WHO I FISHED WITH: These past two mornings, July 30th and 31st, I fished with two different contingents of the Oliver clan. Grandpa Joe Oliver contacted me as soon as his adult kids’ summer plans were solidified to let me know he’d like to take all six of his grandkids out fishing in two “shifts” during Summer 2019.
On Tuesday, Joe was joined by his adult son, Thomas Oliver of Temple (whose 14-month-old daughter I’m sure you’ll read about in a few years), and his adult daughter, Amber Pugh, of Academy, TX. Amber’s three kids, Ben (12), Beau (5), and Addie (4) were the focus of our morning efforts.
On Wednesday, Joe, Uncle Thomas, and Thomas’ older brother, Corey, fresh in from Oregon, all saw to it that Corey’s three kids, Cullen (9), Presley (9), and Harper (7), got to spend some time on the water with their grandpa, as well.
PHOTO CAPTION DAY 1: From left, back row: Joe Oliver, Amber Pugh, and Thomas Oliver. From left, front row: Amber’s 3 kids: Beau, Ben, and Addie Pugh.
PHOTO CAPTION DAY 2: From left, back row: Joe Oliver, Corey Oliver, and Thomas Oliver From left, front row: Corey’s three kids, Cullen, Harper, and Presley Oliver.
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: Multi-species, focusing on white bass and sunfish
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
WHEN WE FISHED: 30 & 31 July 2019, AM
HOW WE FISHED:
Both days laid out pretty much the same given the current, stable summer weather pattern. We got out there early, caught white bass as they fed aggressively until the bright sun shut them down, then turned our sights on sunfish up shallow.
DAY 1: The early morning bite, involving white bass forcing young of the year shad to the surface, produced 24 fish before the fish sounded as the light level increased. The adults cast small shad-imitators out into the fray and the kids retrieved the lures back through them. Once the bite on top died, we began downrigging, picking up an additional 15 fish for a combined 39 white bass and hybrid stripers, with our largest fish going 19″, landed by Ben. Once the white bass/hybrid action was clearly over, we headed up shallow and fished bait under slipfloats for about 90 minutes of non-stop sunfish action, adding 63 fish to our count, and setting the bar for “the cousins” at 102 fish to beat the following morning. I’ll note here that every Oliver clan member is quite competitive with coaches and athletes running all through their ranks. It was no surprise, then, that Amber texted her brother, Corey, letting him know that 102 fish was going to be hard to beat before we even got off the water.
DAY 2: This morning unfolded in much the same way that Tuesday morning did with a few helpful differences: 1) the kids were generally older, 2) the winds were a bit lighter, thus helping with spotting fish early, and 3) there were more numerous pods of fish feeding this morning. Thus, by the time the whites and hybrids ended their low-light feeding, we’d landed a half-dozen more fish and in a shorter period of time that on the previous morning. The kids (and adults) were constantly inquiring about the fish count throughout the morning. We headed up shallow and began the quest for sunfish, and these rascals really cooperated this morning. When all was said and done, we’d boated exactly 75 sunfish (bluegill, longear, redear, green, and hybrids thereof). At exactly 9:34 the adults agreed that the kids were done, and we headed back to the boat ramp before the sun made its presence felt to any greater degree.
TALLY: 222 fish caught and released
OBSERVATIONS: N/A
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time Day 1: 6:35a
Start Time Day 2: 6:20a
End Time Day 1: 9:30a
End Time Day 2: 9:34a
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start Day 1: 76F
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start Day 2: 74F
Elevation Day 1: 0.35′ high, 0.02′ 24-hour fall, 69 CFS flow
Elevation Day 2: 0.32′ high, 0.03′ 24-hour fall, 69 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp Day 1: 84.1
Water Surface Temp Day 2: 84.5
Wind Speed & Direction Day 1: S8-10 at trip’s start, staying constant throughout
Wind Speed & Direction Day 2: S5-6 at trip’s start, staying constant throughout
Sky Conditions Days 1 & 2: <5% white clouds on a blue sky
GT = 30
#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow
Wx SNAPSHOT DAY 1:
Wx SNAPSHOT DAY 2:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS DAY 1:
**Area 133 to 1746- low light topwater action for whites and hybrid
**Area B0104C – low light topwater action for whites and hybrid, followed by downrigging action after the increasing light drove the fish down
**Area 1583 – sunfish
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS DAY 2:
**Area B0132C- low light topwater action for whites and hybrid
**Area 715-1656 – low light topwater action for whites and hybrid, followed by downrigging action after the increasing light drove the fish down
**Area B0158C – sunfish in 4 secondary coves
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