WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Wednesday evening I conducted the fifth Spring Break 2018 trip of the week. Joining me were father and daughter Brent and Grace Pacha of Bartlett, TX. Brent is a plumber by trade and Grace is a middle school student on Spring Break.
Brent and Grace Pacha of Bartlett, TX, with a nice hybrid striper which took a live shad suspended off bottom just before sunset.
After snap-jigging unsuccessfully, we changed to a horizontal presentation by downrigging and scored again and again on large, quality white bass using a 3-armed umbrella rig equipped with Pet Spoons.
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This was a multi-species trip during which we caught a mix of white bass and hybrid stripers
WHERE WE FISHED: Belton Lake
WHEN WE FISHED: Wednesday evening, 14 March 2018
HOW WE FISHED: The after effects of the cold front that came in Monday played out this afternoon as winds went from the NE in the morning, through the E, then calmed this afternoon. That, combined with bright skies, made the fishing tough. We took a few fish via snap-jigging, but saw a lot of bottom-hugging white bass that just were not buying what we were offering. We changed our plan, tried presenting downrigged bait run horizontally over top of the same fish which would not respond to jigging, and wound up find the key to getting these fish to bite. After a long run of successful downrigging, we spent the last 40 minutes or so fishing with live shad for hybrid.
OBSERVATIONS/NOTES: 1) Snap-jigging is beginning to lose its appeal, with downrigging or horizontally worked blade baits now producing well when aggressive feeding ends and fish spread horizontally on bottom. 2) Hybrid fishing is still spotty.
TALLY: 49 FISH, ALL CAUGHT AND RELEASED
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 3:30p
End Time: 7:55p
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 66F
Water Surface Temp: 58.5F
Wind Speed & Direction: SE at less than 5-6 all afternoon
Sky Conditions: <15% white, wispy cloud cover
Water Level: 2.48 feet low and falling
GT = 20
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 1126 – B0040C
**Area vic B0052C
Bob Maindelle, Central Texas Fishing Guide
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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