WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Friday morning I fished with U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Burley and his son, Nick Burley. Kyle is stationed here at Ft. Hood and resides in Harker Heights. Nick flew in from the D.C. area for a few days of visiting. The two are originally from Pennsylvania where fly fishing for trout is more the norm.
Between the shared interest in fishing I have with Nick, and the shared interest I have with Kyle in long-distance rifle shooting, the conversation over the course of the morning was engaging. All three of us shared an interest in well-prepared Texas smoked meats!!
PHOTO CAPTION: Despite catching fish of other species, including our target species (white bass), Kyle and Nick specifically asked me to snap shots of their drum which anchored our catch today weight-wise.
PHOTO CAPTION: Belton’s drum (and blue catfish) have become plentiful and healthy thanks to a bumper crop of zebra mussels as an abundant food source, I suspect.
WHEN WE FISHED: Friday, 31 January 2020, AM
HOW WE FISHED: I presented Kyle with two options two days in advance of our trip, based both on past experience and current results: fish for more, but smaller white bass on Belton, or fewer, but larger white bass on Stillhouse. In the interest of action, Kyle opted for Belton. We caught fish over the entirety of the trip, although the timeframe from 8:00 to 9:30 produced best (which, coincidentally, coincided with the start of increased cloud cover and the peak wind conditions for the morning). As anticipated, we caught solid numbers of smaller fish, 75 in all. This catch included mainly white bass, with a few largemouth and freshwater drum sprinkled in for variety.
The go-to tactic this morning was a slow easing tactic using my smaller white, 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye slabs with stinger hooks attached. We caught fish in 27 to 42 feet of water.
We did not encounter any helpful bird activity, although plenty of loons, gulls, terns, and osprey are present.
TALLY: 75 fish caught and released
OBSERVATIONS: Despite a NW wind which has been coinciding with good bird action thus far this winter, such did not materialize today. Many gulls and terns are now distracted by loon activity.
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 7:30A
End Time: NOON
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 43F
Elevation: 2.98 low, no 24-hour change, 17 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 53.2F
Wind Speed & Direction: NNW8-12
Sky Conditions: 20% white clouds on blue sky at trip’s start, with cloud cover increasing to 65% by 9A, then decreasing back to 20% by trip’s end
GT = 35
#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area BG0026 – best action of AM, and deepest water fished all morning
**Area 1882
**Area 1077
**Area 2032
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
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Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle