This past Thursday afternoon, August 19, I fished with Mr. Chris Howell and his 12-year-old son, Danny, both of Round Rock, Texas.
After the storms passed, the white bass went on an absolute feeding frenzy. I was not uncommon to see a white bass 12 inches long regurgitate 5 or 6 young-of-the-year threadfin shad like the two shown above in the mouth of this white bass.
Chris Howell and his 12-year-old son, Danny, scored 117 fish after braving the rain on Belton this evening.
These fellows were presented with a fishing gift certificate by Chris’s father-in-law, Charles Wood, of Temple, and today was the day they decided to cash it in before Danny must head back to school this coming Tuesday for his seventh grade year.
The rain that forced postponement of several trips Monday and Tuesday looked like it was going to give us a break today but, low and behold, just as I began launching the boat, more rain moved in from the southwest. When Chris and Danny pulled in we consulted and simply decided that the fishing was worth getting wet, and so we left the rain gear in our vehicles and headed out to catch some fish.
As we started off, I targeted catfish in deep open water on a windward facing breakline in about 32 feet of water. Once we held over this area using the Ulterra’s Spot Lock function and got chum down, the catfish began to respond. Eight catfish into the trip, we heard thunder drawing nearer and got off the lake until ‘all clear’.
Once the storms passed, and the weather began to improve, the fish went on an absolute feeding frenzy lasting from roughly 6 PM until dark at 8:40 PM. During this time we located fish either by searching for nervous water and or by sighting the white and gray terns feeding actively just above the water’s surface as they scavenged shad left dead or crippled by the white bass below them. Our bait of choice tonight was a chrome bladebait. The color, size, and profile did a great job of mimicking the pray these white bass were targeting.
We found such action occurring in two distinct locations with the first area going quiet around 7:45 PM and the second spot firing up around that same time and lasting until right at dark.
By the time all was said and done we had landed 117 fish including 8 catfish, 5 largemouth bass, and 104 white bass.
TALLY = 117 fish, all caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 4:40p
End Time: 8:45p
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 81F
Water Surface Temp: 84.7
Wind Speed & Direction: SSE7-9
Sky Conditions: 100% grey clouds with rain between 4:40p and 5:40p
Water Level: ~2.11 feet high. Lake rose 0.55 feet in the past 24 hours with a flow of ~1570 cfs at the dam
GT = 0
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 1604/1137 catfish on cutbait
**Area 501/689 schooling white bass under terns
**Area 009/1772 schooling white bass under terns
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