a short break back home following this training, MAJ Reynnells will leave once again for Fort Polk, LA.  For the sake of family stability, MAJ and Mrs. Reynnells thought it wise to keep the kids based near Fort Hood (especially with the oldest daughter now attending Dallas Baptist University).

We had a very special guest on board today, in addition to our two Army kids.  Sergeant Jason Luong, a U.S. Army broadcast specialist of Fort Hood Radio, came along to capture video and audio for a presentation he desires to weave together for Ft. Hood Radio about the SKIFF program.  Jason has already been a great help to SKIFF by allowing me to record two interviews about the trips we offer to children and the respite we offer to the non-military parent.  Jason is no stranger to the rod and reel, and several times acted as the extra eyes, ears, and hands I needed to keep the fish coming over the side.

As I picked Emily and Josh up at their home on the way to the boat ramp, we had a light rain falling, which continued about 30 minutes after launching.  The thick cloud cover that accompanied the rain pushed the start of the bite back a bit this morning, but, one the clouds thinned and the winds began to move the water a bit, the bite turned on.

We caught all of our fish from just 2 locations this morning.  The first location allow for downrigging only, as the fish were suspended high up in the water column (typical under dark conditions) and they were on the move.  The second location which we fished under much brighter and clearing conditions, allowed for successful vertical jigging on bottom, followed by downrigging after the bite peaked and began to fall off.

We caught 27 white bass and 3 small largemouth bass for our efforts this morning.

Josh, a Kindergartener, stayed interested for about 3 of the 4 hours, and Emily stayed engaged the entire time.   On our way back to the boat ramp I gave each of the kids a chance to steer the boat, and over the course of the day we took in all kinds of sights including spotting a pair of bald eagles (that’s 3 days in a row they’ve been on Stillhouse), a number of cormorants, jumping fish, and more.

Just when we thought all the fun was over, we got back to the boat ramp and a friend and local bowfishing guide, Marty McIntyre, owner of Garguest Adventures, had pulled up with a 100+ pound alligator gar he’d shot overnight in the Brazos River.  So, while I got the truck and trailer and cleaned up from the trip, Jason and the kids ooh’ed and aah’ed at the big gar.  By noon, the kids were safe and sound back at their home in Harker Heights having enjoyed a morning in the Great Outdoors, while their mom had enjoyed 4+ kidless hours to herself in the Great Indoors.

Thank you, Austin Fly Fishers and all you SKIFF supporters, near and far, for allowing this morning to take place.

 

TALLY = 30 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time:  11:15a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  74F

Water Surface Temp:  80.1F

Wind Speed & Direction:  NE7-9

Sky Conditions:  80% cloudy

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area  1245 through 862 — all downrigging for ~90 minutes after a slow first hour prior to that

**Area  1337 through 1448 — vertical jigging for initial success with 2 short hops, then mop-up with downriggers to close out the trip

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

And the “First Fish Award” goes to… — 41 Fish, SKIFF Trip #2014-21, Stillhouse, 26 Sep. 2014

This evening I fished an after school SKIFF trip with the Apodaca family of Fort Hood.  This was the 21st SKIFF trip of the 2014 season.  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

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(L to R) Katelynn and Maryjane pose with Maryjane’s 3.00 pound channel cat caught after a long white bass feeding spree — likely cleaning up the scraps on bottom left by the aggressive white bass.

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Here, Katelynn (red vest) and Maryjane (blue vest) show our four best white bass with their mom, Denise, in the background.  Can you tell that Maryjane is not quite sure about having her thumb in that fish’s mouth?

Joining me for this trip was Mrs. Denise Apodaca, her 12-year-old daughter Maryjane Apodaca, and her eight-year-old daughter Katelynn Apodaca.  The girls’ father, U.S. Army Specialist Jesus Apodaca, is currently serving in the United States Army in Kuwait where he is supporting an Air Defense Artillery unit as a fuel handler on a one year tour. Specialist Apodaca has been in the Army for 4 years and has already served one previous year-long tour in Afghanistan with about a 1 year break in-between that deployment and this one.

We got on the water a bit later than we had hoped thanks to Friday afternoon Fort Hood traffic, but, as it turned out, the first part of the trip would be our slowest, with the fishing picking up well towards the middle of the trip and staying solid right until dark tonight.

