WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Thursday morning I fished with long-time client Jerry Morgan of Morgan’s Point Resort. Jerry brought with him his friend Robert Stovall and Robert’s adult son, Scott Stovall, both of Waco. Jerry is a retired educator, and both Robert and Scott’s focus is in corporate accounting.
After a slow start, multiple cooperative schools of white bass allowed us to take our fish count into the 50’s, then 60’s, then 70’s, and all the up to 100 fish. The accountants in the party indicated this number would be subject to scrutiny in a written report such as this one, and so we kept fishing until we hit upon a number which they agreed would be credible, and which would not cut too badly into Scott’s plans for lunch at a local restaurant!
Robert paid me a very nice compliment at trip’s end, letting me know he really enjoyed the action we experienced and was glad we changed gears to focus on the white bass, and that he learned a lot from me. Jerry, too, let me know he wanted to try again, even though his preference would have been for more hybrid action today.
PHOTO CAPTION: Jerry Morgan of Morgan’s Point Resort hosted the Stovall’s on Lake Belton this morning. Crazy changes in the weather put the hybrid in a funk, but we enjoyed a very aggressive white bass feed later in the morning.
PHOTO CAPTION: Scott Stovall with a Lake Belton hybrid striped bass taken on live shad from out of nearly 60 feet of water (with ~7′ of that being above our normal full pool thanks to an overabundance of rain this spring).
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was split between chasing hybrid striped bass with live bait in the first half, and chasing white bass with artificial bait in the second half.
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
WHEN WE FISHED: 09 May 2019, PM
HOW WE FISHED: I missed a day of fishing yesterday, 08 May, due to stormy weather from before sunrise until after 2pm. This system dropped more rain on us and east of us, which caused the Brazos River to flood and thus forced the Corps of Engineers to shut down the release of water at the dam. This, in turn caused the water to rise 0.81 feet overnight. Add to that a blanket of fog until sunrise, then flat calm and bright, sunny conditions until 8:20 AM, and this morning’s early bite was non-existent, as was any signs of a shad spawn.
We landed only 8 fish, including 3 of our trip’s 4 legal hybrid during this time, as well as 3 blue cat and 2 white bass, all on live shad in deep water. Around 8:20, a sudden change in the weather brought a NW breeze at ~8mph and ominously dark clouds, which later thinned, but never cleared. As the morning progressed, the wind continued to shift slowly northward.
We spent another hour in deep water, but only got bluecat to cooperate, and therefore left to pursue white bass instead.
The white bass bite later in the morning under breezier, partially cloudy conditions was solid.
We found fish in 24-26′ and did three “short hops” along this contour to stick with them, each time exciting the fish into biting and keeping them turned on for 20-2=30 minutes at a time.
Long story short, those cooperative white bass bit long and hard, allowing us to take our tally up to 104 fish, with most caught in the last 90 minutes on the water.
The majority of these fish were 2 and 3-year white bass, with a few 1-year whites and short hybrid in the mix. The experimental tailspinners I’ve been mentioning caught 100% of these fish in more turbid water.
OBSERVATIONS:
TALLY: 104 fish caught and released – including 4 legal hybrid
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 7:00a
End Time: 11:40a
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 68F
Elevation: 6.56 feet high with a 0.51′ 24-hour rise and a flow of 2064cfs
Water Surface Temp: 70.6F
Wind Speed & Direction: mph
Sky Conditions: Grey skies all morning, starting off thick and steadily tapering out until the sun finally broke through in patches by around 11:15am
GT = 70
#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area v1298 – scant hybrid and bluecat on live shad
**Area B0075 – scant hybrid and bluecat on live shad
**Area B0115C – 3 “short hops” for plentiful, active, 2-3 year class white bass on tailspinners
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)
Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle
Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle