11 | February | 2016 | Fishing Report

This past Tuesday morning I conducted the first Fort Hood SKIES program of the new year, taking 14-year-old Aaron Cherry on a 4-hour fishing trip on Lake Belton.

Aaron Cherry with a solid 3.00 pound Belton Lake hybrid striper that struck his slab in ~35 feet of water around mid-morning.

Aaron has fish with me twice before, once accompanied by his 13-year-old sister, Rachel. This was back in the summer when down rigging was the primary tactic. So, with cold weather now firmly in place, a whole new tactic (vertical jigging) awaited him.

The air was cold, the skies clear, and the winds calm as we began our day following the passage of a mild, dry cold front yesterday with characteristic high winds. This made our first two hours on the water the toughest two hours I’ve encountered lately. But, by 9:15am, the winds picked up and began to shift from NW to WSW and the fish began to respond.

We caught all of our fish on just two areas, about 3/4 of a mile apart. Both were in ~35′ of water and both had ample quantities of bait in and around the actual patch of water we fished. At the first area there were more fish concentrated in a small area, so we stayed put. At the first area, the fish were more spread across the bottom, so, we would catch a few fish, then do a “short hop” left, right, forwards, or backwards to access “new” fish that hadn’t seen our bait yet.

Our go-to bait was a 3/4 oz. Redneck Fish’n’ Jigs Model 180 in white with a Gamakatsu G-Stinger affixed to it. This is a staple bait for me all winter on both Belton and Stillhouse.

As we got into fish, I noted that Aaron was working his bait well and was very disciplined about keeping it the right distance off the bottom. As a result, he was hooking as many fish as I was as we fished side-by-side. However, many of Aaron’s fish got off before they were landed as a result of his “pumping” the rod. Once we got that fixed, he kept pace with me and we both did equally well.

As the bite began to tail off around 11:35, we had worked up 28 fish in all, including 26 white bass, a nice hybrid striper which Aaron did a great job of fighting, and one school-sized largemouth bass.

SKIES Unlimited stands for School of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration and Skills. SKIES Unlimited classes are open to children of active duty military personnel, retirees, Department of the Army civilians, and to Department of Defense contractors. To enroll in SKIES Unlimited activities, children must be registered with CYSS at Building 121 on 761st Tank Destroyer Avenue (right across from the Chili’s restaurant).

There is no charge for registration; parents must bring an ID that shows their affiliation with the military, the child’s shot records, and the report from a recent physical exam. While the SKIES Unlimited programs are not free, many military families are eligible for sizeable credits toward SKIES Unlimited activities. There is a $300 “Army Strong” credit available to each child when their parent is deployed.

TALLY = 28 FISH, all caught and released

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time: 11:35a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 34F

Water Surface Temp: 52.1F

Wind Speed & Direction: Light and variable generally from NW, shifting to WSW by mid-morning

Sky Conditions: Clear, bright, cloudless skies as cold front pushed through the day before.

Water Level: 594.58 with 594.0 being full pool. 0.09 feet of water was released in the last 24 hours.

Other: GT= 0