WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Tuesday, November 20th, I fished with Brian Pennington of Harker Heights, and his father, Tom Pennington, of Copperas Cove. Brian is a retired US Army Ordnance officer now working at Operational Test Command (OTC) on Fort Hood. Tom, also a veteran, retired from the aerospace industry in Arizona and moved to Cove a few years ago. Both fellows fish occasionally via kayak.
Brian Pennington (left) of Harker Heights, teamed up with his dad, Tom Pennington of Copperas Cove for a 102 fish morning on Stillhouse this past Tuesday.
Brian capped off the trip with our largest fish of the morning just a few minutes before the fish turned off for the morning and we headed back in. This is a freshwater drum (nicknamed “gasper gou”). Drum are in the croaker family and are related to saltwater redfish, black drum, and the Atlantic croaker.
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This was a multi-species trip focused on white bass.
WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow
WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday morning, November 20, 2018
HOW WE FISHED: The fish started off sluggish this morning until the NNE wind finally began to blow from a definitive direction (after puffing from SW and W prior to that). During this slow time we deadsticked with Gulp! on jigheads, then, as the action heated up, we ramped up to slow-smoking, then faster smoking. When the action tapered back off we used a snap-jigging tactic for bottom-oriented fish as. We landed 94 white bass in the 1, 2, and 3 year-classes, and 7 drum, including a 4.25 pounder.
OBSERVATIONS: Things are definitely picking back up “post-flood”. We had a few gulls arrive with last week’s cold front (although they are very much focused on loons and not so much on fish), the water flow is at 1,186 cfs and looks like it will be that way for a while given that we’re still 11.77 feet high. This was my most productive trip since the flooding began around 16 October. We did locate fish with the aid of birds this morning, although it was thin and required a trained eye.
TALLY: 102 fish, all caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 6:45 am
End Time: 11:30am
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 36F
Water Surface Temp: 58.3F
Wind Speed & Direction: <NNE 5
Sky Conditions: No cloud cover all day today
Water Level: 11.77 feet high and falling by about 0.14 feet daily
GT = 50
GT = 90
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 1060/154 – lethargic fish early, taken on jig and Gulp! after numerous slab refusals
**Area vic 1683 and then SH0064C – 1.5 hours of peak action
**Area vic 771 – last 30 minutes, deep bottom/suspended fish spiked briefly then quit
Bob Maindelle, Belton Lake Fishing Guide
Full-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide Service
Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide
254.368.7411 (call or text)
Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle
Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle