Fort Hood SKIES Program Fishing Trip — 40 Fish at Lake Belton

This past Saturday morning I fished with Mrs. Kim Hernandez and her sons, Braven (16), Tristan (9), and Noah (7) on Belton Lake.  This was a trip coordinated through the Fort Hood “SKIES” program.

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Tristan was a great, young fisherman — he paid attention to his technique, stayed focused, and was looking forward to catching “one more” now matter how many we landed.

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Braven was a really fast learner and a tremendous help to me and his younger brothers as he got the hang of setting up the downrigger lines, thus freeing me up to navigate and study sonar.

 

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Noah wasn’t too sure about getting too close to the fish we caught, but he stuck with it for a full four hours right alongside his older brothers.

Downrigging for white bass and hybrid stripers early, and fishing with bait for blue cat late was the name of the game this morning.

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 = 40 fish, all caught and released

 

Wx Snapshot:

30JUL16

 

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 6:40a

End Time:  10:40a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 76F

Water Surface Temp:  85.2F

Wind Speed & Direction:  S9-12

Sky Conditions: 10% white clouds on a fair sky.   Unobscurred sunrise at 7:06.

Water Level: ~9.6 feet high and falling ~  0.65 feet per day with a flow of ~5,200 cfs

GT = 0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1762-1788 downrigging for low light fish with average success

**Area 793-1129 downrigging for deeper mid-morning fish under surface feeders for above average action

**Area just S. of 1655 blue catfish on fresh, dead shad

 

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Website:www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

E-mail:Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle