April | 2019 | Fishing Report

MARRIAGE-MAINTENANCE THURSDAYS

April 11th, 2019April 11th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

If you know me or have fished with me, you’ll know I’m a stickler for maintenance. My vehicles, boat, rods & reels, lawnmower, etc. all look good, run well, and last a long time because I’ve developed a disciplined approach to maintenance.

As our 23rd wedding anniversary approached in July of 2018, I considered what level of maintenance I was putting into my marriage with Rebecca. Long story short, as part of our anniversary last year, I signed us up to go to our first ever marriage conference/retreat put on by Family Life in the Arboretum district of Austin. This organization took a very God-honoring, biblically-sound approach to the topic.

Another long story short, one of the action items that resulted from attending this 2.5 day conference with Rebecca was that we both decided to dedicate one day a week (Thursday) to being with one another. No guided fishing trips, no church work, no individual appointments with others. Since I retired 3 years ago, and since Rebecca works part-time at our church’s nursery, this is very doable in this season of our life.

Today was an especially enjoyable Marriage Maintenance Thursday. I woke at 5a, and Rebecca at 6a, we ate breakfast and were out the door by 6:30a and on the water by 6:45a.

Between 7:07am and 9:07am, I caught exactly 70 fish from an aggressive near-surface feed by white bass on Stillhouse and then left them still biting to continue our day. After a quick nap, a visit to Kohl’s and lunch at Freebirds, we headed to Mountain Creek Range, a very well-run and affordably priced indoor ranged on Hwy. 195 between Killeen and Florence. We sharpened up our .22 caliber handgun skills on paper targets and then headed to Target in Harker Heights to do some birthday shopping for a relative.

Yes, the getting up early to fish was a bit of a sacrifice for Rebecca, and walking through the doors of Kohl’s and Target (or any retail establishment other than Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, or Academy) was a bit of a sacrifice for me, but, that is a lot of what marriage maintenance is all about.

Dinner followed around 6:30p at home. Along the way today we got to talk about our short- and long-term plans, about work, about our parents (who are total blessings to us), about our extended family, about our relationships with others and with the Lord, and more.

It was a great day with a great person with some great weather, to boot.

PHOTO CAPTION: This white bass and many others this morning fell for a presentation I learned of from Australian fishing guide Matt Langford. I’d been waiting since early February for a time to try this out, and this morning was just right thanks to overnight air temps that were higher than the water temperature. More about that some other time …

CATCH LOCATION: Area 1697-1724, all in <14′. 70 fish in exactly 2 hours’ time.

Bob Maindelle

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)

THERE WE WERE … FULDA GAP … 1966

April 10th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, April 10th, I fished with old Army buddies George Harmeyer and Bruce Overbay, and their wives, Phyllis and Melissa. George and Bruce first met as lieutenants during the Vietnam era. George was already stationed in Germany and Bruce was just arriving when an “alert” caused their paths to cross; the two have been friends ever since. Bruce retired from Exxon a few years ago, and he and Melissa now roam the nation in their motorhome. George retired as a major general (2-star), lives with Phyllis in Harker Heights, and is involved with the “Warriors Afield Legacy Foundation” with sponsors several outdoor events each year for wounded military personnel.

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: George and Phyllis Harmeyer, and Melissa and Bruce Overbay with a few of the 34 fish we landed on yet another tough weather day.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow

WHEN WE FISHED: 10 April 2019, AM

HOW WE FISHED: This trip broke down into two distinct components. The first action we experienced came right off the bat as white bass drove shad through the water column and to the surface thus giving their position away by the commotion they made as they fed on shad over a shallow flat under calm/light ripple conditions. As the ladies learned to cast spinning gear, they got through the learning curve quickly and were routinely landing white bass on Cicada bladebaits, as were the fellows. That spree lasted about 75 minutes and gave up 21 fish landed, with several others missed.

We then endured about a 2-hour slow period during which time the wind remained light, ultimately to begin blowing from the SSE at 13-14+ mph by around 10am. By mid-afternoon the winds were exceeding 22mph straight-line, with higher gusts.

Once this wind had worked on the water for a bit, we checked a wind-impacted underwater point in about 34 feet and found the bait and fish we had been searching for. Using LiveScope technology, we very accurately presented baits to individual, suspended fish and put another 13 fish in the boat with a few more missed before the bite subsided around 11:30am. The lure of choice here was the 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slab/Stinger combination.

OBSERVATIONS: 1) I noted a lot of refusals of our baits today as we observed fish passing beneath the boat on LiveScope, which, based on size, number, and behavior, were definitely white bass. 2) The following is the temperature profile I measured before sunrise today:

0 feet 68.5 F

5 feet 68.4F

10 feet 67.4F

15 feet 66.1F

20 feet 65F

25 feet 63.8F

30’ 62.3F

35 feet 61.2F

40’ 59.8F

45 feet 57.8F

50 feet 56.9F

55 feet 55.5F

60 feet 54.9F

65 feet 54.7F

TALLY: 34 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 11:30p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F

Elevation: 0.62 feet high, with a 0.05 foot 24-hour fall

Water Surface Temp: ~68.5F

Wind Speed & Direction: Light NW ripple for ~1 hour after sunrise, then light and variable for about 2 hours, then picking up with gusto from the SSE at 14+

Sky Conditions: No cloud cover.

GT = 85

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area SH0092C to 1697 – low light, shallow water action on bladebaits for white bass chasing shad in under 14′, lasting about 75 minutes

**Area SH0107C – wind-driven action for suspended 2-year class white bass using 3/8 oz. slabs in conjunction with LiveScope technology, lasting about 90 minutes

Bob Maindelle

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)

Tougher than Tough

April 9th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, April 9th, I fished with returning guests Gary and Margaret Moore, and their friend Kirt Bateman, all U.S. Army veterans, all members of Eastside Baptist Church, and all residents of Copperas Cove.

PHOTO CAPTION: Kirt landed our largest fish of the trip today. The skies were cloudless and bright and the surface went flat calm after about 8:15am. The fishing just ground to a halt thereafter. I spoke with a number of Lake Belton retiree “regulars”, and each reported the same findings — low catches made prior to the wind’s stoppage.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: 09 April 2019, AM

HOW WE FISHED: Fishing was very tough today in that as soon as the light ripple we had on the water from the NW died about an hour after sunrise, the fishing died right along with it. The forecast called for that ripple, then had the winds bumping up to 7-8 mph from the NW, but, that simply did not materialize. During that first hour of light, we were tipped off to the location of fish by the activity of multiple flocks of black-headed seagulls, each numbering 15-20 birds. These birds were working shad that were near-shore and near the surface, some of which were forced there by white bass feeding from below. We used slabs, blades, and live shad but the fish were moving so fast and fairly erratically such that it was difficult to take more than one or two fish before having to move once again to keep up.

After the wind died, the bite soured.

OBSERVATIONS: I witnessed the first evidence of shad actually spawning in shallow water today. This was not the normal “first light” wave of activity, but rather just short forays into the shallows on occasion by small splinter groups of the much larger volume of shad holding just near shore and traveling parallel to it.

TALLY: 13 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 11:30p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 59F

Elevation: 1.22 feet high, with a 0.02 foot 24-hour rise

Water Surface Temp: ~63.4F

Wind Speed & Direction: Light NW ripple for ~1 hour after sunrise, then flat calm.

Sky Conditions: No cloud cover.

GT = 0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT: N/A

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area from B0140C to B0146C

Bob Maindelle

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)

We Like Strong Finishes – 67 Fish with FBCRR Crew

April 8th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning I fished with a crew from the First Baptist Church of Round Rock, including Tim Darst, youth pastor, Mark Barber, deacon and small business owner, and Clark Shubert, a self-described “support guy” and husband of the church’s children’s ministry leader.

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Mark Barker, Clark Shubert, and Tim Darst, all of First Baptist Church of Round Rock, with a few of the white bass we worked hard for this morning.

PHOTO CAPTION: Clark Shubert with a nice largemouth taken under low light conditions on a blade bait in about 10 feet of water.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow

WHEN WE FISHED: 08 April 2019, AM

HOW WE FISHED: Tim, who has kids aged 1, 5, and 8, had to get them started on their way this Monday and couldn’t join us until about 8:20a, so, I met up with Mark and Clark at 7:00 so we could shoot for some shallow fish under low light conditions. Prior to Tim’s arrival, we landed 14 fish including 1 smallmouth buffalo, 1 largemouth, and 12 white bass, with a few other white bass missed. After we added Tim to the crew, we tried to milk a little more out of the white bass up shallow, but only added 2 more fish before the brightening and clearing skies killed that shallow bite.

From that point on we found fish only in deeper water. We spent much of the following 2 hours just searching for fish to fish for. We found on area, adjacent to the river channel with abundant bait and scattered, suspended fish. We made use of the Garmin LiveScope technology to sharpshoot these suspended fish using 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slabs equipped with stinger hooks. We made two “short hops” in this area landing about a half dozen white bass at each spot before moving on, only to return here because I could not find other areas with a combination of fish and bait which made me confident enough to stop and fish.

When we returned, we put another half-dozen fish in the boat before moving one final time at around 11:30.

When we moved we found fish on a gentle slope on the side of an underwater draw in about 32 feet of water. The more we fished and caught, the more fired up the fish got, allowing for a “smoking” tactic to be used on several occasions when the fish got really competitive and fired up.

We wound up catching about 3 dozen fish at this location as the fellows went through the learning curve of properly responding to what they were seeing on sonar.

We wrapped up the morning with 67 fish including 1 smallmouth buffalo, 1 largemouth, 1 white crappie, and 64 white bass in the 1 and 2 year classes.

OBSERVATIONS: No shad spawning observed. Fishing improved with wind velocity.

TALLY: 67 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 1:30p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 59F

Elevation: 0.69 feet high, with a 0.06 foot 24-hour rise

Water Surface Temp: ~63.6F

Wind Speed & Direction: W4 at trip’s start, turning slowly NW and slowing increasing up to NW12 by trip’s end.

Sky Conditions: 70% grey cloud cover for the first 90 minutes, then rapidly clearing to <10% white cloud cover as the NW wind began and ramped up.

GT = 60

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 1697 – low light bite on blades

**Area vic SH0001 – 2 short hops on first visit, then made a second visit w/ ~6 fish on each stop via sniping on on 3/8 oz. slabs

**Trough between Area 055 and 549 – bottom-oriented fish and suspended fish taken with aid of LiveScope on 3/8 oz. slabs

Bob Maindelle

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)

Fruitcake Fishing — 26 Fish @ Belton

April 6th, 2019April 6th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: On Friday, April 5th, I fished with Don and Linda Hutto who were treating Don’s parents, Tom and Jenean Hutto, to a fishing trip. Don’s folks had flown in from Claxton, Georgia, which is about 50 miles NW of Savannah, to attend an outdoor wedding on the 6th for Don’s son, Heath, and his fiancee’.

When I asked Jenean what made Claxton tick, she told me “Fruitcakes.” Thinking she was referring to corrupt local politicians, I kind of chuckled. Then she let me know she was serious. There are two of the nation’s best know fruitcake bakeries right there in Claxton — Claxton Bakery, Inc., and the Georgia Fruitcake Company!

PHOTO CAPTION: Tom Hutto of Claxton, Georgia, landed this 4 pound class bluecat on shad under foggy, calm conditions.

PHOTO CAPTION: Tom’s wife, Jenean Hutto, took this 3-pound class bluecat just minutes before Tom landed his nice blue.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: 05 April 2019, AM

HOW WE FISHED: Fishing was sub-par this morning. We had a light NW breeze and heavy grey cloud cover right at safe light. We caught most of our fish under these conditions via vertical jigging. Linda did the best with this tactic as she was meticulous about keeping her slab adjusted to just the right height off bottom. During this time we also hung live shad to tempt hybrid. Although we had a few takers, there were no keepers in the mix, but we did get a few bonus bluecat which gave Tom and Jenean a good run for their money. Later, a moderate-density fog moved in for about 1.75 hours and the winds calmed at this same time. The fishing fell off during this time. After the fog cleared we found a few more fish and caught them on the slab, and gave live shad another shot, but added precious little to the tally. We wrapped up around noon with 26 fish landed, including a mix of white bass, short hybrid, crappie, bluecat, and drum.

OBSERVATIONS: No shad spawning observed. Water still high 62 to low 63 degree range, after falling thanks to last weekend’s coldfront and lack of direct sunlight this week.

TALLY: 26 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time: 12:00a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 61F

Elevation: 0.8 feet high, with a 0.03 foot 24-hour rise

Water Surface Temp: ~63.2F

Wind Speed & Direction: NE4 at trip’s start and for ~90 minutes thereafter, then going calm for about 2 hours, then picking up ESE3 thereafter

Sky Conditions: 100% grey cloud cover with the addition of fog for about a 2-hour span starting about 90 minutes into the trip.

GT = 0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic 778/691/437

Bob Maindelle

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com