Ethan Munoz Pulls 27 Fish from Flooded Lake Belton — 10 June

This past Friday morning, June 10th, I was joined by 9-year-old Ethan Munoz for a Fort Hood SKIES program fishing trip on Lake Belton.  More information on this program for military kids appears at the end of this report.

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Ethan Munoz of West Fort Hood gives the thumbs up with one of the many white bass we caught via downrigging and using live shad.

Belton Lake is badly flooded now, with nearly 22 feet of flood water and the elevation still rising as Lake Proctor continues to dump water into the Leon River which then flows into Belton.

There is now only on public location available to launch a boat and it is a bit dicey, but, we made do and got out fishing around 6:45am.

First, let me say that Ethan really knew how to endear himself to his fishing guide.  He told me that being a fisherman was always a dream of his (he was doing great so far!), and then asked me how long I’d been fishing.  I told him I’d been fishing since I was just 2 years old.  He said, “Wow, that’s a lot of years ago.  When were you born?”   I told him to take a guess.  He said, “Um, maybe in 1942.”  I am 47 and was born in 1969  (Ethan was no longer doing so well).

Thanks to a nearly calm surface, the location of both baitfish and the gamefish that feed upon them were able to be detected from a distance thanks to the optics I keep aboard.  We headed to the action and saw on sonar that there were far more fish beneath the surface about midway down in the water column than there were at the surface.  This called for a downrigging approach.

I got the #Cannon #Digi-Troll #downriggers all rigged and ready to go, equipped with a tandem rig with Pet Spoons on the starboard side and a 3-armed umbrella rig with Pet Spoons on the port side.  We didn’t have to go 50 yards before we had our first fish on within seconds of wetting a line.  Just like that Ethan had earned a TPWD First Fish Award!  We went on to catch an even dozen white bass in this fashion as singles and doubles came aboard steadily from the 18-20 foot level.

Next, we tried to up the ante and catch a few larger fish by targeting hybrid striped bass with live shad.  Fortunately, just as we discussed this option, a light S. wind picked up and began to disturb the surface of the lake and move the water.  This typically improves the fish, and, today, certainly turned the hybrid stripers on.  We sat in one location at a breakline from 25-30 feet and boated 5 hybrid stripers, 3 white bass, 1 blue cat, and 1 drum.  I kept an eye on Ethan, suspecting that, as for most 9-year-olds, watching the end of a baited rod would not hold his attention for too long.  Once I saw the novelty wearing off, I was prepared to introduce our final “skill” of the day — that of shallow water panfishing for sunfish with floats and bait.

This shallow water fishing produced a variety of sunfish and 2 blacktail shiners.  About the time the 27th fish was landed, mom, grandma, and sister showed up in the family mini-van, letting us know that 4 hours had gone by quickly.  As we headed back in to the launch area Ethan said, “I always wanted to be a fisherman, and now my dream came true.”

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 = 27Fish, all caught and released

 

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 6:45a

End Time:  11:00a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 74F

Water Surface Temp:  80.1

Wind Speed & Direction:  Calm at trips start, tapering quickly up to S7 at mid-morning.

Sky Conditions:  40% high clouds on a hazy sky.

Water Level: 615.97 and rising with 594.0 being full pool.  Water being released at 5,732 cubic feet per second.  Despite the release, the lake rose .57 feet in the past 24 hours

Other: GT= 0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1578 thru 493 downrigging parallel to shore with weights at 18-22 feet

**Area 1759 mixed bag fishing for whites, hybrid, blue cat, and drum on live shad fished just off bottom in 25-30′ on breakline

**Area 1583 shallow panfishing

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

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