This past Tuesday morning, I fished with Belton police chief Gene Ellis, Temple police chief Floyd Mitchell, and Temple Fire Chief Mitch Randles. Both Gene and Mitch have fished with me multiple times before, and Floyd fished with me for his first time today.

First time guest Temple police chief Floyd Mitchell broke the ice and landed our first keeper hybrid of the trip.

Chief Mitch Randles kicked one in shortly thereafter…

And then Chief Gene Ellis completed the trifecta!

Gene also had the unusual experience of landing two fish on one lure as we closed out the trip jigging for white bass.

Chief Mitchell nabbed one of the mysterious “pygmy hybrid” which TPWD and I are working together to investigate.

 

Our intended game plan was to pursue hybrid stripers as long as the bite held up. Additionally, I came prepared to vertically jig for white bass in case the hybrid got “cranky” as they have become by late morning as of late. We enjoyed right at an hour and 45 minutes’ worth of a hybrid bite in about 31 feet of water, using large, lively threadfin shad as bait.

Right at about 9 AM, the nice southeasterly breeze that had been blowing begin to scale back substantially from about 10 mph to only 3 or 4 mph. The end of the hybrid bite seemed to correspond with this event. I noted two fairly distinct clusters of boats fishing over “community holes”, and right about this time those clusters of boats disbanded and headed back in or went looking elsewhere for fish, further confirming my suspicions that the fish had pulled back on their feed.

We had a difficult time locating more willing hybrid despite having searched seven different areas. After going for about one fishless hour looking for fish, and after happening upon a fairly active school of white bass, I queried my trio to see if they might like to try a change of pace and fish for what was obviously present and biting.

Everyone thought this sounded like a good idea, and so we pursued white bass until right at 11 when Gene had to depart.

Mitch, Floyd and I pressed on to see if we could find another willing school of white bass to hit our slabs. In about 40 feet of water, we found a school of fish with several hundred individuals in it according to sonar, and began to work that area with slabs. While there, we caught up to our 81st and final fish of the trip. The crew’s efforts this morning netted them 81 fish as a grand total.

TALLY = 81 FISH, all caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 12:00 noon

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 68F

Water Surface Temp: 72.2F

Wind Speed & Direction: Nice SSE breeze for our first 1.75 hours, then breeze faltered, picking back up from 10:45 to noon.

Sky Conditions: Sparse white clouds, less than 10% on a fair blue sky

Water Level: 1.15 feet above full pool and falling; 1594 cfs release at Belton Dam

GT = 35

Wx SNAPSHOT:

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 085/1929 – 90 minutes of hybrid action at start of trip

**Area 1863 – mixed bag on bait

**Area 1934 – slabbing for whites

**Area 1914/365 – slabbing for whites

 

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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