WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Saturday morning I fished with Mr. Kelvin Gladden, his son, Kelvin Jr., and two of Kelvin’s neighbors, Mr. Frank Hatcher, and Mr. Terrance Blackmon, all of Harker Heights, TX. This was a great crew, and, they brought great food, featuring buttermilk marinated crispy-fried chicken. We wound up with 220 fish in right at 4 hours of fishing under great conditions (grey skies, breezy S. winds, and in the midst of a warming trend – our 3rd such Saturday in a row).
Kelvin Gladden, the trip coordinator, with a very healthy Lake Belton hybrid striped bass taken on live shad.
Frank Hatcher of Harker Heights with a 22 3/8″ hybrid taken between 10 and 11 a.m. as we fished live bait successfully for this species, and for largemouth bass.
From left: Kelvin Gladden Jr., Frank Hatcher, Kelvin Gladden, and Terrance Blackmon, all of Harker Heights, each with a 2-year class white bass of the 197 we took in our first 3 hours of fishing with slabs to which I had affixed Hazy Eye Stinger hooks.
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This was a multi-species trip in which we fished for white bass, hybrid stripers, and largemouth.
WHERE WE FISHED: Belton Lake
WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday morning, 31 March 2018
HOW WE FISHED: We put in a solid 3 hours in pursuit of white bass and, by 10:15 left them biting to pursue larger fish. The white bass bite was very strong this morning, tapering quickly upward about 30 minutes after sunrise, and strengthening as the wind and grey cloud cover increased. We caught 197 white bass, 2 freshwater drum, and 1 largemouth vertical jigging with slabs to which I attached Hazy Eye Stinger hooks. The fish were all in the lower third of the water column. At 10:15, we “left fish to find fish” and were fortunate to find somewhat active hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, and white bass, all mixed together and feeding on shad. We suspended our lively threadfin shad baits on circle hooks at both 27’ and 35’ over a deeper bottom and landed another 20 fish in our final hour on the water, including multiple keeper hybrid, multiple keeper white bass, and multiple keeper largemouth bass.
OBSERVATIONS/NOTES: 1) Next to zero bird activity. Most all fish-finding now based on sonar use.
TALLY: 220 FISH, ALL CAUGHT AND RELEASED
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 7:15a
End Time: 11:30a
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 54F
Water Surface Temp: 65.3 to 66.7F
Wind Speed & Direction: S9-13
Sky Conditions: Low grey cloud cover obscured the direct sun all morning, but with “squinting” light levels
Water Level: 2.19 feet low
GT = 0
Wx SNAPSHOT:
N/A
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area B0066c – smoking white bass (visited twice with bite more solid on second visit)
**Area vic B0054C – smoking white bass
**Area B0067C – live shad for mix of 20 hybrid, largemouth, and white bass
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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