Miss Katelynn had never caught a fish before, and Maryjane had only landed one catfish previous to this trip on a short excursion to the Rio Grande River with her grandmother. We fished three areas tonight. At our first stop, both game fish and the baitfish were rather sparse on sonar, but I saw enough to convince me that we should at least give downrigging a try for a short while.  I’m glad we did, as just three minutes after lowering the downrigger balls into the water, Katelynn came up with the first fish of her lifetime, a small white bass, earning her a TPWD “First Fish Award”. We gave up on this area rather quickly and went searching for greener pastures.

Upon arrival at the second area we checked with sonar, things looked a whole lot more promising. We were able to catch the majority of our fish at this location by vertical jigging with slabs and then cleaning up after the strong bite with downriggers over about a 2 hour span.  With 28 fish now landed and dark just 30 minutes away, we made one final move.

I sought out calm waters which the remaining light could penetrate more deeply, and we fished about 10 to 15 feet shallower in order to find fish that were still able to see our lures well. This turned out to be a good call as we were able to put 13 more fish in the boat in short order on a final twilight feed, including a few fish taken on slab worked vertically when we first arrived in this area.

 

Denise found out about the SKIFF program through my postings on Facebook about previous SKIFF trips. Denise is active in the Protestant Women of the Chapel (P.W.O.C.) on Fort Hood and was anxious to receive my electronic SKIFF brochure so she could let other ladies with deployed husbands know of what is offered through the SKIFF program. She was delighted with the experience, and found the entire outing very peaceful. She was obviously very happy for her girls.

We ended up the night with 41 fish including 1 freshwater drum, 1 three pound channel catfish, and 39 white bass.

TALLY = 41 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 4:30p

End Time:  8:05pm

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  83F

Water Surface Temp:  80.3

Wind Speed & Direction:  ESE8-9

Sky Conditions:  80% cloudy

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1446 was the best producer, allowing for 3 “short hops” worth of vertical jigging.

**Area 1444 through 1445 kicked in an additional 13 fish at trip’s end, all after sunset.

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Down to a Science — 40 Fish, Stillhouse, 25 Sep. 2014

Today I fished an evening trip with Mr. John Stephenson, his friend, Bert Smith, and Bert’s son, Adalgis. Our target species was white bass on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.

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(L to R) Adalgis Smith, John Stephenson, and Burt Smith with results from our evening outing on Stillhouse, 25 Sept. 2014.

Burt currently serves as the assistant superintendent for the Salado Independent school District. His 21-year-old son, Adalgis, is a student at Temple College and works as a lifeguard and an academic tutor. He has plans to transfer to Texas A&M Central Texas in Killeen.  Burt and his wife adopted Adalgis and his sister (who is currently in U.S. Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island!) from Rwanda when they were 15 and 13, respectively.  At age 21, Adalgis just had never caught a fish before, so “Job #1” was to make him successful.

This past Monday’s cold front stalled in the Gulf of Mexico and is now returning as a warm front bringing clouds, humidity, and instability with it, along with a south easterly wind. Under such conditions I never really expected to knock the ball out of the park, but, all things considered, we did pretty well tonight.

As we began our trip around 4:15 PM, the fish activity was strongest early and then moderated for the last part of the trip.  We actually began by slabbing for schooled fish on the bottom in around 37 feet of water, which is something I rarely do. Usually I’ll put the downriggers in to give an area a good sonar search before committing to one area, but, given tonight’s conditions, when I saw even moderately concentrated fish, I decided to take advantage of the situation while the opportunity presented itself.

As Burt observed the use of sonar, the tactics that we employed, the tweaking we brought to bear on our presentations given what we observed concerning fish behavior, etc. Bert admitted he never knew fishing could be so scientific so as to, literally, get it down to a science.  Like many occasional fishermen, we was used to fairly randomly choosing an area to fish at, casting a line as far out as possible, and then sitting and waiting for a result.  I introduced him to a much more intentional approach which he appreciated.

We caught 18 fish at this first area fishing vertically, then switched over to downriggers to put another three fish in the boat.  Adalgis’ first fish was a nice 1.75 pound largemouth taken on a 3/4 oz. TNT180 slab.  After that initial, somewhat strong action died, we made the rounds to 3 different areas, picking up the majority of our fish at the first two of them and adding a final two fish to the count at our last stop as it was just about to get dark, several minutes after sunset.

For our efforts tonight we boated 36 white bass, 3 largemouth bass, and 1 channel catfish.

TALLY = 40 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 4:15p

End Time:  7:45p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  80.3F

Water Surface Temp:  80.1F

Wind Speed & Direction:  N8-9

Sky Conditions: Grey with 90% cloud cover

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1441 thru 871 (earliest and best fishing of trip)

**Area 1442-1443 – deep, scattered fish at around 36-37 feet

**Area 913-912 – moderate action for fish on bottom willing to hit downrigged baits as they passed overhead

**Area 1438-1444 – low light fishing for 2 more fish after sunset and with heavy cloud cover

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Still Flyin’ High at Age 92 – Stillhouse Hollow – 38 Fish, 22 Sep. 2014

On Monday, Sept. 22nd, I had the pleasure of fishing with Mr. Ted Mouche, his wife, Lee, and his son, Rick. Ted is 92 years old, a WWII veteran, and one of the last surviving members of the U.S. Army Air Corps from which the U.S. Air Force eventually emerged.

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(L to R) Ted and Rick Mouche with several of the larger white bass we caught today on bladebaits, slabs, and downrigged spoons.
This great adventure all began with a call from Rick at his home in Illinois last week. He had airline tickets to come to Temple, TX, to visit his parents and wanted to do something with them in the outdoors. We talked over what a typical trip entails, including the effort required to get in and out of the boat, the temperature outdoors, the duration of the trip, etc., and, when all was said and done, Rick felt this was something his folks could definitely participate in.

Ted initially took pilot training at Marfa, TX, on the C-46, but, just prior to heading overseas, had to retrain on the C-47 aircraft at Bergstrom in Austin, TX, learning how to tow gliders with that aircraft.

We met at 8:00am (about an hour later than my normal starting time) and began by covering the basics of the use of the downrigging rods and spinning rods we’d employ on this trip.

We looked over about 3 areas before I was satisfied with the amount of bait and gamefish I was seeing on sonar, but, once we found what we were after, it was “game on”. We caught fish initially by downrigging as the skies were still brightening and the wind was beginning to push from the north on the lead edge of a mild, dry cold front making its way into central Texas. Once I saw the density of fish we were dealing with, I quickly made the decision to switch over to vertical jigging, as I saw a lot of fish in a small area, and these fish were holding tight to the bottom. We made 3 “short hops” moving just a few boat-lengths each time the fishing would decline at the previous location, and, over the next 75 minutes put the majority of our fish in the boat using TNT180 slabs in both 3/8 oz. and ¾ oz.

The bite unexpectedly slowed around 10am in conjunction with a sudden increase in wind speed which brought some minor whitecapping about. Once this wind died back to 8-9mph (where it had been previously) we once again began to see signs of fish activity (birds working, bait skipping, etc.). This “second wind” bite was not as aggressive, but allowed us to boat an additional 14 fish in the last 75 minutes of our trip. During this time, Ted stuck with the ¾ oz. slab worked vertically while Rick and I cast blade baits horizontally. Lee simply spectated the entire trip.

You just can’t fish for 4 hours with a 92-year-old man in great shape without asking “the secret to a long life”. When I asked, Ted replied instantly, “The secret is having a good wife!” Just then, as if being rewarded for his very correct answer, Ted hooked a nice fish and reeled it on in.

 

TALLY = 38 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 8:00a

End Time:  12:00noon

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  69F

Water Surface Temp:  81.3F

Wind Speed & Direction:  N8-9

Sky Conditions: Fair with 10% cloud cover

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1245 to 1254

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

The Bronx Basser – 58 Fish, Stillhouse, 20 Sep. 2014

This morning I fished on Stillhouse Hollow with Mr. John Stephenson, his neighbor Dr. Alex Morales, and Alex’s two children, Gabriel and Grace.  Our target species this morning was white bass.

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(L to R) Alex Morales, Grace Morales, Gabriel Morales, and John Stephenson.

John, a former Bell County Commissioner, and his wife, Shirley, are both U.S. Army veterans, both attend Memorial Baptist Church in Killeen, and both are very active in the local Republican Party.  Alex and his wife are also both U.S. Army veterans.  Alex is originally from the Bronx and came on active duty as an enlisted medic, then worked his way up to become a medical doctor and commissioned officer, retiring not long ago, only to continue serving soldiers as a civilian physician, working as an orthopedic doctor at Darnall Army Medical Center.  The Morales’ kids go to Memorial Christian Academy, co-located at John and Shirley’s church campus.  Grace is in Kindergarten and Gabriel is in the 4th Grade.

The Morales family’s fishing experience was somewhat limited when it came to freshwater, and so as we began the trip this morning, I spent some extra time making sure that the kids understood the basics of how to hold and use both a bait casting reel and a spinning reel.  We also went over exactly how the downrigging equipment worked, as well as how we would go about using slabs in situations where we found suspended , heavily schooled fish.

Our weather continued to be influenced by the spinoff from Pacific Hurricane Odile, so abundant gray cloud cover, low pressure, and  an obscured sunrise is what we faced in the first hour or so of today’s trip. Overnight our winds shifted slightly more southerly, and so we had a southeast wind this morning when it began to blow approximately 90 minutes into the trip. The fishing was fairly slow during these first 90 minutes of relatively calm conditions, then as the wind ramped up and the sky slowly brightened, the  fish responded favorably.

During our first 90 minutes we hit two separate areas with the downriggers and passed on two other areas when sonar revealed little in the way of fish and/or bait. Around 8:45 we encountered our first suspended school of white bass well congregated and holding at 32 to 34 feet down over a deeper bottom. As the downrigger balls worked through these fish, we picked up a strike immediately and as that fish was being reeled and as we continued traveling to the south, I noticed many, many more fish holding at the same depth. This looked like a classic situation in which working slabs vertically through these fish would produce, and so we brought in the downrigging gear, dropped the Minnkota i-Pilot in the water, e-anchored over top of these fish, and proceeded to load the boat from a stationary position. As one area would go cold, I’d move the boat a few boat lengths north or south, we would encounter more fish, e-anchor over them, catch until they went cold, and then repeat the process. We did this six times and took our fish count from 8 to 55 over the duration of our for our trip.

The bite begin to dry up around 10:45. So, at this point we brought in the slabs and went back to using the downriggers to put our final three fish in the boat. By this time, the novelty had worn off for Grace, and she was ready to go. Gabriel was also getting a little warm in his life jacket, and so at around 11:15 we decided to call it a very good day with 58 fish boated.

 

TALLY = 58 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time:  11:15a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  74.6F

Water Surface Temp:  83.1F

Wind Speed & Direction:  SE8-10

Sky Conditions:  100% cloudy with clouds thin enough to let “squinting” light through

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 886-1428, a few fish under calm, dim conditions

**Area 1435-1440, a few fish under calm, dim conditions

**Area 1412 thru 871 thru 889 gave up 50 of our 58 fish this morning

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

SKIFF’ing After School – 18 Fish, Stillhouse, Sept. 19, 2014

This afternoon I conducted an “after school” SKIFF trip for Zach, Marissa, and Brock Christenson.  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

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(L to R) Brock, Marissa, and Zach Christenson worked in an afternoon SKIFF trip between school, soccer practice, band practice, and more.

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Here, Marissa poses with her first “double”.  We actually had more multiple hookups today than singles, including a “triple” that Brock brought in unassisted.

Zach, Marissa, and Brock are the children of Staff Sergeant (SSG) Ryan Christenson and his wife, Erica.  SSG Christenson is a Master Gunner and has been sent to Germany with a follow-on tour to Poland for a 9-month stint as part of a large contingent of troops now in Europe from the 1st Cavalry Division.

Now that the school year is “in”, juggling schedules to make room for a SKIFF trip, and then hoping the weather cooperates on the chosen day, gets trickier as we head into the cooler months.  This trip was over 3 weeks in the making given Marissa’s soccer schedule, Zach’s physical therapy schedule, Erica’s church band schedule, and 5 out of 7 nights per week being a “school night” with an early wakeup the next day as Erica gets the whole brood up for her early start as a teacher’s aide.

With no school tomorrow and no practices on the calendar, we chose this evening for the trip.  Erica picked the kids up directly from school to save the bus ride time and get the kids to the dock where I was waiting.  We launched just before 4pm under still-turbulent skies after several wet, grey days thanks to the inland impacts of Pacific Hurricane Odile.  Turbulent weather is never a good thing, so, I was expecting our success to be impacted by it, and it was.

We covered a lot of water today and really found just light quantities of bait and suspended, schooled fish up and chasing that bait.  Regardless, the action was steady, and, because we were running and checking areas regularly, the kids enjoyed “going fast” from one area to the next.  The new Cannon electric downriggers I installed early this season have all “push button” keypads, so, as you might imagine, the kids are all over any feature that remotely resembles a video game!

Every fish we caught came on a 3-armed umbrella rig armed with Pet Spoons, and, more often than not we caught multiples today.  In fact, we had more multiple hookups than we did single hookups, which is rare.

During our fishing trip, Erica went over to the home of another Army mom whose husband is away right now, and so I dropped the kids off there following the trip to save her the hassle.  As we drove home from the lake, I asked the kids what was tough about having dad gone.  Marissa was the first one to chime in. She noted that it was harder for her mom to do all the things that normally were shared tasks between her mom and dad.  I asked her to give an example.  She told of how, normally, when she goes to soccer practice, her mom takes her and stays with her while Brock and Zach stay home with their dad; now with dad away, mom has to gather all 3 kids up and watch the other two while Marissa practices soccer.  Zach observed that their bedtimes are later than usual because it take more time to get things done and because on one night each week mom has band practice.  Brock had no comment.

As I dropped the kids off, Erica thanked me, so, I in turn, thank you, Austin Fly FIshers and friends of SKIFF, for making a way for Erica to have a break in the action.

 

TALLY = 18 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 3:50p

End Time:  7:40pm

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  86F

Water Surface Temp:  83.4

Wind Speed & Direction:  E8-10

Sky Conditions:  80% cloudy

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

 

**Area bounded by Areas 1242-1246 gave up all but one fish we caught today.

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

THIS is what SKIFF is all about!!! — 41 Fish, SKIFF Trip #19

On the morning of September 11th, I conducted the 19th SKIFF trip of the 2014 season by welcoming aboard siblings Carrolyn and Bubby Lascano .  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

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Carrolyn Lascano, age 5, holds a nice Stillhouse channel catfish, while brother, Bubby (who is NOT fond of having his picture taken!), negotiates a package of string cheese.

Today’s trip really exemplifies what SKIFF is all about.  To understand why, you need to know a bit about the Lascano family.  Danny and Kacie (dad and mom) have two children, Carrolyn (5 years old) and Bubby (4 years old).  Danny is a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and, for the last 12 months he has been deployed to Kuwait with C Battery of the 1-44 Field Artillery.  It would be difficult enough doing life essentially as a single parent of a 4 & 5 year old, but, Kacie did more than that — she graciously navigated this time being a great mom to Carrolyn and to Bubby, who is autistic.  Raising an autistic child single-handedly takes an extra helping of patience and care and energy.  So, upon learning of Kacie’s situation, I offered to take the kids fishing to give Kacie a rest.

Upon hearing of my offer, Kacie had a plan — to take me up on this offer within days of Danny’s return to the States, so she could prepare the house for his return without the kids underfoot.  Today, that plan worked out wonderfully!  My wife, Rebecca, who is a registered nurse, came along with me on the SKIFF trip and actually picked up and dropped off Carrolyn and Bubby before and after the “on-the-water” portion of today’s big adventure took place.

This was all timed well, as Rebecca not only needed to get onto Fort Hood as the kids’ school day was ending, but was doing so on September 11th, when Fort Hood becomes more challenging to gain access to due to heightened security measures in place to thwart terrorism.

The pickup at 3:30p went off without a hitch, the kids boarded my boat at 4:15p, at 4:32p we landed the first of 41 fish the kids would catch today,  and at 4:46p Kacie got a text message from Rebecca with her kids holding fish and grinning (well, as much as Bubby, who doesn’t like having his photo taken, would grin!).   At 5:15p Bubby got fidgety in the confines of the boat, so, he and Mrs. Rebecca went “shoreline exploring” while Carrolyn and I stayed hard after the very cooperative white bass.  By 6:45 Bubby was getting worn out and the novelty of catching fish had run its course for Carrolyn.  We headed back to shore and, long story short, Mrs. Rebecca delivered them safe and sound to their now-tidy home for their normal 7:30p bedtime.

Along the way, both kids landed the very first fish of their lifetimes, so, each will be receiving a TPWD “First Fish Award” through Mr. Ron Smith at TPWD who very capably manages that program.

Kacie was so happy for her kids and so appreciative for the little bit of downtime!

This, to me, is what SKIFF is all about … letting our soldier’s know they are appreciated, offering an opportunity and a respite for the spouses left behind, and introducing kids to what can be the pursuit of a lifetime while so doing!!

My hat is off to all of the Friends of SKIFF and the Austin Fly Fishers for being the engine behind all of this!

 

TALLY = 41 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 3;30p

End Time:  7:30pm

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  91F

Water Surface Temp:  86.1

Wind Speed & Direction:  NNE9-12

Sky Conditions:  40% clouds on a fair sky.

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

 

**Area bounded by Areas 1440 to 1436 to 465 gave up every last fish we caught today

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Experimentation Time — 44 Fish, Stillhouse, 11 September 2014

This morning I fished with my brother, Andy Maindelle, on Stillhouse.  He and his family live and work in NW Austin, so it was a short hop to the boatramp to link up at 7:15a to see what we could stir up.

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My brother, Andy Maindelle, with a nice pair of white bass taken off bottom in 28 feet of water on bladebaits.

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And a nice pair of largemouth taken on topwater.  In the very clear water, fast, accurate casts and a super fast retrieve was necessary to fool these fish consistently.  We boated 11 schoolie largemouth this morning, all taken on topwater.

I had two “agendas” today, aside from putting Andy on some fish.  First, was doing some “recon” for a SKIFF trip later today with a 4 & 5 year old from Fort Hood.  The second was experimenting with a 4-armed umbrella rig (my standard setup this summer has been with a 3-armed rig).

Things were pretty subdued this morning, overall.  We had fairly clear skies, a light breeze, but, the big news was the season’s first cold front slowly approaching our area.  Many times when these mild early-autumn fronts come down slowly you get a “calm before the storm” effect before the wind shift, and I think we saw a bit of that today.  There was next to no topwater action, and what action we found was pretty short-lived.  Also, on a number of occasions when we found good schools of white bass suspended off bottom and ran our downriggers through them, they failed to respond more times than not in scenarios which, under normal circumstances would have been a “gimme” to get a bite.

We put together a pretty decent string regardless, catching 11 largemouth bass (every single on on topwater with some explosive strikes!), and 33 white bass on a combination of downrigging and using bladebaits.  Our most productive time of the morning was our final hour when the winds turned westerly and began to ripple the surface after tapering off to near calm coming from the south.  During this time we landed a majority of our largemouth and the catch rate on white bass spiked significantly, as well.

As for the “agendas”, the last area we hit would be the first area I took the kids to later this day, and it would produce another 41 fish in just 2.5 hours of fishing, so, that was a huge success and well-worth the time invested this morning.  As for the 4-armed umbrella rig — not so much.  I found the rig tangled much worse than a 3-armed rig when a hooked fish was brought out of the water and was being unhooked — so much so that it reduced efficiency. And, we only landed one fish at a time on this rig anyway, whereas the purpose of the 4th arm was to enhance multiple hookups.  Hey, you don’t know if you don’t try!!

 

TALLY = 44 FISH

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15am

End Time:  12:15pm

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  79F

Water Surface Temp:  84.0F

Wind Speed & Direction:

Sky Conditions:

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1437-1438 light action on downriggers and Cicadas to start the day

**Area  671 light topwater action by schoolie largemouth led the way to catching 3 largemouth on topwater and finding schooled whites in the same vicinity on bottom

**Area 1255 minimal success on downriggers — saw lots of fish but could not get them to chase and commit — possible small, young of the year fish

**Area 1436 to 465 best action came at midday today.  Lots of bait, white bass, and largemouth in a confined area.  Caught fish downrigging, throwing blades, and on topwater

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Kelvin’s First Fish!! – 45 Fish, Stillhouse Hollow, 06 Sep. 2014

This morning I welcomed father & son team Kelvin Reynolds and Kelvin Jr. aboard for a morning of white bass fishing on Stillhouse Hollow.  Little Kelvin is only 4, so, I knew I’d need to keep things moving and keep things interesting for him.  As I’ve learned over the years in fishing with hundreds of children, even on the best days of fishing, young kids’ attention spans run out, the novelty wears off, and, no matter how good the fishing may be, if you don’t change things up, boredom will set in.

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Kelvin and Kelvin Jr. both caught plenty of fish and learned a lot on today’s 4-hour trip on Stillhouse Hollow.  Here, Kelvin holds 2 of our largest white bass of the 45 fish we boated today.

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CUTE FACTOR: Very high.  This was Kelvin Jr.’s first fish ever caught!

 

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And now looking a bit more relaxed and confident…

“Big” Kelvin is a transportation officer in the U.S. Army and it originally from the northern Virginia/Washington D.C. area.  He had an opportunity to fish for big catfish on the James River in Virginia, but, other than that his experience was fairly limited, so, he learned a lot today.

Fortunately, I had an opportunity to do some scouting yesterday and found a shoal of fish that stayed active for a full 3 hours beginning just before sunrise and going until 10am.  Just like clockwork, those same fish were back feeding on shad again this morning and allowed us to immediately get a good mess of fish in the boat and engage young Kelvin in spotting fish, retrieving the spinning outfits we were using, reeling in the fish, putting them in the livewell for photos, and holding and releasing small fish.  During the first 20 minutes on the water, Kelvin Jr. landed the first fish of his life!!  We snapped photos and will submit all the necessary paperwork to get him a Texas Parks and Wildlife “First Fish Award” for that accomplishment.

After our initial success on bladebaits began to wear thin after about 90 minutes of fishing, we changed over to downrigging.  Young Kelvin’s favorite part was pushing all the buttons on the electronic downrigger to set it to depth and then to automatically retrieve the ball after a fish was hooked.  We did well on the downriggers for another 30 minutes, then we noted the tell-tale signs of “fidgetiness” setting in and decided another transition was in order.

I moved us several miles from where we’d been fishing to another area where I suspected we’d encounter larger, 2 and 3 year class fish.  Upon arrival we picked up 4 fish on the downriggers right away and spotted heavily schooled fish holding on bottom.  Big Kelvin and I went after these with bladebaits as Kelvin Jr. napped after being lulled to sleep by the drone of the outboard on our ride to this area.  We double-teamed these fish and took our fish count from 29 fish up to 43 fish before departing after Kelvin awoke in a bit of a grouchy mood thanks to the hot sun beaming down on him and the windless conditions causing us all to sweat and be a bit uncomfortable.

We took another boatride to cool down a bit, put Kelvin Jr. on a few sunfish up shallow near some isolated hydrilla beds, then called it a day right on the 4-hour mark.

 

TALLY = 45 FISH

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00am

End Time:  11:00am

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  75F

Water Surface Temp:  84.4F

Wind Speed & Direction:  Light and variable

Sky Conditions:  Fair skies with 20%

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1439 thru 1172 — active fish under birds from 7:00 to 9:00am

**Area 070 thru 1255 thru 867 — solid fishing for about an hour via downriggers and with blades

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Intentional Scouting — 72 Fish, Stillhouse Hollow, 05 Sep. 2014

In my guide service, I run the vast majority of my trips between Spring Break and the week the kids return to school in August.  Things then slow down as folks move on to hunting, football, and kids’ sports schedules.  So, I had some time on my hands for a change after a very busy summer (which I’m thankful to God for– both the business and the break, that is!) and did some probing in areas I normally wouldn’t fish this time of year.

Part of this was fueled by the fact that I have a 4-year old boy coming out with me tomorrow, and I know that my standard late-summer approach of strictly downrigging for white bass is not going to offer enough variety for him.  I also know that the jigging and casting I normally do after finding fish by downrigging is going to be too technical for him.  So, I went search for options.

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As I probed water I don’t normally fish this time of year, I found conditions which, if they hold up, will be just right for my young angler and his dad tomorrow.  Here is a sampling of fish in the 0, 1, and 2 year classes.

I was fortunate to find, right at sunrise, about 20 terns working over about 4 acres of water.  They were picking off shad driven to the surface by small white bass, mainly in the 0 and 1 year classes.  These fish were very abundant and were easily caught using bladebaits fished vertically and horizontally,  by using small, 3/8 oz. TNT slab fished vertically, and on 3-armed umbrella rigs fished on my downriggers.  This was good news as it offered the variety I am hoping to bring into tomorrow’s trip.

Additionally, some nice, isolated stands of hydrilla were found nearby, so, I knew I could also bring some sunfishing with poles into the game, as well.

I wound up this trip with 72 fish including 68 white bass in the 0, 1, and 2 year classes, along with 4 freshwater drum.

 

TALLY = 72 FISH

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00am

End Time:  11:00am

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  75F

Water Surface Temp:  84.4F

Wind Speed & Direction:  Light and variable

Sky Conditions:  Fair skies with 20%

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1439 thru 1279 — active fish under birds from 7:00 to 10:00am

 

 

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com