FIRST FISH, FIRST BOATRIDE — 40 FISH WITH THE AGLEES FROM TOGO

WHO I FISHED WITH:     This morning, Wednesday, August 21st, I conducted the 2019 season’s 17th S.K.I.F.F. program trip.  Joining me was Mr. Kossivi Aglee, his 5-year-old daughter, Haniel, and Haniel’s little 11-month-old sister, Nancy, came along for the ride, as well.

Haniel’s mom, U.S. Army Specialist (E4) Abra Alokpa is currently on a rotation to South Korea where she serves in a supply unit.  These rotations typically last about 9 months.  Kossivi and Abra are originally from Togo, Africa.  Abra became a U.S. citizen back in 2015 and enlisted in the military.  Kossivi is a student, studying welding at Central Texas College in Killeen.  He will take his citizenship exam in March 2020.

This fishing trip was provided to this military family at no charge.  S.K.I.F.F. stands for Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun.  This program began in May of 2009.  It is funded by the donations and fundraising efforts of the Austin Fly Fishers and other organizations they have partnered with.  S.K.I.F.F. provides the children of military personnel separated from their families due to duty commitments with the opportunity to go fishing.  In mid-2019, SKIFF also began providing trips to dependents whose parents’ military-related disabilities prevent them from taking their own children fishing.  I coordinate and conduct these 3.5 to 4 hour adventures on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, just outside the gates of Fort Hood in Bell County, TX, year ’round.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left:   Kossivi Aglee, his 11-month-old daughter, Nancy, and our angler-of-the-day, Haniel Aglee, with a beautifully colored adult bluegill sunfish.

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left:   Kossivi, Nancy, and Haniel with our largest fish of the trip —  some cooperative white bass which fell for our downrigged presentations out in open water with downrigger balls set at 23 feet.

 WHAT WE FISHED FOR: Sunfish & white bass

WHERE WE FISHED:  Stillhouse Hollow

WHEN WE FISHED:  21 August 2019, AM

HOW WE FISHED:   With a 5-year-old guest who had never been on a boat and who had never caught a fish before, I chose to keep it very simple this morning.  We fished in shallow water with bait and slipfloats for sunfish for a mess of smaller fish (35, including bluegill, longear, and redear sunfish, a largemouth bass, and a smallmouth bass).  When the heat cranked up and the interest level declined, we had snacks and went downrigging, landing our final five fish of the trip — all white bass taken on 3-armed umbrella rigs with balls set at 23′ over a deeper bottom and using Pet Spoons on the umbrella rigs.

TALLY:  40 fish caught and released

OBSERVATIONS:  Here was the temperature profile I measured:

0 feet 86.5

5 feet  87.5

10 feet 87.8

15 feet 87.8

20 feet 87.8

25 feet 87.8

30 feet 87.8

35 feet 87.2

40 feet 84.8

45 feet 81.9

50 feet 79.6

55 feet 77.4

60 feet 75.3

65 feet 73.1

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time:   6:50am

End Time: 10:30am

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 78F

Elevation:  0.31 low, 0.01′ 24-hour fall, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp:   85.9F

Wind Speed & Direction:  SSW3-4 the entire trip

Sky Conditions: Cloudless, unhazed blue sky.

GT =  0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:     

 

 AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 422  – sunfish (2 hops)

**Area  SH0127c- sunfish

**Area 716  – center of mass for downrigging at late morning for 5 white bass at 23′ over a deeper bottom

 

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